There is such a plethora of vegan desserts hitting the market these days, but, when you want to understand chocolate, desserts and baking, you go to only one source—Chef Fran Costigan.
An internationally recognized culinary instructor and author, Fran’s creative and brilliant recipes merge healthy eating with delicious flavors. She uses organic and minimally-processed ingredients to make rich, moist cakes and a myriad of other desserts. All of her recipes (and final products) are white sugar-, trans fat- and cholesterol-free, but still totally beyond delicious.
Last October, she launched her latest tome, Vegan Chocolate, Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts (Running Press, 2013). It’s a cookbook that’s filled with delicious, mouth-watering recipes that are all vegan and each scientifically mastered by Fran, who, in my opinion, works with the precision of a Yale mathematician.
My own personal takeaway from Fran is this:
- 1. Use the best ingredients (and by that, she means to research the chocolate you will use).
- 2. Be organized in the kitchen (she throws some French at us and uses the expression mise en place).
- And 3. Follow directions.
Be mindful that not all dark chocolates are vegan, so do some research. I prefer to cook with a 72% chocolate. Sorry, no room for the commercial chocolate chips here, but when you use the best ingredients, you will see a huge difference in the final product. “The higher the percentage, the less sugar,” says Fran. The right chocolate to use, according to Fran, is the one that tastes good to you, as long as you stay within the range of percentages listed in the recipe. And she adds, “not all 72% tastes the same. Eat some homework.”
Fran was recently a guest lecturer at the Tredyffrin Library, in Strafford, where she had a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 100 chocolate and vegan enthusiasts. Her new book, already in its second printing, outlines her recipes to the T. Generously, Fran showed us some of her baking techniques, and everyone was on the edge of their seats, probably in anticipation of the finished products that they would soon sample after the lecture and discussion.
One of the many great things about vegan baking is that all products are cholesterol-free. But to kick it up a notch, eating the cleanest and purest desserts is key in following a plant-based, whole foods diet. That’s why Fran Costigan is such a trailblazer in the vegan baking world. As one attendee stated at the library, “I sat in the front so that I could watch Fran’s every move, and I figured I’d get my sample of cake and truffles earlier than others.”
On a local note, the book is published by Philadelphia book house, Running Press. On a personal note, I am pleased to call Fran Costigan a true friend. As a behind-the-scenes person for her most recent book signing, I was tasked with cutting her Sachertorte into sample-sized pieces, and let me say, that it was one of the hardest things ever, because I wanted to eat everything!
Want to see what really makes Fran Costigan tick in the kitchen? Take a peek at her fun book trailer.
You’ll want to run out and get a copy of Fran Costigan’s book, which is available at Main Point Books 1041 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, (610) 525-1480. Everyone needs to eat chocolate, right?
- Photography: Kate Lewis for Vegan Chocolate
