Guest guest Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 that was stupid and ridiculous no wonder the SF examiner is failing "swpgh01.t21" Jul 15, 2009 3:28 PM vegan-network [100% veg*n ] vegan birthday cake As a chef for a catering company in Sacramento California, I have received requests for unusual foods, ethnic foods, fish and game. Recently my office manager booked a small birthday party featuring a vegan birthday cake.The price was agreed on, the contract was signed Melange Catering was committed.tried to pass this assignment off to our baker but she declined citing a rare and exotic illness. I suspected she just wasn't up to the challenge of the vegans.With no one else to hand it off to I decided I would give it go. Let me say first off I am a chef not a baker. I bake on occasion but the results are less than the perfection people expect when they are paying you.I do bake bread and cinnamon rolls but when it comes to fancy confections I feel it is best to leave it to the professionals.I met with the vegans, an intense group of lesbians, to get an idea of what they expected. Lesbians are usually easy to please when it comes to food but not the vegans.Vegan adhere to a higher standard than the rest of us. A vegan will not eat any animal products or any product that may have been used by animals to make the product or any product that an animal may have once looked at.I found a recipe and armed with a list of ingredients, off to the market I went.The recipe called for margarine and something called soy milk. I stood in front of the dairy case and stared at the assorted tubs, everything had milk in it and other stuff that I couldn't identify but was sure would not be good for you.As I stood there reading ingredients I began to realize why the vegans were so intense. It wasn't easy to be a vegan and I was sure nothing they ate could have any flavor.I wasn't able to find a substitute for the butter so I called my client and asked her what she used. She told me she used Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening for baking and a vegan vegetable spread for regular stuff like toast.Curious I checked out the stuff and sure enough it is the same type of stuff some cities have banned KFC from frying their chicken in because it is bad for you.What's a little trans fat between friends I always say, so bought the stuff along with the soy milk (is it soy or is it milk, it can't be both) and headed home to bake the cake.Birthday cakes have layers, with icing. That's how a birthday cake should look. This vegan cake was so heavy and moist it would not support itself, when I tried to stack the layers, the top layer smashed the bottom one and created a huge mess on my counter.Back to the oven for another try at the cake. This time I made it in a half sheet pan deciding to forgo the layer idea. It baked up nicely and I slid it out of the pan onto a cooling rack hoping for the best.The heavy cake pressed into the rack and it developed ridges but it did not sink all the way through as I was expecting.After the cake was completely cool I whipped up a fluffy butter cream like frosting. I covered the ridges and the cake with this chocolate flavored, trans fat filled goo, decorated the top and sides and called it good.The vegans were delighted with the cake, it was beautiful and according to them, the best cake they had ever eaten.I tasted the cake, it was good, was it great? No. The frosting tasted heavy and left an oily feeling in my mouth, but it did taste somewhat chocolate-like.For first time I really looked at the vegans and they looked malnourished. They were all painfully thin, except for one woman who looked like she had eaten a couple of the other vegans. I think she was the only one not eating the soy ice cream.I am understanding of the whole lesbian thing, we mustn't eat animals, they are our friends, but why must vegans take it too far?We only get one life, I say, live as though you may die tomorrow. Do things, travel, laugh and eat the real chocolate.Author: Tricia JaussaudTricia Jaussaud is an Examiner from San FranciscoPrep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 50 minutesIngredients:•2 cups flour•1 cup sugar•1 tbsp cornstarch•2 tsp baking soda•1/4 tsp salt•1/3 cup cocoa•1 1/2 cups applesaucePreparation:Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Note: You can use other cake pans, but because this cake is a bit heavy, layered cake pans are not recommended.Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add applesauce and mix well until batter is smooth.Bake for 50-55 minutes, until done. You can always tell that a cake is finished baking by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, that is, not covered in batter, then your cakes is done baking.Frost, if desired, and enjoy!Nutritional Information: Makes 8 fat-free cake slices. Calories per slice: 242, Calories from Fat: 7Total Fat: 0.8g, 1% RDA Cholesterol: 0mg, 0% RDASodium 390mg, 16%Total Carbohydrates: 56.9g, 19% Dietary Fiber: 2.5g, 10%Protein: 4.0gVitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 1%, Iron 11% "Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Trish if you are suggesting that all vegans are lesbians then you couldnt be more wrong and if your suggesting by your phrasings that Lesbians are bad then you are horribly wrong. I see in your article that you like to take childish digs at groups you're not familiar with. It would do you some good to open up your narrow mindedness and try to get to know the groups you have chosen to slam. And you might want to talk to many of the successful vegan bakers how they make their delicious cakes. Based on your article it doesnt really sound like your really up to cooking anything more then grilled cheese and previously allready cut up french fries. I had no idea that the cooks at McDonalds are now referred to as Chefs. AS the world becomes more sophisticated and informed the ranks of vegetarians and vegans will continue to grow and become louder and yes more demanding consumers of certian types of food. Might wanna bone up on your skills and get ready for the future. 