Guest guest Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Crown Nut Roast A large, impressive-shaped nut roast that makes a good centerpiece for a holiday table. Use a large, shaped tin, such as an embossed or fluted raised pie mould or shaped cake tin. This recipe quantity will fill a three-pint volume tin. The roast is also very good eaten cold and is suitable for freezing. It can be made several days in advance and kept in the tin, uncooked, in the fridge. Nut Layer: 12 oz. (3 medium) onions, finely chopped 1 tbsp. oil 1 lb. 8 oz. mixed nuts 12 oz. soft white bread [i use wheat], crusts removed 3 tbsp. tahini 3 tbsp. whole wheat flour 6 oz. soy milk 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. cloves ½ tsp. salt Spinach Layer: 10 oz. package frozen spinach, cooked as directed and well drained Chestnut Layer: 8 oz. unsweetened chestnut puree blended with ½ oz. melted butter [i use oil or soy margarine] 1 tbsp. red wine 1 oz. fine bread crumbs salt and pepper to taste Gently sauté onion in oil until soft. Grind nuts, bread, and cooked onion together in a food processor or coffee grinder, to a fine consistency. Mix tahini, flour, soy milk, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a paste. Add to the nut mixture and combine thoroughly. The mixture will be fairly stiff, should hold together well, and should be slightly sticky. Mix together the chestnut layer ingredients until thoroughly combined. Line the baking tin with non-stick parchment paper. Divide nut mixture into four equal parts, and spinach into two parts. Place mixtures in alternating layers (nut, spinach, nut, chestnut, nut, spinach, nut). Use a plastic spatula to press each layer down very smoothly, especially into the corners and sides of the tin. Cook at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, increase to 400 degrees and cook for an additional 15 minutes to give a nice crust. [My oven runs a bit cool, so I test it and give it more time if necessary. You want it to be baked well all the way through.] My Modifications: This recipe is pretty easy to modify. Plus, the original recipe used British units like grams and mls., and called for the oven temperature in gas marks. The americanized instructions above have worked well for me. Here are my other alterations: I like to lighten up the nut layers by reducing the mixed nuts to 16 oz. (2 cups) and adding 2 chopped colored peppers to the onions as they are sautéing. Then I withhold the onion/pepper sauté from the food processor when I grind the nuts and bread, adding the sautéed onion and pepper to the final mix in order to preserve some of the color and texture of the peppers. I have found that it's difficult to find unsweetened chestnut puree in cans, so I either roast my own fresh chestnuts and puree them (very time consuming) or order whole, cooked, peeled chestnuts from a place like Williams-Sonoma. Sometimes supermarkets carry them in the meat department during the holidays for people who want them to use in turkey stuffing. I double the amount of spinach, using two packages instead of one, because I like spinach and I think the green is pretty when the roast is cut. Be sure to drain the spinach very well - you want it as dry as possible. I bake the roast in a straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish, but you can use any baking dish that will produce a nice effect when the roast is unmolded and turned upside down. I grease the dish and then insert the parchment paper on the bottom and sides, first cutting it and doing a bit of trimming to make it fit the dish (the butter or margarine makes the paper stick to the dish better). The recipe says that you can use a mold with a " tricky " shape by first lining it with Saran Wrap and then filling it with the alternating layers, pressing down well as you go. Before cooking, turn out onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or onto an oven-to-table serving plate. Then remove the tin and peel off the Saran Wrap, cover the roast lightly with parchment paper, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the paper and bake for an additional 15 minutes. The roast will hold its shape during baking. I turn the roast upside down onto a pretty platter and then garnish it with roast vegetables. I also serve it with mushroom gravy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 are the cloves and nutmeg a heavy taste in this? I really do not like either spice but if they are needed to make the raost then obviously I will keep them but wondered if it was a necessity to have them. also- would anyone know of an alternative to those? thanks all cristene - quintmom<quintmom < > Thursday, January 13, 2005 10:04 AM Terry's Crown Nut Roast Crown Nut Roast A large, impressive-shaped nut roast that makes a good centerpiece for a holiday table. Use a large, shaped tin, such as an embossed or fluted raised pie mould or shaped cake tin. This recipe quantity will fill a three-pint volume tin. The roast is also very good eaten cold and is suitable for freezing. It can be made several days in advance and kept in the tin, uncooked, in the fridge. Nut Layer: 12 oz. (3 medium) onions, finely chopped 1 tbsp. oil 1 lb. 8 oz. mixed nuts 12 oz. soft white bread [i use wheat], crusts removed 3 tbsp. tahini 3 tbsp. whole wheat flour 6 oz. soy milk 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. cloves ½ tsp. salt Spinach Layer: 10 oz. package frozen spinach, cooked as directed and well drained Chestnut Layer: 8 oz. unsweetened chestnut puree blended with ½ oz. melted butter [i use oil or soy margarine] 1 tbsp. red wine 1 oz. fine bread crumbs salt and pepper to taste Gently sauté onion in oil until soft. Grind nuts, bread, and cooked onion together in a food processor or coffee grinder, to a fine consistency. Mix tahini, flour, soy milk, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a paste. Add to the nut mixture and combine thoroughly. The mixture will be fairly stiff, should hold together well, and should be slightly sticky. Mix together the chestnut