We had a leaving party at the weekend for a colleague who is moving to France. My boss's wife has a tradition of making 'American food' for such events, and this time is was macaroni cheese. S couldn't make it to the party, but I got to thinking yesterday about how he used to love cheese sauce when I made it before I stopped eating cheese, and also how it is a good, warming, comforting thing to eat with cauliflower or chard or similar. So I was thinking about whether a vegan alternative would be remotely viable (a vegan white sauce would be easy enough, but how to make it cheesy?), and consulted ppk - seemed like the obvious place to start. I found this recipe there. The ingredient list looked somewhat weird - sauerkraut?! But actually we have a huge jar of sauerkraut in the fridge that S bought and decided he didn't like. And way better than anything involving fake cheese. So, much though I feared it might turn out disgusting, I thought I'd give the recipe a try.
3/4 cup cashews, soaked (perhaps blanched almonds would be an alternative)
2 cups veg stock, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 cup sauerkraut
1/6 cup plain flour
black pepper
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
To soak the cashews, put them in a bowl and submerge in hot water. Leave for at least an hour, preferably 2 hours or overnight.
Prep whatever you want to eat with the sauce in parallel or in advance: pasta, cauliflower, whatever (I boiled some moghrabieh in the same way as I would pasta).
Put the soaked cashews and 1 cup of the veg stock in the blender and blend until smooth.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat, then fry the onions and garlic and a pinch of salt in half a tablespoon of the oil, until onions are softened. Drain the sauerkraut in a sieve, squeezing it in your hands to remove as much of the wetness as possible. Add sauerkraut to the pan just to heat through, a minute or two.
Add the sauerkraut mixture to the cashew mixture in the blender. Blend until smooth.
Wipe out the pan reheat it over a medium heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, along with the flour. It should become a gooey clump. Toast the roux for about 15 minutes, until it smells toasty and turns medium brown. Stir constantly so that it cooks evenly.
Gradually pour in the remaining cup of stock, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t go lumpy. Whisk until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the cashew sauerkraut mixture, and whisk until well incorporated. Add the black pepper, nutritional yeast if using, salt and lemon juice. Heat through and stir occasionally, allowing the mixture to thicken.
(If you want to make a baked macaroni cheese, at this point heat oven to 350F and grease an 11 x 13 oven dish with olive oil, then mix the cooked pasta back with the sauce and put it in the oven dish, cover with tin foil and bake for 20 min, remove foil and bake 5 more min... Otherwise just mix the hot sauce with whatever)
It worked amazingly well! The sauce was not completely smooth, neither was it exactly like cheese sauce, but it did have a creamy, comforting texture and consistency, and it tasted really mellow and interesting (the sauerkraut definitely remained secretive). S liked it too (I only told him about the sauerkraut after he'd tried it). Perhaps that sauerkraut will get eaten after all (I'll have to stock up on cashews...). This quantity was plenty for S and I - would prob serve 4 - and the
leftovers keep well in a pot in the fridge (unlike non-veg cheese
sauce). Other recipes I saw use miso to get that 'matured' taste - perhaps I will try that too (if we ever run out of sauerkraut).
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Golden salad
Once again, our regular weekly CSA gift from Alvin delivered something fun - this time, golden beets. I haven't cooked them much, but boiled the bigger ones up at the weekend, and then began to nurture an image of a beautiful, golden, autumnal sunshine kind of salad, with plenty of sweetness (perhaps to note Rosh Hashanah and a sweet Jewish new year). Pecans were a given, and I was thinking of cranberries, but when I pulled out my box of dried stuff the golden raisins were staring me in the face, and it seemed like it would be utterly fatuous not to use them.
4 medium-large golden beets
bunch of rocket leaves (from the roof!)
1 1/2 tbsp golden raisins
1 1/2 tbsp toasted pecan pieces
1 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
salt+pepper
Wash the beets and put them in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Cover the pan and bring to the boil. Boil until the beets are tender (about half an hour, give or take - depending on the size of the beets - test with the point of a knife). Allow to cool to room temperature (this step is best done in advance - the whole cooked beets can be stored in the fridge for several days).
