Countdown to Un-T Day

Thanksgiving is still almost two weeks off, but we've been eating Thanksgiving fare for several weeks already.
It started a few weeks ago when I had an idea that I could improve upon the tried-and-true UnTurkey. Well, my family declared that my attempt may have been new but was not quite improved. We still managed to gorge on it along with stuffing and gravy. Then I taught a holiday cooking class a couple of weeks ago, which meant more UnTurkey -- this time, the trusted old recipe. Of course, along with all of the fixings came several side dishes, including potato-celeriac puree, green beans with citrus pomegranate sauce, and the spectacular Brie en Croute, spilling out with the gooey, oozey cheese (this will be featured in my cheese book coming out next year.) Having eaten the UnTurkey for the past month, including in every leftover form imaginable, my family is not drooling over thoughts of gravy as we approach the big day. But who knows - this is a household where Christmas music has been playing since the beginning of October. And no one says they're tired of that, yet.

Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle rising in the oven

I did manage to improve on one old recipe, however - one I published in Vegetarian Times many years ago. Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle - light and fluffy on the top, like molten chocolate lava on the inside, it has become my new favorite for the holidays (okay, maybe more for Christmas than Thanksgiving.) Like a real souffle made with eggs, this rises in the oven above the rim of the ramekin and falls just as fast, but you won't have trouble eating it right away. In fact, you won't want to wait when it comes out of the oven. Just sink your spoon in and scoop up all that warm, chocolatey goodness.

Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle

19 ounces tofu, regular

8 ounces dark chocolate, melted

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipped coconut milk (refrigerate canned coconut milk for at least 24 hours, then whip the solidified portion, and measure 1 cup after whipping)

1/3 cup egg replacer

2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine the tofu, chocolate, maple syrup, cocoa powder, Grand Marnier, baking powder, and vanilla, and process until smooth and creamy. In a medium bowl, whip the egg replacer with the water until soft peaks form. Fold in the whipped coconut milk gently. Then gently fold in the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. Pour into 11 – 12 oiled ramekins, filling them about 3/4 full, and bake for about 25 minutes until the top have risen above the ramekins. Serve immediately.