layer ingredients until thoroughly combined. Line the baking tin with non-stick parchment paper. Divide nut mixture into four equal parts, and spinach into two parts. Place mixtures in alternating layers (nut, spinach, nut, chestnut, nut, spinach, nut). Use a plastic spatula to press each layer down very smoothly, especially into the corners and sides of the tin. Cook at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, increase to 400 degrees and cook for an additional 15 minutes to give a nice crust. [My oven runs a bit cool, so I test it and give it more time if necessary. You want it to be baked well all the way through.] My Modifications: This recipe is pretty easy to modify. Plus, the original recipe used British units like grams and mls., and called for the oven temperature in gas marks. The americanized instructions above have worked well for me. Here are my other alterations: I like to lighten up the nut layers by reducing the mixed nuts to 16 oz. (2 cups) and adding 2 chopped colored peppers to the onions as they are sautéing. Then I withhold the onion/pepper sauté from the food processor when I grind the nuts and bread, adding the sautéed onion and pepper to the final mix in order to preserve some of the color and texture of the peppers. I have found that it's difficult to find unsweetened chestnut puree in cans, so I either roast my own fresh chestnuts and puree them (very time consuming) or order whole, cooked, peeled chestnuts from a place like Williams-Sonoma. Sometimes supermarkets carry them in the meat department during the holidays for people who want them to use in turkey stuffing. I double the amount of spinach, using two packages instead of one, because I like spinach and I think the green is pretty when the roast is cut. Be sure to drain the spinach very well - you want it as dry as possible. I bake the roast in a straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish, but you can use any baking dish that will produce a nice effect when the roast is unmolded and turned upside down. I grease the dish and then insert the parchment paper on the bottom and sides, first cutting it and doing a bit of trimming to make it fit the dish (the butter or margarine makes the paper stick to the dish better). The recipe says that you can use a mold with a " tricky " shape by first lining it with Saran Wrap and then filling it with the alternating layers, pressing down well as you go. Before cooking, turn out onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or onto an oven-to-table serving plate. Then remove the tin and peel off the Saran Wrap, cover the roast lightly with parchment paper, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the paper and bake for an additional 15 minutes. The roast will hold its shape during baking. I turn the roast upside down onto a pretty platter and then garnish it with roast vegetables. I also serve it with mushroom gravy. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org<http://www.vrg.org/> and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This<http://www.vrg.org/family.This> is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Cristene, I didn't notice the cloves and nutmeg being too overt. They sort of blended in to make a smooth, Thanksgiving-y kind of taste. What do some of you others who made this think? God's Peace, Gayle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 I would like these recipes. I like chick peas too. So does my daughter. Terry Somerson <terry wrote: Cristene, You can reduce the cloves and nutmeg if you like. In fact, I usually cut the amount of cloves called for in any recipe I make -- I find it a very harsh flavor. Nutmeg, on the other hand, brings out the nuttiness and also goes well with the spinach. I would suggest leaving in most of the nutmeg. I had also posted recently that the last time I made this recipe I eliminated the tahini altogether to try to lighten it up a bit. It was really good. So you might keep that in mind. If you like chick peas, my favorite cookbook, The Peaceful Palate, has two excellent recipes, each of which I've made dozens of time. One is a curried chick pea and mushroom casserole made with diced tomatoes, the other is a mock tuna salad that makes great sandwiches. Let me know if you'd like either of these recipes and I'll post them for you. Terry - cristene bailey Friday, January 14, 2005 9:58 AM Re: Terry's Crown Nut Roast are the cloves and nutmeg a heavy taste in this? I really do not like either spice but if they are needed to make the raost then obviously I will keep them but wondered if it was a necessity to have them. also- would anyone know of an alternative to those? thanks all cristene - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Cristene, You can reduce the cloves and nutmeg if you like. In fact, I usually cut the amount of cloves called for in any recipe I make -- I find it a very harsh flavor. Nutmeg, on the other hand, brings out the nuttiness and also goes well with the spinach. I would suggest leaving in most of the nutmeg. I had also posted recently that the last time I made this recipe I eliminated the tahini altogether to try to lighten it up a bit. It was really good. So you might keep that in mind. If you like chick peas, my favorite cookbook, The Peaceful Palate, has two excellent recipes, each of which I've made dozens of time. One is a curried chick pea and mushroom casserole made with diced tomatoes, the other is a mock tuna salad that makes great sandwiches. Let me know if you'd like either of these recipes and I'll post them for you. Terry - cristene bailey Friday, January 14, 2005 9:58 AM Re: Terry's Crown Nut Roast are the cloves and nutmeg a heavy taste in this? I really do not like either spice but if they are needed to make the raost then obviously I will keep them but wondered if it was a necessity to have them. also- would anyone know of an alternative to those? thanks all cristene - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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