When ready to make the salad, peel the beets (the peel should come away pleasingly easily between your fingers) and chop them into chunks ~ 2 cm square. Wash the rocket and tear into pieces, removing any tough stems. Put the rocket and beets in a salad bowl and add the golden raisins and pecans.
To make the dressing, mix the mustard, honey, oil, vinegar and seasoning thoroughly in a small bowl.
When ready to eat, add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss.
This was a very pretty, very tasty salad. I have been underwhelmed by golden beets previously but these had great taste and texture, and looked lovely. I think my mistake in the past has been to mix them with regular beetroot - the taste and colour of normal beetroot (much though I love it) overpowered the golden ones. Better to keep them separate to let them shine!
I think this salad would work just as well with red beetroot, spinach (or finely chopped parsley), cranberries and red wine vinegar instead of golden beets, rocket, golden raisins and cider vinegar.
4 medium-large golden beets
bunch of rocket leaves (from the roof!)
1 1/2 tbsp golden raisins
1 1/2 tbsp toasted pecan pieces
1 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
salt+pepper
Wash the beets and put them in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Cover the pan and bring to the boil. Boil until the beets are tender (about half an hour, give or take - depending on the size of the beets - test with the point of a knife). Allow to cool to room temperature (this step is best done in advance - the whole cooked beets can be stored in the fridge for several days).
When ready to make the salad, peel the beets (the peel should come away pleasingly easily between your fingers) and chop them into chunks ~ 2 cm square. Wash the rocket and tear into pieces, removing any tough stems. Put the rocket and beets in a salad bowl and add the golden raisins and pecans.
To make the dressing, mix the mustard, honey, oil, vinegar and seasoning thoroughly in a small bowl.
When ready to eat, add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss.
This was a very pretty, very tasty salad. I have been underwhelmed by golden beets previously but these had great taste and texture, and looked lovely. I think my mistake in the past has been to mix them with regular beetroot - the taste and colour of normal beetroot (much though I love it) overpowered the golden ones. Better to keep them separate to let them shine!
I think this salad would work just as well with red beetroot, spinach (or finely chopped parsley), cranberries and red wine vinegar instead of golden beets, rocket, golden raisins and cider vinegar.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Moghrabieh (massive Lebanese couscous)
S is not a fan of normal sized couscous. But, we discovered, he does like the larger one you see marketed as 'Israeli couscous' or 'Giant couscous'. Mograbieh is even bigger than the giant stuff - cooked, the balls are almost big enough to be mistaken for chickpeas (which made me think it would be fun to mix them with chickpeas another time). I found it in the Armenian stores (although I think it is Lebanese), and thought S might like it even more (perhaps because the bigger it gets, the more it is like pasta?). I didn't feel like looking anything up yesterday, so I just cooked it how I thought it wanted to be cooked.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
3/4 tsp sumac
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup moghrabieh
2 cups veg stock
2 tbsp chopped curly parsley
salt+pepper
Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan, add the onion and sweat on a medium heat until well softened. Remove the lid and cook until any liquid is gone and it is starting to brown. Add the chilli, cumin, caraway, sumac and cinnamon and stir-fry for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the moghrabieh and fry for a minute or so more, then add the veg stock, cover and cook until the moghrabieh are about doubled in size and the stock is all absorbed (about 25 min), adding the parsley and seasoning to taste in the last few minutes. Bite one of the balls to make sure it is cooked through - they didn't go completely soft, remaining a bit of stodgy bite. Cover and leave to steam for ten minutes or so when done, as you would with rice.
