My fave curried macaroon pie. Can you spot Buhbah in the background?
Hi guys! Well, I survived the technapocalypse yesterday. I was without internet for 20 hours. What a ridiculous diva I must be to even let that get to me, but try explaining to your ISP that you need to be around for something called Vegan MoFo and see how far you get. But you know, I read an amazing book, cuddled Skittles, worked on boring work stuff, and even bought ingredients for recipe testing, so it was a very nice internet stimulus-free day.
Vegan recipe testing! It’s awesome. Here’s why:
- You are supporting vegan cookbook authors!
- You (usually) get a free vegan cookbook! And your name in print. Don’t even pretend that doesn’t excite you.
- You will inevitably learn how to be a better cook, and even improve your palate. Because instead of telling the author “that was fucking tasty,” they want to hear “the acidity was slightly overwhelming, but the creamy mashed potatoes quelled it in the final dish. However, when do I add the brown rice flour? It was not included in the directions.”
- You get warm fuzzies from being a part of a community of excited vegans planning a culinary takeover of an omnivorous world.
- You can post stuff on your blog and make people batshit jealous of this secret society you’re involved with.
- As much as I might think my marmite gravy is the most amazing recipe of all time, let’s face it—we’re not all genius recipe inventors. Testing gives avid cooks the experience of understanding what it takes to create a recipe, and the ability to interact with the recipe’s author to make them feel like they had a valuable part in its creation.
I haven’t been testing for years like many of my vegan friends, but I have been a proud tester for my friends
Melisser Elliott,
Julie Hasson,
Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero,
Kittee Berns, and currently, for Terry Hope Romero’s new project. Even though I already have way too many cookbooks, there is something extremely motivating about seeing recipes from your favourite authors long before the general public, and having the opportunity to give valuable feedback.
People often seem to be curious about what it takes to become a recipe-tester, so this is my experience. Follow your favourite cookbook authors in whatever capacity they make available online. My connections have all stemmed from being a part of the PPK forums, but that’s not necessary, as not all people writing vegan cookbooks are on the PPK. Authors will often put the call out on their blogs, twitter/facebook accounts, email newsletters, etc. It’s not hard to “get in” as a newb—most authors wisely like to choose testers from a wide variety of backgrounds, geographical locales, and experiences. Jump on the call when it arrives, and chances are, they’ll be grateful. If they can’t accept you due to an overwhelming response, don’t take it personally, and just wait for the next time. There will be a next time, because rampant vegan cookbook growth is a very real phenomenon.
I’ll stop babbling in order to share a couple of photos of pies (oops! I was going to share tons of photos, but I forgot that my Macbook crashed pretty much the day after pie-testing ended) I tested for the hot-off-the-press
Vegan Pie In The Sky. Like I need to sell you on pie. For beautiful photos,
buy the book yourselves. I make pie to eat, not to gaze at. These were all made for the bake sale for Japan earthquake relief my boyfriend and I held back in April.
Vancouver Canucks-themed Grasshopper Pie
Appleberry Pie
- Cappuccino Mousse Pie
VPITS!
Vegan Dish has a selection of vegan stamped mugs and bowls to enjoy this winter in the cold. Have some lapsang souchong in a bright blue mug to warm your day.
Treewool has the beautiful garland scarf that I have been eyeing all fall. You can’t go wrong with organic bamboo.
Vegan Pie in the Sky from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Best dessert book of 2011 for all your pie needs. Pumpkin cheesecake is good any day of the year.
