Tag Archives: tofu

Carla’s Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu from Top Chef

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carlas pecan crusted tofu

Did you watch Top Chef this week? Are you as excited as I am about Carla’s tofu dish?!

I didn’t quite expect her to make a vegetarian, tofu dish and win her round! I have to say, I wasn’t a big fan of Carla…till I made her tofu, that is! It’s not that I don’t like Carla, but my focus was on other contestants. Like Jamie, who consistently makes good dishes and is a no-drama kind of girl. Or Fabio. Oh, Fabio! I think he’s pretty cute in all his Italianness. And who else can say things like “give me a monkey’s a*s to stuff with fried banana and I’ll make it taste good” or “I’m 30 years old and sleeping on this bunky bed”.

So with cool Jamie and quirky Fabio around, I kind of didn’t notice Carla. Then Carla made this wonderful vegetarian dish that put her in my radar. I couldnt wait for the week to end so I could try this recipe for friday night dinner. The pecan and oat crust is simply brilliant. I can think of a lot of uses for it. So thank you, Carla! I did make some changes to this recipe, see the notes at the end of this post.

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Carla’s Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu
Makes about 9 pieces
Adapted from Carla’s recipe on Top Chef, season 5, episode 10

For Tofu and Marinade
1 block (18oz package) of Tofu, firm or extra firm
3 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp chili paste (I used sriracha)
1 Orange, zest and juice. Reserve ½ tsp zest for the crust
1 lime or lemon, zest and juice

For the crust
¼ cup Oats (the quick cooking kind)
¼ cup vegetable stock
1/4th of a bay leaf
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ tsp orange zest
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Olive oil

Drain the tofu block and wrap it tightly in 4 layers of paper towels. Place a plate over the wrapped tofu and let it sit for about an hour. This will help remove some of the moisture from the tofu. You could skip this step if you wish; Carla didnt do this.

Top Chef Recipe - Carla's Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu

Cut the tofu into equal sized squares. For an 18 oz pack of tofu you should get about 9 squarish pieces. Place the tofu pieces in a zip lock bag or shallow dish. Pour in the soy sauce, water, garlic, chili paste, orange juice and zest, lime juice and zest. (At this point you can taste the marinade and add more lime juice or soy sauce if needed). Make sure all the tofu is coated in the marinade. Place the tofu with marinade in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes. I marinated the tofu for 1 hour.
Pre heat oven to 375F

Heat a large non stick pan. Spray some olive oil or non stick spray on the pan. When the pan is hot, remove the tofu cubes from the marinade and place in the pan. On high heat, sear the tofu on all sides. The tofu must be browned on all sides.

Transfer the tofu to a non stick baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes. Turn the tofu pieces over half way through.

Top Chef Recipe - Carla's Oat and Pecan Crusted Tofu

To make the crust
Bring the vegetable stock and bay leaf to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and immediately add the quick cooking oats to the stock and stir.

(If you are not using quick cooking oats or instant oats, you will have to cook the oats in the stock for a few minutes).

Top Chef Recipe - Carla's Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu

Mix in all other ingredients for the crust. Mix well using your fingers. Then crumble the oat mixture onto a baking sheet. Spread it evenly. Bake in a 375F oven for about 10 minutes or till the mixture is slightly brown and dry.

To assemble the dish, place tofu cubes on a plate and top with the oat pecan crust.

Top Chef Recipe - Carla's Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu
This photo goes to Jugalbandi’s Click event, this month’s theme is Tofu/Cheese.

Notes
This recipe is slightly different from Carla’s original recipe that appeared on the Top Chef show, season 5, episode 10.

I baked the oat pecan crust separately in the oven. Carla’s recipe calls for the seared tofu and crust to bake together.

I also increased the baking time of the tofu to 25-30 minutes because I wanted a crispy exterior. Carla’s recipe only bakes the tofu for 10 minutes.

I thought the original recipe might be a bit too salty and citrusy. So I cut down on the soy sauce and citrus juice. Taste the marinade and adjust the soy sauce and citrus according to taste.

Don’t let the marinade go to waste. Place the marinade, along with one tablespoon of brown sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute or till the sauce thickens a little. Use this sauce on vegetables, rice or tofu.

Light Chocolate Raspberry Pie. On a related note – Alton Brown, Marry Me!!

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The main ingredient in this pie is tofu.
Yes, tofu.
Take a moment to be shocked.
Now read on for a luscious, easy, and decadent recipe.

I’ve seen recipes on TV where people use tofu in dessert. I saw someone make a fruit smoothie with tofu. And my reaction was “Yuck”. And I’m someone that loves tofu. If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know that by now! But tofu in dessert?! I wouldn’t have ever ventured in that direction if I hadn’t come across Alton Brown’s Moo-Less Chocolate Pie recipe. Now, Alton Brown can make wax taste good. I trust AB. So I tried this recipe; happily combining unlikely ingredients.

The result – a luscious mousse like chocolate filling and you’ll never ever know there is tofu in there! And the best part is, once you learn the basic method (which is super easy) you can create endless different flavors and variations. The original recipe is in the link above; below is my slightly modified version.


The above photo is my entry to the CLICK photo event hosted by Jugalbandi blog. This month’s theme is Crusts.