The texture of the moghrabieh was interesting (stodgy but chewy?) and I wondered if it was a little underdone? But they tasted fine. I liked the spice combination, with the red onion and parsley - it was warm and comforting. Another time I might add (pre-cooked) chickpeas about halfway through the moghrabieh cooking time.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
3/4 tsp sumac
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup moghrabieh
2 cups veg stock
2 tbsp chopped curly parsley
salt+pepper
Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan, add the onion and sweat on a medium heat until well softened. Remove the lid and cook until any liquid is gone and it is starting to brown. Add the chilli, cumin, caraway, sumac and cinnamon and stir-fry for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the moghrabieh and fry for a minute or so more, then add the veg stock, cover and cook until the moghrabieh are about doubled in size and the stock is all absorbed (about 25 min), adding the parsley and seasoning to taste in the last few minutes. Bite one of the balls to make sure it is cooked through - they didn't go completely soft, remaining a bit of stodgy bite. Cover and leave to steam for ten minutes or so when done, as you would with rice.
The texture of the moghrabieh was interesting (stodgy but chewy?) and I wondered if it was a little underdone? But they tasted fine. I liked the spice combination, with the red onion and parsley - it was warm and comforting. Another time I might add (pre-cooked) chickpeas about halfway through the moghrabieh cooking time.
Kale salad, v. 2 (coconut, sesame and lime)
Alvin gave us another bunch of kale. I was pretty excited about kale salad after the one I made the other day: it seemed like there was a lot of potential. I used sufficient salt and oil to soften it (ie slightly more than before), and was thinking kale and coconut would be good together. I wanted everything I added to stick to the kale, so each bowlful and mouthful would be complete, avoiding the problem of all the additions dropping to the bottom and leaving the kale up top on its own.
1 bunch (purple) kale
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 a lime (perhaps a little more, depending on consistency)
2 tbsp dried shredded coconut
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 marigold flowers (with multiple layers of petals, optional)
1 tsp sumac
Wash the kale, shake or pat dry, tear into pieces and put it in a bowl. Add the salt and coconut oil and massage with hands until everything is coated. Leave for about an hour, until reasonably wilted. Meanwhile mix the tahini and lime juice in a small bowl until it is a creamy texture (add a little more lime juice if it doesn't go smooth). Also dry fry the shredded coconut and sesame seeds in a frying pan until lightly browned and fragrant. When ready, add the tahini-lime mixture to the kale and toss until everything is evenly coated. Add the toasted coconut and sesame seeds, marigold petals (take care not to add any seeds by accident), and sumac, toss and serve. It will keep well for up to a week in the fridge.
This came out well: everything stuck to the kale successfully, there was the right amount of dressing, and it tasted interesting. It was very pretty too, with the dark curls of the kale, light-brown shavings of coconut, and bright red and orange marigold petals. S liked the 'salty and sour' (he's really into pickles right now).
1 bunch (purple) kale
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 a lime (perhaps a little more, depending on consistency)
2 tbsp dried shredded coconut
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 marigold flowers (with multiple layers of petals, optional)
1 tsp sumac
Wash the kale, shake or pat dry, tear into pieces and put it in a bowl. Add the salt and coconut oil and massage with hands until everything is coated. Leave for about an hour, until reasonably wilted. Meanwhile mix the tahini and lime juice in a small bowl until it is a creamy texture (add a little more lime juice if it doesn't go smooth). Also dry fry the shredded coconut and sesame seeds in a frying pan until lightly browned and fragrant. When ready, add the tahini-lime mixture to the kale and toss until everything is evenly coated. Add the toasted coconut and sesame seeds, marigold petals (take care not to add any seeds by accident), and sumac, toss and serve. It will keep well for up to a week in the fridge.
This came out well: everything stuck to the kale successfully, there was the right amount of dressing, and it tasted interesting. It was very pretty too, with the dark curls of the kale, light-brown shavings of coconut, and bright red and orange marigold petals. S liked the 'salty and sour' (he's really into pickles right now).
Sunday, September 9, 2012
My garden: salad
This is a crappy picture, but I made a big salad tonight using only stuff I grew in my pot garden (except the dressing), and felt very proud: it might be the first time I ever made a salad containing only stuff I grew myself. Certainly the first time in years.
It had:
lettuce
rocket
chives
basil
marigold petals
mung bean sprouts
yellow cherry pear tomatoes
raw baby courgettes
dried yellow cherry pear tomatoes
(I also successfully grew chard, mint and radishes)
It had:lettuce
rocket
chives
basil
marigold petals
mung bean sprouts
yellow cherry pear tomatoes
raw baby courgettes
dried yellow cherry pear tomatoes
(I also successfully grew chard, mint and radishes)
High speed bread!
