Kopps, Berlin: This Is How Brunch Professionals Do Brunchby Randi / September 20, 2014
Mmm, soup! I mean noodle soup! I mean soup! (“Friends” is always on my mind during MOFO.) Well, I didn’t necessarily have potato soup in Germany so this soup isn’t specifically inspired by my travels but it’s generally inspired by Germany. Because German potato soup is a thing, according to the internet and common knowledge, as well as Tony Horton and the German pornstar who was in the Chest & Back P90X video. (Okay, so I’m 50% making this for Germany and 50% for one of the funnier parts of the original P90X, when four people look ridiculous swinging their arms around doing pot-stirrers and the always insane Tony Horton tells them to call out their soups. See below. And yes, all of us innocent Xers were informed afterwards that Maren is a pornstar.)
All the bowls in London are chipped and not in the good Beauty & The Beast way
From my research, the key ingredient in German Potato Soup (besides potatoes don’t forget the potatoes) is bacon. Ew and oh no! I thought of using tempeh bacon or some such alternate, but I decided instead a) not to waste tempeh because it costs like $11 here in London and b) to use the idea of bacon as inspiration in my everpresent soup topping: cashew cream, this time with a dash of liquid smoke to evoke the scent of nonvegan grossness in a very vegan and delicious way. ALSO, Tony tells everyone “don’t eat swine while doing the P90X”, which is kind of awesome.
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BOILING BRAIN PICTURE 
Soak your damn cashews 
Take out your bay leaves before blending! 
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Lovely soup with a little cashew cream dropped in
I really love potato soup and this was no exception! It’s so simple and really delicious. As you can see, I added some chickpeas to my bowl. And these are not ordinary chickpeas. I bought these from a bulk container at a nearby health food store, thinking they were like my beloved roasted crunchy chickpeas from The Good Bean. Nope, these are in fact the only very spicy food you can find in London. SO SPICY! Mixed into this soup, the spice dissipated a little and it was awesome! Any crunchy chickpea would be lovely here, or tempeh bacon, of course. I think Maren and Tony would be proud. And Germany.
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Cherry Orange Cornmeal Cake, or How To Have Polenta All Day Son
(Don’t call me son.) I know corn is evil because of GMOs and Monsanto and they’re all watching us through our webcams that we assume are turned off but never are &c. But, polenta is amazing and I can’t stop eating it, even if it will make me grow horns. No seriously. We’ve had it for regular meals (obviously), we’ve had it for breakfast, and now we’re having it for dessert in cake form. I’m sure you’ve all had polenta cake or cornmeal cake in your life but this is its first appearance on this section of this site so ya know happy new year.
Cornmeal is the same as dry polenta, so when you go to buy it, either works. Don’t get the prepackaged premade polenta that we would use in our fried breakfast. You want the flour-like grain for this. But don’t buy cornflour; in the UK that’s what they call cornstarch. There’s a lot to keep straight here.
You can use really any fruit you want here; any kind of berry would be great. I used cherries because I had to cut around the pits and stuff and I like to challenge myself. Also they are apparently supposed to be great help for painful lady cramps so ya know, if you make this it’s pretty much like taking medicine.
Did you hear Bill Cosby finally got arrested? Hooray for PA! I can see all of Pennsylvania!
You can use really any fruit you want here; any kind of berry would be great. I used cherries because I had to cut around the pits and stuff and I like to challenge myself. Also they are apparently supposed to be great help for painful lady cramps so ya know, if you make this it’s pretty much like taking medicine.
Did you hear Bill Cosby finally got arrested? Hooray for PA! I can see all of Pennsylvania!
CHERRY ORANGE POLENTA CAKE
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Angelica… 
Eliza! 
and cherry |
my food photography brings all the boys to the yard |
they’re like it’s better than yours |
It’s turned out really yummy! Especially for something I didn’t test. Yeah, so the whole spontaneous vibe about this section of the blog usually works out (my shit’s delicious), but sometimes I see where testing could improve things. I loved the taste here, but it was super crumbly. It’s not a problem at all if you make a custard or eat it with ice cream, the liquid of which can help to hold it together or at the very least can help you focus on how lucky you are to be eating vegan ice cream instead of thinking about crumbly cake you ungrateful ogre. But when I make it next, I think I would add a few tablespoons of Aquafaba. And I’m going to suggest that you add it to yours too. Holy crap I just told my husband “I think next time I’ll add Aquafaba to see if it helps bind it” and he LITERALLY just said, “What the f*& why would you voluntarily eat something called Aquafaba? It sounds like a poison from ancient civilizations. Or like a witchcraft-generated medicine. A medieval crone would have been like ‘Here, take some Aquafaba to cure you of your black humours!'” He really said this.
ENJOY!
Pumpkin Mousse Pie with Gingerbread Cookie Crust: Because Pilgrims
Hey so apparently it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow! Did you know, because I kind of forgot. Hence I’m giving you my required Thanksgiving recipes and posts this late in the game. You have been looking at blogs for weeks now, inundated with recipes for stuffing, seitan roasts, pumpkin this and that. Bu if, like me, you are deciding today what to make for tomorrow, then make this! It’s easy and delicious and has pumpkin; what more could you ask for? Also, I’m pretty sure the Pilgrims didn’t eat it, which I think is a main criterion for Thanksgiving food.
Last week’s (ok, it might have been longer than that; I’m verrbizz) cookie pie crust was pretty amazing, so I decided to do the same sort of thing but with pumpkin pie. The proper cookie base for Thanksgiving/pumpkin is, of course, gingerbread, so that’s what we’re making here. If you don’t like gingerbread (because I know some people don’t, bless their hearts), you can easily and deliciously sub this cinnamon cookie crust in for this. If you don’t like pumpkin, I’m very sorry.
Last week’s (ok, it might have been longer than that; I’m verrbizz) cookie pie crust was pretty amazing, so I decided to do the same sort of thing but with pumpkin pie. The proper cookie base for Thanksgiving/pumpkin is, of course, gingerbread, so that’s what we’re making here. If you don’t like gingerbread (because I know some people don’t, bless their hearts), you can easily and deliciously sub this cinnamon cookie crust in for this. If you don’t like pumpkin, I’m very sorry.
PUMPKIN MOUSSE PIE
WITH GINGERBREAD COOKIE CRUST
WITH GINGERBREAD COOKIE CRUST
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Precooked coooookie crust (you know what I’m saying that like, right? Like a certain cereal). 
It’s super puffy at first, like level with the sides… 
…but then it falls a bit 
Using my London tube map dishcloth in honor of their lack of Thanksgiving over there. 
It’s starting to remind me of an egg yolk. Not my intention. |
It’s pretty pretty, yes? (I meant the first pretty like ‘somewhat’, not like an idiot.)
Side boob
I can’t share a picture of a piece of the pie, because I can’t touch it until tomorrow. Oh well. The mixture was delicious! Because of the simple components of the mousse, authentic pumpkin flavor comes through, not just the fall spices of ‘pumpkin-flavored’ stuff. If you like that sort of thing, this is for you! I don’t think you can go wrong with this combination of pumpkin and gingerbread. Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of vegan food, and good luck with anti-vegan comments from relatives. Or really any comments.
