Holiday Recipes

Chocolate Truffle Torte with Hazelnut Praline and Caramel Sauce
Serves 8-10

Hazelnut Praline
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
½ cup soymilk
2 tbsp vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts
pinch fine sea salt

Hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until nuts are just starting to turn golden and are releasing a toasted aroma (approximately 7-10 minutes). Rub nuts in a towel to remove skins.

Combine sugars, soymilk, and salt in a saucepan. Stir constantly until mixture reaches a rapid boil on medium-high heat. Allow to boil without stirring until it reaches 235 degrees. Remove from heat; stir in margarine, vanilla, and hazelnuts. Stir until mixture begins to thicken and spread onto buttered baking sheet. Allow to cool, then crumble into pieces.

Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp vegan margarine
2/3 cup soymilk
½ tsp vanilla
1/3 cup light corn syrup

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, 1/3 cup of the soymilk, corn syrup, and margarine. Bring to a full boil. Gradually add remaining soymilk, while keeping the mixture in a full boil. Cook over medium heat to 230F, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm.

Chocolate Truffle Torte
8 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs (1 ½ cups)
4 ounces vegan margarine, melted
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie crumbs and margarine. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.

On the top of a double boiler, off the heat, melt chocolate with coconut milk and vanilla, stirring occasionally. Stir in hazelnut praline, pour over cookie crust, and refrigerate for 4 hours. Bring to room temperature and unmold. Serve with caramel sauce.

Make it ahead: Refrigerate up to 1 day or freeze for up to a month.