This is exciting! After making flatbreads the other day, I was initially thinking: yeah, this is awesome, we can make these any old night, they don't take long. Then I thought about it a bit more and realised that realistically, for a weeknight supper, even a 40 minute rising time just isn't going to cut it...
Then, somewhere on the internet, I stumbled across this method (also here). It's a no-knead, minimal rising time bread method - absolute minimum effort. You just mix up the dough, leave it at room temp for a few hours, then either use it right away or (this is the best bit) transfer it to the fridge and keep it there for up to 2 weeks, using it as and when you need it, with just a little resting time required for oven-baked loaves. Sounded amazing - too good to be true?!
So I decided to try it out - I mixed up a batch one evening last week and this morning (~3 days after the initial mix making) I decided to make the bread: the quantity I'd mixed up should have been sufficient for 2 loaves, so I used half for a loaf baked in the oven, and made instant za'atar flatbreads out of the other half.
(NOTE: I usually make half the quantity below at a time, which is enough for 2 good sized pizzas and a couple of flatbreads, or 3-4 pizzas, or a couple of batches of flatbreads - this seems to be our usual intake over the couple of weeks the dough is good for)
1 1/2 tbsp dry yeast (3 tbsp / 25 g fresh yeast)
1 1/2 tbsp salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+more for dusting)
3 cups lukewarm water
cornmeal
In a large bowl, mix yeast, salt and water. Then mix in the flour, just until there are no dry patches. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours.
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks.
For a small loaf:
(takes ~2 hour 10 min)
Cut off a grapefruit-size piece (~1/4 of the total quantity) with a sharp knife. Stretch in hands to make a small oval with a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Sprinkle baking tray with cornmeal, then put the shaped dough on it. Let rest for 40 minutes (or an hour and 40 min if dough refrigerated). Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450F. Put an ovenproof dish of water in the bottom of the oven. When ready to bake, slash the top of the loaf three times with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with flour or za'atar or seeds. Put the tray in the oven and bake for ~30 min, until browned and sounding hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before eating.
For flatbreads:
(takes only the time needed to roll out and cook the breads = 5-7 min per flatbread; this made about 6 so about 35 min)
Cut off a satsuma sized piece of dough (for small ones - use more for bigger ones). Flour a surface and rolling pin well, then roll out the dough piece into an approximate circle about 2 mm thick. Coat one side of the rolled out piece with a little olive oil (or could use veg oil, or marg). Heat a frying pan, then place the prepared dough piece oil side down in it. Cover and cook for about 2.5 minutes on that side, then flip (optionally sprinkle new top side with za'atar, salt, seeds, similar), cover and cook about 2.5 minutes on the other side. Keep warm while you cook more lumps of dough the same way, until you have the desired number of flatbreads.
Note: for garlic naan, while you are preparing the flatbreads as above, melt about 1 tbsp butter and 1/2 chopped garlic clove per flatbread together in the microwave or in a pan. Pour / spread a tbsp of mixture per bread as soon as it is cooked. Great with curry.
For pizza:
(takes only the time needed to shape dough, followed by about 20 min in the oven)
Put the oven on to heat to 400F, and put a pizza stone or cast iron in if you have one. Grab an orange sized piece of dough. Flour a clean surface generously, then squash, pull and roll the dough into the desired shape. Aim for a thickness of approx. 0.7cm - we have found that too thin ends up rather crispy-crunchy while too fat ends up a little doughy - no big deal if it's a bit off through, totally edible in any form. If using pizza stone, lay a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit the pizza base onto a flat, movable surface (large chopping board or upside down baking tray), then put the dough on top. If using a normal baking tray just move the dough directly to the baking tray. Arrange sauce and toppings on top of the base, then put straight in the oven for the baking tray, or slide together with the paper onto the hot stone if doing it that way. Bake for ~20 min, until lightly browned.
