Last spring, when we first heard that Brooklyn was going to be getting its very own vegan doughnut makers, we flipped our shit. Pardon our French—we resolved to curse a LOT more in 2012.

Seriously though, Reader, if you’ve been as dedicated as I know you have been over the past years, we’re telling you nothing new by saying finely made vegan doughnuts send us over the moon. Or, at least to Seattle. Doubting Thomases, please refer to our open letter to Mighty O Donut from 2009, pleading with them to come to Brooklyn.

Thankfully, New York doesn’t need the West Coast to bail them out. What was I thinking‽ No, before Mighty O could respond to my heartfelt, pain-filled letter, word arrived that two dapper young men would soon begin creating tiny, artisan doughy rings of perfection right here in Brooklyn and shipping them out to vegan-friendly establishments throughout the boroughs. Said dapper young men, Dun-Well Doughnuts (notice the fancier spelling—SUCK IT MIGHTY O!), were interviewed by none other than the Kindness of Ravens crüe in April of last year. You can read that bit here.

“So why bother us with old news,” you ask, rather rudely, I might add, Reader. Here is why—Dun-Well has now opened their very own brick-and-mortar storefront in the ever-hip land of Williamsburg. And it is awesome.

We made a quick pre-holiday jaunt over to the newly anointed establishment last month to procure for ourselves a bakers’ dozen of the finest doughnuts we’ve had…ever, I think. Honestly—lovingly crafted, beautiful, tasty, and original. Among the flavors of the day that we snagged: Original Glazed (think a 1000% better Krispy Kreme donut); jelly-filed Peanut Butter + Jelly; Raspberry Glazed; Pecan Pie (with bits of crust on it!); Chocolate Glazed; Chocolate with Peanuts; Ginger Snap; Coconut; the divine Cinnamon Sugar; Vanilla Glazed with Chocolate Sprinkles; the powdered Raspberry Jelly Filled; and, for fans of the cake-y stye drop doughnuts (read: me), a Death by Chocolate chocolate-glazed chocolate cake donut and a holiday-themed Peppermint one, with peppermint flavored glaze and little bits of peppermint candy. Yes. It was VERY difficult to not eat all 13 in the car ride down to Virginia. And, as a holiday side-note, Katie’s parents totally loved them all. And, to top it off, had a completely vegan Christmas dinner this year. Go, Frichtels!

Point being, get your ass to Dun-Well. You know us—we ain’t gonna’ say something’s awesome unless it’s awesome. This shit’s awesome (resolution). 222 Montrose, literally right across the street from the L train Montrose stop.

Below, various photos of the awesomeness, including co-proprietor, Christopher, boxing up the day’s catch.

Dreading having the same old thing again this year at the holiday dinner table? Wanting to impress the fam with a vegan recipe that’ll make them say, without a doubt, “This is vegan?” Just itchin’ for an excuse to make cute, tiny, hand-held pies? Got you covered on all counts, my friend.

These are something we usually make for BKTK—our most glorious yearly Brooklyn-based Thanksgiving feast, whereupon no travel out of NYC is allowed—but these guys will wow just as well this holiday season.

Here’s what you need—

For the Filling:
• 1 medium Butternut Squash
• half a Sweet Onion (like Maya Gold or Vidalia, when it’s in season)
• 5 cloves of Garlic
• .25 cup of Vegetable Broth (fresh, if possible…we’ll write that up some time in the new year)
• Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika
• Salt + Pepper, to taste

For the Pastry Crust:
• 2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) Vegan Margarine (we like Willow Run), very cold
• .25 cup (or so) Ice Water

So, first thing’s first—before you make this, you should know that it’s best to have the dough sit covered and refrigerated overnight. If that’s not possible, at least give it an hour to sit.

One key to a good pastry dough is to add the ice water little by little—too much and the gluten will activate too much, making a dense, chewy crust; too little and it’s a powdery mess that won’t bake. But don’t fret, once you get it down, you’ll be a pro. It’s honestly not that hard. The other key is to touch the margarine with your hands as little as possible, keeping it from melting until the dough’s being baked.

