About the vegan brioche
In this vegan brioche (vrioche?), I substitute the eggs for banana and the butter for olive oil. The result is crispy on the outside and fluffy, almost cake-like on the inside. Just the way you want a brioche to be. For this recipe, the banana should not be too ripe, the aroma of the banana will become overpowering, which in turn is very nice if you want to use the brioche for a sweet version.
About the vegan ricotta
The ricotta made from soymilk is made extra rich in flavour by the almond butter and celery salt. With the wild herbs* you can vary endlessly and use whatever is in season or what you fancy. Of course, you can also replace them with parsley, basil chives and dill, for example.
A sweet version
For a sweet version of the brioche, you could mix vegan chocolate or sultanas through the dough. And flavour the ricotta with almond butter, orange zest, maple syrup and cinnamon. Then serve, for example, baked peaches on top and garnish with edible wildflowers.
Warning when foraging in the wild
Get to know the plant you want to pick: search online for information and photos or consult a guidebook. If in doubt, consult an expert. Do not just put any plant in your mouth or through your food without being sure it is the right plant. There are also many poisonous species. Furthermore, some plants are protected or you might be in an area where picking is not allowed. Always make sure to check the local rules.
Also check out this handy wild foraging page from BBC Good Food and the Wikipedia page on wild picking or wildcrafting
About the wild herbs in this recipe
Ground elder: the leaves of ground elder consist of a three-lobed top leaf and two-lobed side leaves (together 7). The smell and taste is a combination of carrot and parsley.
Door CC BY-SA 3.0, Koppeling
Garlic mustard: The leaves are kidney-shaped and vary in size. Garlic mustard has an onion or garlic-like scent but is not related to it. The aromatic leaves and flowers can be eaten and give an onion or mustard-like flavour to salads.
Door Toubib op de Nederlandstalige Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Koppeling
Ground-ivy: The leaves are also kidney-shaped, yet differ substantially from Garlic mustard. They are glossy and darker green. The smell when bruised is very aromatic and the taste very spicy and slightly bitter. Therefore, use this herb in very small quantities, as it quickly becomes overpowering.
.jpg#/media/Bestand:Glechoma_hederacea,_Hondsdraf_(3).jpg)
Door CC BY-SA 3.0, Koppeling
Ramson: Recognisable by its long oval leaves with smooth edges. And, of course, by the characteristic garlic smell. The leaves, especially when not yet in flower, have a sharp garlic flavour. Be careful not to confuse ramson with lily of the valley or autumn thistle. These plants are in fact highly poisonous and sometimes grow in the same environment as the ramson.
Door CC BY-SA 3.0, Koppeling
Vegan brioche toast with almond & wild foraged herbs-‘ricotta’ and caramelised leeks
Equipment
- 1 cake or bread tin
- 2 vel bakpapiersheet of parchment paper
- 1 cheesecloth or tea towel
- 1 standmixer with dough hook
Ingredients
for the vegan brioche
- 150 ml soymilk or plant-based milk of your choice
- 100 ml water
- 1 el fresh yeast or 1 sachet of instant yeast (7 g)
- 40 g sugar
- 60 g banana (not too ripe)
- 60 ml olive oil + extra to brush
- 450 g flour
- 8 g salt
- coarse salt to sprinkle
for the almond ricotta ‘cheese'
- 1 l soymilk homemade, if from the shop without any emulsifier and unsweetened
- 4 el lemon juice
- 1 lemon, its zest
- 2 sprigs tarragon leaves finely chopped
- 2 hands wild herbs of spring e.g. Garlic mustard, Ground-elder, Ground-ivy en Ramsons, chopped + extra to garnish
- 3 ½ el almond butter
- 1 tl celery salt to taste
for the leek
- 2 leeks
- 3 el olive oil
- 2 el almond shavings
- 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Heat the soy milk with 100 ml water until lukewarm, add a pinch of sugar and stir in the yeast, leave for 10 min until the surface starts to foam slightly, the yeast is now active150 ml soymilk, 100 ml water, 1 el fresh yeast
- Sift flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook (or a regular bowl if mixing and kneading by hand).450 g flour, 8 g salt
- Take a hand blender and mash the banana together with the sugar, milk/yeast mixture and olive oil.40 g sugar, 60 g banana (not too ripe), 60 ml olive oil + extra to brush
- Now add the milk mixture to the flour and start kneading until, in about 10 minutes, a supple and cohesive dough forms. Lightly oil the bowl and leave the dough, covered to prevent it from drying out, in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in volume.
- Meanwhile, for the almond ricotta, bring the soy milk to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Leave like this for 10 min. Lumps will form.1 l soymilk, 4 el lemon juice
- Line a sieve with a clean cheese or tea towel and place over a bowl. Pour the mixture into the sieve and leave to stand for 30 min. The liquid will drain out and the solids will remain in the tea towel. Scoop the vegan ricotta out of the tea towel and mix in the lemon zest, tarragon, wild spring herbs, almond butter and celery salt. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste. Leave to cool and stiffen in the fridge.1 lemon, its zest, 2 sprigs tarragon, 2 hands wild herbs of spring, 3 ½ el almond butter, 1 tl celery salt
- Knead the dough briefly and divide into 6 even balls. Divide them into a cake tin lined with baking paper. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for another 30 min.
- Brush the top of the brioche lightly with soy milk and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake the brioche in 40-50 min until golden brown and cooked. Leave to cool on a wire rack.coarse salt
- Remove the dark green part of the leeks (save for a broth), wash the leeks and cut into pieces of about 2 cm2 leeks
- Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and toast the almond shavings in it, set the shavings aside once they have turned golden brown. Add the olive oil to the same pan and fry the leek pieces for about 5 minutes. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and a lid and simmer for 5 min. Carefully turn the leek pieces over and cook for another 5 min without a lid or until they are soft and caramelised golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with some lemon juice.3 el olive oil, 2 el almond shavings, 1/2 lemon
- Cut four slices of the brioche and toast until golden brown and crispy in a toaster or frying pan. Spread with the almond wildflower ricotta and divide the caramelised leek rounds on top. Garnish with some wild spring herbs and toasted almond shavings. Serve immediately.
Notes
– Ground elder: The leaves of ground elder consist of a 3-tall top leaf and 2-tall side leaves (together 7). The smell and taste is a combination of carrot and parsley.
– Garlic mustard: The leaves are kidney-shaped and vary in size. garlic mustard has an onion- or garlic-like scent but is not related to it. The aromatic leaves and flowers can be eaten and add an onion or mustard-like flavour to salads.
– Ground-ivy: The leaves are also kidney-shaped, yet differ substantially from garlic without garlic. They are glossy and darker green. The smell when bruised is very aromatic and the flavour very spicy and slightly bitter. Therefore, use this herb in very small quantities, as it quickly becomes overpowering.
– Ramsons: It can be recognised by its long oval leaves with smooth edges. And of course by the characteristic garlic smell. The leaves, especially when not yet in flower, have a sharp garlic flavour. Be careful not to confuse ramson with lily of the valley or autumn thistle. This is because these plants are very poisonous and sometimes grow in the same environment as the ramson. CAUTION: When in doubt, always consult an expert! Do not just put any plant in your mouth or in your food. There are also many poisonous species.