The flatbreads were brill, definitely a great anytime quick recipe and a great summer recipe as it is bread without oven. The za'atar sprinkled on top made them extra tasty (think I am having another za'atar moment). Pizza works similarly well.
The bread came out less well, but that is probably because I missed the bit about resting it for 1 hour 40 min and only rested it for 40 min (this was the recommendation if you're using a pizza stone: I don't have one). It's tasty and edible, just the crumb is a bit dense and the loaf is therefore a bit small. Hmm, an hour and 40 min is a bit long...
S and I ate all the flatbreads for a Sunday breakfast (he had ~4 1/2, I had ~1 1/2). Meanwhile, I let the loaf rise, then baked it and also mixed up a new batch to put in the fridge. This seemed like quite a good combination / approach - instant bread plus bread for a bit later plus bread for sometime in the next 2 weeks, all in the same kitchen session.
Edit: I've been making flatbreads a lot, and experimenting with rolling stuff in the middle (in the style of these) - did some with za'atar and nigella seed, and some with some cooked spelt berries I had in the fridge - the former were fine but not really worth the bother when you can just sprinkle on top instead, the latter were a bit random in original thought but were actually really good - made the white-flour flatbread into a chunkier, more texturally interesting wholegrain version with very little bother.
Then, somewhere on the internet, I stumbled across this method (also here). It's a no-knead, minimal rising time bread method - absolute minimum effort. You just mix up the dough, leave it at room temp for a few hours, then either use it right away or (this is the best bit) transfer it to the fridge and keep it there for up to 2 weeks, using it as and when you need it, with just a little resting time required for oven-baked loaves. Sounded amazing - too good to be true?!
So I decided to try it out - I mixed up a batch one evening last week and this morning (~3 days after the initial mix making) I decided to make the bread: the quantity I'd mixed up should have been sufficient for 2 loaves, so I used half for a loaf baked in the oven, and made instant za'atar flatbreads out of the other half.
(NOTE: I usually make half the quantity below at a time, which is enough for 2 good sized pizzas and a couple of flatbreads, or 3-4 pizzas, or a couple of batches of flatbreads - this seems to be our usual intake over the couple of weeks the dough is good for)
1 1/2 tbsp dry yeast (3 tbsp / 25 g fresh yeast)
1 1/2 tbsp salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+more for dusting)
3 cups lukewarm water
cornmeal
In a large bowl, mix yeast, salt and water. Then mix in the flour, just until there are no dry patches. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours.
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks.
For a small loaf:
(takes ~2 hour 10 min)
Cut off a grapefruit-size piece (~1/4 of the total quantity) with a sharp knife. Stretch in hands to make a small oval with a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Sprinkle baking tray with cornmeal, then put the shaped dough on it. Let rest for 40 minutes (or an hour and 40 min if dough refrigerated). Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450F. Put an ovenproof dish of water in the bottom of the oven. When ready to bake, slash the top of the loaf three times with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with flour or za'atar or seeds. Put the tray in the oven and bake for ~30 min, until browned and sounding hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before eating.
For flatbreads:
(takes only the time needed to roll out and cook the breads = 5-7 min per flatbread; this made about 6 so about 35 min)
Cut off a satsuma sized piece of dough (for small ones - use more for bigger ones). Flour a surface and rolling pin well, then roll out the dough piece into an approximate circle about 2 mm thick. Coat one side of the rolled out piece with a little olive oil (or could use veg oil, or marg). Heat a frying pan, then place the prepared dough piece oil side down in it. Cover and cook for about 2.5 minutes on that side, then flip (optionally sprinkle new top side with za'atar, salt, seeds, similar), cover and cook about 2.5 minutes on the other side. Keep warm while you cook more lumps of dough the same way, until you have the desired number of flatbreads.
Note: for garlic naan, while you are preparing the flatbreads as above, melt about 1 tbsp butter and 1/2 chopped garlic clove per flatbread together in the microwave or in a pan. Pour / spread a tbsp of mixture per bread as soon as it is cooked. Great with curry.
