Being as eggs weren’t really my thing prior to being vegan you may be surprised that a product like The Vegg would evenly remotely excite me, but it did! There are some recipes that just don’t taste the same without the yolk, like my parents spätzle recipe, which my mom has finally gotten right with the Vegg.

In case you are unfamiliar with this product it is the first vegan egg yolk. From what I understand if you actually miss egg yolks you can fry up a mock egg that mimics the flavor pretty well. Check out the post here on Vegansaurus, where they did just that.

Us folks in Seattle were pretty fortunate because our vegan grocery store Vegan Haven (formerly Sidecar for Pigs Peace) has carried the Vegg for quite a while and I originally was able to attempt using it about 6 months ago. I will admit that my first effort resulted in a fail and I have been a little scared to use it since. The recipe was lava cake, which turned out more like a rich chocolate bread pudding. It tasted delicious but was not what I was going for. I noticed on the new packs that it tells you not to blend by hand. On my original packet which I still have, it doesn’t say that so maybe I had mixed by hand.

Despite the fact that it didn’t do what I wanted, I was still very excited about it and gave a packet to my mom who has had many successful uses. I had also sent a pack to most of the people in my monthly vegan food swaps. Now, thanks to the Vegg, I get to send a pack to you, if you are the lucky winner!

To enter:
1. In the comments tell us how you follow us: on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, etc…

2. All entries must be received by 11:59PM PST on December 11, 2012.

3. We will have a reveal post the following day in a new post and the winner will have 48 hours to contact us from the time of post, otherwise we will choose another winner who then will also have 48 hours to get back to us. We have learned from past contest that it is sometimes very difficult to get a hold of winners.

Now, how about some creme brulee! I have made creme brulee a couple of times before, once pumpkin and butternut squash. Plenty of people have made plain ones so I have opted to make different flavors. If you are interested in a more traditional version here is a recipe at Olives for Dinner also using the Vegg. I am not sure what prompted my use of the persimmons, it just seemed like the thing to do. Oh my goodness, I am so glad that I did. This recipe is delicious! An extra side bonus was that the cooking of the persimmons in the spices made the house smell amazing.

This recipe are is super easy. Really. The hardest part is the waiting. Also, I am excited because I was able to make this soy and gluten-free as well as vegan of course. Sorry to you folks with nut allergies.

Notes:
1. I peeled the persimmons prior to cooking. You may want to peel prior.

2. I used agar flakes if you use powder you will need less.

3. In the last five minutes of cooking I got a crazy idea to add white chocolate chips. It tasted good both ways and they really aren’t needed for the recipe.

4. When putting the sugar over the top of the pudding for torching it may seem like a lot but you want it really well covered. The sugar will bead up when torching and if there isn’t enough you will not have proper coverage. I used two teaspoons for each one.

5. I used 6, 3.5 oz ramekins.

6. I decorated mine with a few white chocolate chips and dehydrated persimmons sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice. Honestly, they didn’t taste that great so I don’t recommend the trouble.

Ingredients for Spiced Persimmons:
4 Fuyu Persimmons with tops cut off
water to cover
1 vanilla bean split and scraped (we will use entire bean)
3 whole peppercorns
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1″ piece of ginger root peeled and cut in thirds
2 tbsp maple syrup

In a medium size pot with a lid place the persimmons on the bottom. Your pot should be big enough that they are sitting next to each other and not on top of each other. Cover completely with water. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and add both the scrapings and the bean itself to the water. Add all remaining ingredients.

Uncovered, bring to boil. Once it begins to boil reduce heat to simmer (I had mine between 2 & 3 on my electric stove,) cover, and cook for thirty minutes.
Strain persimmons reserving one cup of liquid. Set aside to cool.

Ingredients for pudding:
1 cup cashews soaked for 8 hours
1 cup liquid reserved from persimmons
4 spiced persimmons peeled (recipe above)
1 tsp the Vegg
1 tbsp agar flakes
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup raw sugar

Pulverize cashews in blender with 3/4 cups liquid until smooth and creamy. Add ingredients from persimmons to brown sugar, pouring remaining liquid on top. Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook on low, stirring constantly until all air bubbles are gone, about 15 minutes. Do not let it boil. Pour into ramekins.  Refrigerate until completely cooled ( I chilled overnight.) To serve sprinkle raw sugar over the top and brown the sugar with a blowtorch. Serve.