Balance your blood sugar
28 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBERThe Experimental
You Are: The type of person
that mixes sweet with savoury.
Who plays with fl avours previously
unpaired regardless of the
sometimes questionable outcomes?
If you’re out to impress or stand out
from the crowd, then I’m afraid the
tried and tested, standard afternoon tea fair just won’t cut the
vegan mustard. Avant Garde or go home.
The Sweet: Leave the Victoria sponge in the Bake Off
tent. For a modern twist on cakes, try marrying seemingly
contrasting fl avours together in an old-meets-new culinary
fusion. For example, use fl oral and spicy undertones from
cardamom pods, rosemary and lavender alongside nutty
ingredients such as pistachio, walnut and almond in your
sponge cakes. Looking for an afternoon kick? Tipple your taste
buds and use a touch of booze and infuse liquor into your cake
batters. Spirits such as rum and whiskey pair well alongside
nutty cakes, while cleaner liquors such as vodka and tequila
will add a punch to simpler fruity cakes. These can be soaked
into the sponges or incorporated into a glaze with ease. Even
the newly-vegan Guinness can add some serious dark punchy
fl avour to the most chocolatey of indulgent baked goods.
And why stop at simple cakes? Use aquafaba to create vegan
meringue kisses or macarons. Create vegan mousses served
in shot glasses. Craft a tower of mini trifl es. Express your
inventive skills with pastries. Let your imagination run wild.
The Savoury: When it comes to designing savoury offerings,
who’s to say you can’t serve alternative fair such as smaller
canapés or savoury crêpe rolls as a part of afternoon tea? Even
sushi could be served with a cup of miso broth as an inventive
alternative to traditional sandwiches. However, if you simply
want to get inventive with your fi llings, some of my favourites
include; smashed avocado, roasted vegetables and chilli fl akes.
A minted pea and cannellini bean purée. Pulled jackfruit in
a BBQ sauce with relish. Smoked tofu with marinated Asian
mushrooms. Spicy chipotle hummus with nut loaf. Sandwiches
not your style? How about serving mini-slider burgers with
all the trimmings in a fusion of traditional with irregular. For
a lighter alternative, use corn cakes and make open sandwich
crackers garnished with micro-salads and sprouted legumes.
The Scones: Scones are scones, right? Wrong! Transform
the humble afternoon tea staple by introducing a variety of
different fruits, fl avours and even vegetables (no, really, hear
me out). A chocolate scone with marmalade will create a Jaffa
Cake-style dessert, or just the simple addition of coconut
fl our and dried Caribbean fruit to a savoury scone gives you a
tropical twist on the classic recipe. My ultimate scone however
has to be a carrot cake scone. Grated carrot, allspice and dark
sugar transform the normal recipe. Serve alongside a whipped
crème cheeze topping for an indulgent treat.
The Tea: When experimenting with more complex foodie
fl avours, my advice would be to use a traditional tea pairing
such as Assam or Breakfast, so as not to overwhelm the senses.
However, if a theme is what you are going for, the tea can
refl ect this. There are a multitude of fl avours to suit the most
adventurous palette. Try serving the tea in a fanciful infuser, or
in less traditional cups and saucers. I am in love with traditional
Japanese mugs, which have no handles and are made from cast
iron. They give dramatic impact on an Instagram-worthy display.Afternoon tea
28 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBERCHARLOTTE WILLIS
Charlotte is a freelance journalist and health writer who
has worked with the Vegan Society and other online vegan
publications. Her fi elds of expertise and interest include
vegan nutrition, holistic healthcare, mindfulness and fi tness.
She is currently researching and studying the various links
between food and psychological health while pursuing a
doctorate degree in counselling.VFL17.TeaTotal.indd 28 06/09/2017 15:33