For pizza:
(takes only the time needed to shape dough, followed by about 20 min in the oven)
Put the oven on to heat to 400F, and put a pizza stone or cast iron in if you have one. Grab an orange sized piece of dough. Flour a clean surface generously, then squash, pull and roll the dough into the desired shape. Aim for a thickness of approx. 0.7cm - we have found that too thin ends up rather crispy-crunchy while too fat ends up a little doughy - no big deal if it's a bit off through, totally edible in any form. If using pizza stone, lay a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit the pizza base onto a flat, movable surface (large chopping board or upside down baking tray), then put the dough on top. If using a normal baking tray just move the dough directly to the baking tray. Arrange sauce and toppings on top of the base, then put straight in the oven for the baking tray, or slide together with the paper onto the hot stone if doing it that way. Bake for ~20 min, until lightly browned.
The flatbreads were brill, definitely a great anytime quick recipe and a great summer recipe as it is bread without oven. The za'atar sprinkled on top made them extra tasty (think I am having another za'atar moment). Pizza works similarly well.
The bread came out less well, but that is probably because I missed the bit about resting it for 1 hour 40 min and only rested it for 40 min (this was the recommendation if you're using a pizza stone: I don't have one). It's tasty and edible, just the crumb is a bit dense and the loaf is therefore a bit small. Hmm, an hour and 40 min is a bit long...
S and I ate all the flatbreads for a Sunday breakfast (he had ~4 1/2, I had ~1 1/2). Meanwhile, I let the loaf rise, then baked it and also mixed up a new batch to put in the fridge. This seemed like quite a good combination / approach - instant bread plus bread for a bit later plus bread for sometime in the next 2 weeks, all in the same kitchen session.
Edit: I've been making flatbreads a lot, and experimenting with rolling stuff in the middle (in the style of these) - did some with za'atar and nigella seed, and some with some cooked spelt berries I had in the fridge - the former were fine but not really worth the bother when you can just sprinkle on top instead, the latter were a bit random in original thought but were actually really good - made the white-flour flatbread into a chunkier, more texturally interesting wholegrain version with very little bother.
Orange and orange blossom 'cream'
Saw this, here (I've been enjoying the ideas on that site), looked like an interesting variation on the chocolate tofu pudding I made before, had some silken tofu that needed eating and am slowly getting in the mood for cooking again as Autumn is slowly creeping into the air.
I didn't have lemons, but did have an orange, so tried out an orange version instead.
~12.3 oz extra-firm silken tofu (used soft silken)
2 tbsp fine or medium-ground cornmeal
pinch of salt
~1/3 cup honey
grated zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
Drain and roughly slice the tofu, then drain for 10 minutes and dab dry as well as possible with kitchen paper.
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend til smooth.
Pour into a bowl and chill for 2 hours to a day.
This was totally fine and tasty and filled the yogurt-shaped hole in my diet for a few days. But it was nothing special, and the cornmeal was weird - I thought it might soak up the liquid and make everything thicker and firmer, but it remained grainy and I wasn't that into it. Still, the orange / orange blossom / honey combo was good, and I think I managed to judge the quantity of orange blossom water correctly for once - I could taste it, but it wasn't overpoweringly perfume-y.
I didn't have lemons, but did have an orange, so tried out an orange version instead.
~12.3 oz extra-firm silken tofu (used soft silken)
2 tbsp fine or medium-ground cornmeal
pinch of salt
~1/3 cup honey
grated zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
Drain and roughly slice the tofu, then drain for 10 minutes and dab dry as well as possible with kitchen paper.
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend til smooth.
Pour into a bowl and chill for 2 hours to a day.
This was totally fine and tasty and filled the yogurt-shaped hole in my diet for a few days. But it was nothing special, and the cornmeal was weird - I thought it might soak up the liquid and make everything thicker and firmer, but it remained grainy and I wasn't that into it. Still, the orange / orange blossom / honey combo was good, and I think I managed to judge the quantity of orange blossom water correctly for once - I could taste it, but it wasn't overpoweringly perfume-y.
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