There is an inexplicable joy that occurs when you find a favourite cookbook or recipe. When a well-written recipe flows and the resulting meal works out exactly as it should and is met with delight from those enjoying it, can there be anything better? Recently I was sent a copy of Murielle Banackissa’s Savoring: Meaningful Vegan Recipes from Across Oceans. Banackissa is a Montreal-based recipe developer, food photographer, and blogger who focusses on sharing vegan recipes inspired by her Congolese and Russian heritage as well as from the world around her. She tells home cooks in her introduction: “I’ve come to realize that food is an anchor, it’s love” (3) and I’ve experienced this time and again while cooking and serving her recipes. As soon as I started cooking from Savoring, it all felt comforting and joyful! And my family has loved every recipe we’ve tried – which is nearing the two-dozen mark!
The food is inviting and delicious while being easy to make using ingredients that I’m buying at my local grocery store or what I’ve got stocked in my pantry. Since my family is vegetarian and I use dairy-based butter, it was the only non-vegan ingredient I used. I’ve found the relationship between the two butters to be interchangeable and with the cost of food, I opted to use what I had. For those that are curious: that substitution didn’t affect the results. At the beginning of the book Banackissa provides useful notes on ingredients, equipment, and how to approach her recipes. Then, the recipes are organized into 5 large chapters: 1) Bountiful Breakfasts, 2) Small Plates and Salads, 3) Marvelous Main Dishes, 4) Delectable Desserts, and 5) Scrumptious Sauces, Creams, and Toppings. She also provides icons to accompany recipes to indicate which can be customizable, gluten-free, nut/seed-free, or requires extra prep/time to complete. Unlike many cookbooks nowadays that are looking to offer quick recipes, Banackissa’s approach is geared more towards offering recipes that a home cook can linger over. As she explains it’s for “the cook who does not want to rush the cooking process but enjoys every step…” (4) and while I’ve found this to be true as I’ve cooked through her book, I’ve also found that none of the cooking felt arduous or drawn-out. I’ve also found a few recipes that I could cook on a busy weeknight too. Each recipe that I’ve tried has been worth the effort I’ve put into it!
Since I’ve already made many recipes from Savoring, this feels like the hardest part of my review – what do I choose to highlight, considering it’s all been a smash! So, I will try to highlight some top favourites or dishes that surprised me (of which there are a few). Maybe you’re wondering what could be so surprising in a cookbook – well, after cooking from as many cookbooks as I have, I’ve found that some vegan recipes looking to mimic egg- or dairy-based dishes often aren’t worth the effort. The very first recipe I tried was for Rum-Coconut French Toast w/ Caramelized Bananas and, in my mind, what is the quintessential component of French toast? It’s the egg-based custard. Banackissa has developed an excellent vegan version of French toast by using a mixture of cornstarch and coconut milk (with a few other flavorings) to soak thick slices of bread overnight in. I made this one Saturday morning, and the true test was having my husband taste it because he abhors an eggy texture. He loved it and had seconds! The exterior of the French toast is crisp, and the interior is lush and custardy – while it harkens to the original, this vegan version is uniquely its own.
Another amazing recipe was her Nut-Free Ricotta because it worked so well and tasted so great. While I’ve tried other vegan ricotta recipes, this recipe used only 3 ingredients and had the most perfect texture! White vinegar and salt are added to heated unsweetened soy milk, then once it’s cooled, home cooks use a cheesecloth lined sieve to separate the “cheese” from the liquid. This vegan ricotta is so creamy! I used it to make her recipe for Stewed Blackberries and Lemon Ricotta Toasts and, it’s just as her husband claims: it does taste like cheesecake on toast! As an aside, I also used slices of her No-Knead Overnight Dutch Oven Bread for the toasts and my daughter adored this whole wheat-based homemade bread (these toasts also make an excellent afterschool snack).
A recipe to rave about is Banackissa’s Quebec Meatless Pie. Tourtière is such an iconic Quebecois Christmas/New Year’s dish but it’s as far from a vegan dish as you can get: a buttery pastry crust is filled with a mixture of minced meat, potatoes, and stock. A very hearty dish and one that Banackissa cleverly recreates using lentils, bulgur, onions, garlic, grated potato, stock, seasonings, and kale. It turned out perfectly and tasted wonderful! While this recipe takes time to make, I found that components can be made – the crust and filling – then assembled and cooked later. If you’re a non-vegan who is looking to create something special for any vegan/vegetarian/plant-based diners over the holidays, this would be such a great recipe to serve them.
Banackissa tells us in the head notes of the recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake that it originated in Canada and the version her family bakes is one they’ve enjoyed for decades. After trying her recipe, I immediately fell in love with this moist date-based cake topped with a decadent broiled caramel and coconut topping. I feel like this cake might be my favourite cake above all others – it’s that good. It’s a sublime combination of flavour and texture. I’ve baked this cake a few times now and it’s always gone in a flash! I enjoy my slice(s) with a cup of coffee while my daughter prefers to have hers with a glass of milk.
There are so many other recipes I could talk about from the Chocolate Cardamom Oat-Free Granola (which tastes so special I think I’ll bag it and add it to my holiday cookie boxes this year) to the Coconut-Crusted Tofu with Spicy Mango Salsa (which has the perfect texture, and it is baked, not fried). I’ve also got so many other recipes bookmarked to still try – her offering of Ukrainian-inspired recipes (such as Lentil Pelmeni, Potato-Onion Varenyky, Pampushki) speak to my own Ukrainian heritage and are ones I’m eager for. Savoring is full of delicious recipes which are so beautifully photographed by Murielle Banackissa and, while the book contains vegan recipes, I feel that the recipes transcend this label. At the heart of Savoring is Banickissa’s intention of offering home cooks food that is comforting, flavourful, nourishing, and joyful.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Appetite by Random House for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Any links provided are intended purely for informational purposes.
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