This pie crust recipe’s based on Martha Stewart’s Pate Brisee. She uses a food processor to make it, which you’re more than welcome to do, but we always do it by hand. When you’re ready to go, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl along with the salt. Now take one stick of margarine out, place it on a cutting board, unwrapped, and begin cutting the stick into small squares. We usually quarter it down the length and then chop it across the width into smaller squares. Again, touch the margarine as little as possible, using the knife and maybe a fork or other knife to scrape the pieces into the flour mixture. Scrape off only enough at a time that they can rest int he flour mixture without touching other margarine pieces and sticking together. When you’ve reached capacity for the surface area, lightly mix the margarine pieces in so they’re coated with flour and cut more pieces in and do the same. Repeat the process with the second stick of margarine. Once it’s all in, take a rubber spatula or a fork and quickly smash the pieces into smaller bits all throughout the flour mixture, creating tiny, pea-sized bits of margarine. Now begin to slowly mix in the ice water, maybe a tablespoon at a time, watching to see when the mixture begins to bind together and making sure that you’re thoroughly mixing in the moisture. Once you have a dough that starts to form a ball and doesn’t look wet but isn’t too powdery, stop with the water-adding, already. You’re done. Cover with foil or some such thing and refrigerate, ideally overnight.

On to the filling! This is hella easy. First, carefully divide the butternut squash down its length and place into an oiled baking pan. If you have a smaller baking dish, feel free to divide it down its width too. Bake at 350°F face-down until the outer skin easily punctures when you gently fork it (no jokes). It usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your particular gourdinal fortitude. Meanwhile, dice up the onion into very small pieces and then saute in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil until caramelized (10 minutes or so). Add smashed, peeled, and diced garlic and cook for five or so minutes, lowering the heat if the garlic begins to brown too much. When your squash is done, pull it out and set aside to cool. Once it’s cool, carefully peel off the skin. It should come off pretty easily if it’s been cooked enough. If you have trouble, go the other route—scrape the squash meat out. Add the squash to the onions and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, further browning the squash. Now add your spices and the vegetable broth and cook covered for 30-45 minutes, uncovering and stirring every now and then to check the consistency. You basically want to break everything down into a mashed-potato-like consistency, so feel free to smash and chunks with a fork and, if needed, cook off extra liquid uncovered.

Once you’ve got your filling cooked, you just need to set it aside or refrigerate it long enough that it’s cool to the touch. When you’re ready to make the pies (you can refrigerate the filling for a day or two, for real, and even freeze the day, as needed), pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Now, pull or cut lose a ball of dough about the size of a non-baby fist. On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the ball into a disk that’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Place a quarter cup or so of the cooled filling on one half of the dough disk, gently folding the other side over so you form a half-moon. Seal the edges with a fork. If the dough’s not sticking to to itself well enough, add a little water between the two sides. Set aside on a cool surface and repeat until the dough and/or filling are kaput. Place the hand pies on a cooking sheet so that they’re not touching and bake them until golden, usually 30 minutes or so. If you don’t have a large enough sheet for all of them, refrigerate the ones you’re not baking until there’s room for them.

That’s it! Now go impress those holiday revelers with you hand pie prowess!

Looking for some last-minute—or, if  you’re us, first-minute—gift ideas this holiday season? We’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend these assorted chocolates from Allison’s Gourmet.

Full disclosure—Allison’s a client of ours, but we just tried these for the first time and we’re now fully engaged in a battle we’re sure to lose against our wills in an effort to not totally devour them all in one sitting. Seriously. So good. Especially the salted chocolate caramel.

And, going off that little, beautifully designed ticker in the corner of her home page, looks like there’s still time to order for the holidays. So get giftin’!

Caprese Salad What you need:
• 2 Tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick – Go crazy! Try a new variety of tomato! 
• 7oz of Extra Firm Tofu, pressed then sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup fresh Basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

You definitely want to press the extra water out of the tofu. Our favorite method? Wrapping the block of tofu in 2 sheets of paper towels, then wrapping a clean dishtowel around that. Put it on a plate, place a cast iron skillet—or other heavy object —on top and set aside. The paper towels and dishtowels will soak up the extra water. You can press it for 15 minutes or several hours. The longer it is pressed, though, the drier and firmer the tofu will become. We think it really takes on a nice mozzarella-esque texture.
Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and tofu, then top with basil leaves. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Behold the power of the tomato!

Here’s the issue I have with pita pockets: they refuse to do their job. They break. They tear. They get soggy. They won’t hold their filling. Maybe they prefer to fly solo. Perhaps they prefer to be used as a dipping vehicle. Or maybe, just maybe, they are waiting for the perfect filling to come their way.

Enter, stage left, the Chickpea Picnic Salad.

True, true—picnic season may be rapidly coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this salad well into the fall and winter months. Make these pita pockets, put on your sweatpants, grab a blanket and watch The Proposal on FX. Unlike your friends, this salad won’t judge you.