'Do what thou wilt, but harm none'. Each individual is responsible for discovering his or her own true nature and developing it fully, in harmony with the outer world. Goddess Bless. "swpgh01.t21" <swpgh01.t21vegan-network Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:28:38 PM[100% veg*n ] vegan birthday cake As a chef for a catering company in Sacramento California, I have received requests for unusual foods, ethnic foods, fish and game. Recently my office manager booked a small birthday party featuring a vegan birthday cake.The price was agreed on, the contract was signed Melange Catering was committed.tried to pass this assignment off to our baker but she declined citing a rare and exotic illness. I suspected she just wasn't up to the challenge of the vegans.With no one else to hand it off to I decided I would give it go. Let me say first off I am a chef not a baker. I bake on occasion but the results are less than the perfection people expect when they are paying you.I do bake bread and cinnamon rolls but when it comes to fancy confections I feel it is best to leave it to the professionals.I met with the vegans, an intense group of lesbians, to get an idea of what they expected. Lesbians are usually easy to please when it comes to food but not the vegans.Vegan adhere to a higher standard than the rest of us. A vegan will not eat any animal products or any product that may have been used by animals to make the product or any product that an animal may have once looked at.I found a recipe and armed with a list of ingredients, off to the market I went.The recipe called for margarine and something called soy milk. I stood in front of the dairy case and stared at the assorted tubs, everything had milk in it and other stuff that I couldn't identify but was sure would not be good for you.As I stood there reading ingredients I began to realize why the vegans were so intense. It wasn't easy to be a vegan and I was sure nothing they ate could have any flavor.I wasn't able to find a substitute for the butter so I called my client and asked her what she used. She told me she used Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening for baking and a vegan vegetable spread for regular stuff like toast.Curious I checked out the stuff and sure enough it is the same type of stuff some cities have banned KFC from frying their chicken in because it is bad for you.What's a little trans fat between friends I always say, so bought the stuff along with the soy milk (is it soy or is it milk, it can't be both) and headed home to bake the cake.Birthday cakes have layers, with icing. That's how a birthday cake should look. This vegan cake was so heavy and moist it would not support itself, when I tried to stack the layers, the top layer smashed the bottom one and created a huge mess on my counter.Back to the oven for another try at the cake. This time I made it in a half sheet pan deciding to forgo the layer idea. It baked up nicely and I slid it out of the pan onto a cooling rack hoping for the best.The heavy cake pressed into the rack and it developed ridges but it did not sink all the way through as I was expecting.After the cake was completely cool I whipped up a fluffy butter cream like frosting. I covered the ridges and the cake with this chocolate flavored, trans fat filled goo, decorated the top and sides and called it good.The vegans were delighted with the cake, it was beautiful and according to them, the best cake they had ever eaten.I tasted the cake, it was good, was it great? No. The frosting tasted heavy and left an oily feeling in my mouth, but it did taste somewhat chocolate-like.For first time I really looked at the vegans and they looked malnourished. They were all painfully thin, except for one woman who looked like she had eaten a couple of the other vegans. I think she was the only one not eating the soy ice cream.I am understanding of the whole lesbian thing, we mustn't eat animals, they are our friends, but why must vegans take it too far?We only get one life, I say, live as though you may die tomorrow. Do things, travel, laugh and eat the real chocolate.Author: Tricia JaussaudTricia Jaussaud is an Examiner from San FranciscoPrep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 50 minutesIngredients:•2 cups flour•1 cup sugar•1 tbsp cornstarch•2 tsp baking soda•1/4 tsp salt•1/3 cup cocoa•1 1/2 cups applesaucePreparation:Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Note: You can use other cake pans, but because this cake is a bit heavy, layered cake pans are not recommended.Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add applesauce and mix well until batter is smooth.Bake for 50-55 minutes, until done. You can always tell that a cake is finished baking by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, that is, not covered in batter, then your cakes is done baking.Frost, if desired, and enjoy!Nutritional Information: Makes 8 fat-free cake slices. Calories per slice: 242, Calories from Fat: 7Total Fat: 0.8g, 1% RDA Cholesterol: 0mg, 0% RDASodium 390mg, 16%Total Carbohydrates: 56.9g, 19% Dietary Fiber: 2.5g, 10%Protein: 4.0gVitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 1%, Iron 11% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Just a note about another vegan cake experience: I coordinate an annual retreat, called Autreat (www.autreat.com), for autistic people. As a group, autistic people have significantly higher rates of various food allergies and intolerances, sensory issues that affect the ability to tolerate assorted flavors or textures or temperatures or mixed-togetherness of food, and pretty much any other " picky eater " issues you could think of, than are found in the non-autistic population. Planning a menu for a group of autistic people is a huge challenge! Add to the challenge the fact that I, the conference coordinator, am a strongly committed vegan: I am not willing to sign a contract for meal service that would include animal products, not willing to write a check to pay for animal products, not willing to be the purchasing agent even if I'm not going to eat the animal products myself--just completely unwilling to be a party to any transaction involving animal products on the menu. So, as long as I'm the coordinator, the Autreat menu has to be vegan. This year, two of our members became engaged, and they chose to celebrate their wedding at Autreat. What a milestone for our community! What an honor, that two people would rather get married among us than at home among their own families and neighbors and fellow church members! What a catering challenge, to arrange for a wedding cake that would be vegan, and would not disappoint the bride and groom on this most special day for them!!! The chef at our conference venue suggested a vegan yellow cake with raspberry filling and a light raspberry frosting. The bride and groom preferred a chocolate cake with white frosting and a green design on top. The chef produced a vegan chocolate wedding cake with white frosting, and the green interlocking hearts design they requested. The cake was beautiful. And according to the bride, groom, maid of honor, and other guests who ate it (most of whom are *not* veg*n), the cake was very good. I have no idea if the chef went on to publish snarky comments about our group's request for a vegan wedding cake or for the overall vegan retreat menu. If I were to find out he'd done that, I think I would complain to his supervisor about disrespecting customers and a general lack of professionalism. Jim Sinclair jisincla Coordinator, Autism Network International www.ani.ac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 glad the wedding and cake all worked out well tho! too bad we don't have a recipe for the cake eh.. Jim Sinclair Jul 16, 2009 2:38 PM vegan-network Re: [100% veg*n ] vegan birthday cake Just a note about another vegan cake experience: I coordinate anannual retreat, called Autreat (www.autreat.com), for autistic people.As a group, autistic people have significantly higher rates of variousfood allergies and intolerances, sensory issues that affect theability to tolerate assorted flavors or textures or temperatures ormixed-togetherness of food, and pretty much any other "picky eater"issues you could think of, than are found in the non-autisticpopulation. Planning a menu for a group of autistic people is a hugechallenge!Add to the challenge the fact that I, the conference coordinator, am astrongly committed vegan: I am not willing to sign a contract for mealservice that would include animal products, not willing to write acheck to pay for animal products, not willing to be the purchasingagent even if I'm not going to eat the animal products myself--justcompletely unwilling to be a party to any transaction involving animalproducts on the menu. So, as long as I'm the coordinator, the Autreatmenu has to be vegan.This year, two of our members became engaged, and they chose tocelebrate their wedding at Autreat. What a milestone for ourcommunity! What an honor, that two people would rather get marriedamong us than at home among their own families and neighbors andfellow church members!What a catering challenge, to arrange for a wedding cake that would bevegan, and would not disappoint the bride and groom on this mostspecial day for them!!!The chef at our conference venue suggested a vegan yellow cake withraspberry filling and a light raspberry frosting. The bride and groompreferred a chocolate cake with white frosting and a green design ontop.The chef produced a vegan chocolate wedding cake with white frosting,and the green interlocking hearts design they requested. The cake wasbeautiful. And according to the bride, groom, maid of honor, and otherguests who ate it (most of whom are *not* veg*n), the cake was verygood.I have no idea if the chef went on to publish snarky comments aboutour group's request for a vegan wedding cake or for the overall veganretreat menu. If I were to find out he'd done that, I think I wouldcomplain to his supervisor about disrespecting customers and a generallack of professionalism.Jim Sinclair jisincla (AT) syr (DOT) eduCoordinator, Autism Network Internationalwww.ani.ac "Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.