Chickpea Picnic Salad (makes 2 overstuffed pitas)
What you need:
• 2 Pita Pockets
• 1 Can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbl Vegenaise
• 15 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
• 1 Avocado, diced
• 1.5 Cups of Chopped Arugula
• Salt + Pepper, to taste

Using a fork or potato masher, mash the chickpeas in a medium mixing bowl. Don’t be lazy—break all of them up. You don’t want any whole chickpeas left. Add the Vegenaise and mix well. Gently stir in the tomatoes, avocado, and arugula, making sure all ingredients are incorporated well. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fill the pita pockets and enjoy!

Seriously, though, have you see The Proposal yet? Just sayin’.

OOH! Also Found—a really entrancing, beautifully composed piece of pop music (below) via our new best-blog-friend, Electric Panda, by Australian artist Gotye. Check out EP’s write-up the artist and track on his blog.

Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) by Gotye

The perfect example—Allison Rivers Samson, who runs Allison’s Gourmet, which not only makes the world a kinder place by only creating cruelty-free, vegan, gourmet treats, but makes our mouths crazy-happy by making DAMN GOOD, NEAR ADDICTIVE cruelty-free, vegan, gourmet treats.

Allison just announced a Tee and Tote Design Contest for her company—which we’re helping to judge, by the bye—and it gave us an excuse to sit down and talk with her about how she started the company, what’s in the works for the future, and vegan super powers.

KoR: It is true—the early vegan days for us too, back in early- and mid-nineties, were fraught with cringe-worthy carob and dry-as-dirt-desserts. Rough times. So, why or how did you go vegan in the first place?

ARS: Originally, I offered various baked goods, including cakes, tarts, scones, muffins, etc, and delivered them all over Seattle. Since I lived on Vashon Island, which is accessible only by ferry, that quickly grew old. It was clear that shipping was the way to go and cookies were the perfect shippable item. At the time, there were only two other vegan cookies on the market (imagine that!) and they were sold only in stores and weren’t organic or fresh. My dream of another mail order business was realized!

KoR: Understood and will do! Do you have any plans to distribute to stores at all or are you content with the on-line model? We were just in Lula’s and they could use some AG caramels at that joint!

 

ARS: The one I’m writing, even though it’s taking forever!

Interested in entering the Tee and Tote Design Contest? Visit Allison’s contest mini-site, where you can find out about all the fabulous prizes (confection-based and cash-based), find out more about the designs, and upload your own! Remember—deadline’s September 15th. And you know how these end-of-summer days rush by. Get on it, Reader!

Being from the south originally, there are a number of things I miss, now that I live in the home of the Yankees. There’s the random, and, now, sometimes unsettling friendliness of strangers (we got seriously FREAKED OUT one time in the mid-west when a stranger passed by us and suddenly, unprovoked, said ‘hello’); there’s the easy calm of the south and the seemingly supernatural slowing down of the clock; and then the impromptu, unassuming means of entertaining—swimming holes, house parties, garage shows…. Yes, we obviously need to get out of town for a bit, but, point being, the thing I miss most of all is the food.

Being vegan, a lot of traditional southern food’s a total no-go. But, having grown up around it and having those tastes imbedded into my gustatory memory, they’re foods I’m constantly trying to replicate and improve upon in their vegan version.

This past weekend, in the brief calm that came in the eye of the storm of awesomeness that was this past holiday weekend, Katie  and enjoyed a much-needed lazy Sunday morning, taking our minds on a quick trip to the south. We made vegan bloody marys, kicked back, watched some World Cup, and whipped up a mean batch of homemade biscuits and gravy. In doing so, I was reminded of the fact that our ‘buttermilk’ biscuit recipe, originally posted on a friend’s blog—the Discerning Brute—in 2009, had been buried a bit in the e-stacks of interweb pages to come thereafter. Thus, with today’s post, we’ll re-publish said recipe and correct it a bit from our original post.

These warm, savory, buttery blocks of awesomeness were a mainstay of my extended family from Virginia and something that could be found on the table every Sunday and holiday. Being the transplant that I am, though, this particular recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the Waverly Inn in the West Village, published by GQ a while back.

They’re best right out of the oven with some choice fruit preserves, smothered in a nice vegan gravy, or just eaten straight-up. Though we made a couple of leftover ones into some MEAN tempeh sandwiches yesterday. The trick with cooking these is to keep the mixture as cold as possible when making them and to touch them (warm hands) as little as possible so that the bits of margarine—which make them flakey—don’t melt before they’re baked. Make the whole batch and them freeze what you won’t eat for later. And this recipe can be doubled if you’re cooking for some sort of vegan army.

• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (we like King Arthur brand)
• 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Sugar
• 1/4 Lb. (about 1/2 Cup) Cold Vegan Margarine (non-hydrogenated, ideally with no palm oil—here’s why)
• 3/4 Cup Almond, Soy, or Oat Milk (ideally, unsweetened)
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

First, combine the dry ingredients in a large metal bowl. On a cutting board, dice the margarine into small cubes, about one inch square. Really try to touch them as little as possible, using a utensil to slide the cubes off the knife, and toss a little flour onto the pieces as you add them to the bowl of dry ingredients so they don’t stick together.
Take a stiff rubber spatula and mix the dry ingredients into the margarine, using the spatula to firmly break the cubes into smaller, pea-sized pieces, cutting the margarine into the flour mix. Be very thorough with this part, making sure you break up all the cubes into tiny pieces. This is what makes the biscuits flakey.

In a measuring cup, mix the milk and vinegar together to simulate a buttermilk and let it sit for a few minutes. If you’re not a huge buttermilk fan, use less or no vinegar, compensating with the milk so the total mixture equals one cup. Slowly add this to the flour-margarine mixture as you stir with the spatula. Once it’s mixed together, the dough will look pretty wet, which is a good thing with this recipe.

Now, flour a clean counter-top or cutting board and turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and, using your hands, gently fold the dough over itself three or four times, evening it out and flattening it down a bit each time.
Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out so it’s about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You can form an oval or keep the edges rough, for an old-school, uneven look. Using a knife, cut the biscuits into rough squares a little smaller than the size of the desired finished biscuits. I usually make mine a little big—about 4 inches square.

Put these on a cookie sheet and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake at 375 degrees. They should only take 10-15 minutes, so watch them carefully, waiting until they get a golden brown look.

Now kick back on that imaginary front porch and git eatin!

What to do when you’re mired in the wistful world that rests between the brave throes of summer and the seemingly unending doldrums of destitute as winter slowly, ever so slowly eases its decrepit grip on our souls?
Make potato salad. Not yet the potato salad of summer, with it’s cool crispness and barely cooked flavor, but a potato salad that still has holds court in the realm of warming foods to help you get through a day like…today.

Hit it!

Thai Potato Salad
(aka Fuck You, Winter, Salad)
• 28 oz. of Small Yukon Gold Potatoes (we like those bags of Bon Campo Potatoes), un-peeled and cut into eighths
• 4 Shallots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 2 large Carrots, un-peeled and diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square
• 1 Red Pepper, cored and diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square
• 2 stalks of Celery, diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square (cut off and discard leafy top portion)
• half a bunch of Cilantro Leaves, stems removed and cut into thin strips
• .75 – 1.25 cups of Vegenaise,  depending entirely on how creamy/fatty you want your salad to be
• 1 4 oz. Masaman Curry Paste (be sure it’s vegetarian—we like Maesri)
• 1 tbsp. Liquid Smoke
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth (or water)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom or iron skillet on medium heat. Once it’s warm (throw a drop of water in—it should sizzle), add your sliced shallots and cook until translucent and they begin to brown on the edges—three to five minutes. Now add your potato pieces and toss to coat. Cover and cook for five minutes. Stir, making sure you turn and circulate potatoes to evenly brown them. Cover again and cook for another five minutes. Add 1 cup of broth (or water), your liquid smoke, and stir, unsticking the potatoes from the skillet surface. Cover and cook for another five to ten minutes, checking throughout until the liquid’s been fully absorbed. Once it has, add the second cup of broth (or water) and repeat.

Meanwhile, chop up your carrots and pepper and set aside and chop you celery and add that (separately) to a large mixing bowl.

Back at the skillet, once the liquid’s been absorbed, check the potatoes with a fork. They should be a little resistant still and not crumble to the touch, but not too firm. If they’re not at that point yet, add water, cover, and cook until they are.

Once your potatoes are good, add the carrots and pepper to the skillet, cover, and reduce to low heat. Cook for five minutes, and then remove from heat and uncover, letting everything cool for five or ten minutes.

When things have cooled a bit, add your skillet mixture to the mixing bowl with the celery and gently stir in the Veganiase thoroughly. You can do a little at a time, if you like, to ensure you don’t end up with an overly wet mix. I know. Ew.

Now add your curry little by little. This is a fairly mild curry paste, but it still packs a little heat, so add a quarter of a can or so at first, mix, taste, and then add more if you like. We generally go for a whole can, but, if you don’t use the whole thing, save the remnants—it tastes AWESOME mixed with a little ketchup or tomato paste and used as a condiment.

That’s it! Enjoy!