Pre-made store bought pie crust 9″- 1, I used a graham cracker crust.
Silken Tofu – 1 block
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – 1 cup scant, I used Ghirardelli.
Dark Chocolate Chips – 1 cup
Coffee Liquor – 1/3 cup, I used Kahlua.
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Honey – 1 tbsp
Raspberries – 1 cup
Almonds slivered – 1 hand full
Salt – pinch

Put both the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 2 minutes or until just melted. Every 30 seconds, stir the chocolate chips. Keep an eye on the chocolate, it will burn easily. If you want to melt the chips the traditional way, melt them in a double broiler.

Put the tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, honey, coffee liquor and salt in a blender and blend till smooth. Stir the mixture well so everything is well combined

Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie shell. Decorate the top with raspberries and almonds. Or you could chop up the berries and add them to the chocolate mixture instead.

Refrigerate atleast 2 hours before serving. If you don’t have pie crust, simply serve as a mousse.

The chocolate filling tastes its best on the 3rd day and beyond. So definitely make this atleast 2 days ahead to get the best flavor!

Alton Brown, MARRY ME!!!


Some Tasty Variations

The structure of this recipe is Tofu + Flavour + Liquor + Sweetener + Vanilla/other Extract. By changing the flavor ingredient and the liquor, you can make hundreds of different fillings. Here are some ideas to start you off.

Mint Chocolate – mint liquor, chocolate chips and vanilla
Orange Chocolate – orange zest, triple sec, chocolate chips and almond extract
Strawberry Mousse – frozen strawberries, strawberry jam, sugar syrup, vanilla
Pumpkin Mousse – can pumpkin, sugar syrup, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla
Mango Mousse – mango pulp, sugar syrup, rum
Peanut Butter – peanut butter, chocolate chips and vanilla
Pina Colada – pineapple, coconut milk/dessicated coconut, sugar syrup and rum
Key Lime – key lime juice, sugar syrup and vanilla
Tiramisu – brewed espresso, chocolate, coffee liquor and vanilla
Irish Coffee – Irish cream, coffee, chocolate and vanilla
Banana Split – chopped bananas, sugar syrup, banana liquor and vanilla. Layer with banana filling, strawberry mousse filling and chocolate filling. Top with cherries.

If you dont want to use sugar syrup, try maple syrup, agave nectar or extra honey instead.

I haven’t tried any of the variations, so I cant give you exact measurements. If you try any of the variations, write in and let me know how it turned out!

Sticky Orange Tofu Thins

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I used the orange, ginger, green tea marmalade I made last month for this recipe. Store bought orange marmalade will work well too. The sugar forms a delicious sticky glaze. You’ll be scraping the gooey goodness from your pan! I do every time!
Tofu - one 18 oz box/package
Oil – 1 tbsp or non-stick spray
Soy sauce – 4 tbsp
Orange Marmalade – 4 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 1/2 tbsp
Chili sauce – 1 tbsp, I use sriracha. Use less if you dont like it spicy
Chopped cilantro or green onion for garnish
To prepare the tofu, first drain and squeeze out excess water. Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel.
Then wrap the tofu with paper towels tightly in an absorbent cloth. Place the tofu on a flat surface, put a plate on top of it and put 3-4 cans (canned tomatoes, beans etc) on top of the plate. Let the tofu weigh down and compress for atleast 2 hours.
Then, remove the cloth and paper towels and slice the tofu. Slice it thin, using a sharp chef’s knife.
Heat a large, flat nonstick pan. Add the oil. Or use non stick spray for more even coverage. Place the tofu in a single layer on the pan and fry on medium heat. Dont move the tofu around.
When the tofu is golden, turn the pieces over and cook the other side till golden. This will take about 6 minutes.
Press the tops of the tofu slices to squeeze out any remaining water.
Whisk together the soy sauce, marmalade, lemon juice and sriracha.
Reduce the pan to low and pour the marmalade mixture over the tofu. Make sure all the tofu is evenly coated. Cook on low heat for about 1 minute, turning once.
Make sure the heat is on low, otherwise the sugar in the marmalade will burn!
The tofu will quickly absorb all the sauce and will be coated with a nice sticky glaze. To serve, garnish with cilantro or green onion.
Some Tasty Variations
 
Try adding a tsp each of minced ginger and garlic to the sauce
Instead of cutting the tofu thin, cube it and shallow fry in oil till all sides are golden
Saute the tofu with some peppers and onions and toss the whole thing in the sticky sauce!
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Dijon Herb Grilled Tofu with Mushroom Medley

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This is my veggiefied version of Ina Garten’s Grilled Herb Shrimp. Ive made this recipe several times. Ive also made the shrimp version for my carnivore friends. Everyone always loves the herb and dijon marinade! It tastes great in pasta too. Use fresh herbs, it makes a big difference.

Dijon Herb Tofu

Extra Firm Tofu – 1 package
Onion – 1/2 large, finely chopped
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
Basil – 1/4 cup chopped
Parsley – 1/4 cup chopped
Dijon Mustard – 2 1/2 tsp
Dry Mustard – 1 tsp
Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Pepper
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp (Ina uses 1/4 cup olive oil)

Mix together all ingredients except the tofu. Place in a bowl.

Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel. Place a weight on top for 1 hour to extract the liquid. Then cut the tofu into triangles.

Heat a large non stick pan. Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer and ‘dry fry’ them. Press the tofu triangles so that they let their water out. When one side is slightly browned, turn the tofu once and cook the other side while pressing out the water. I learned this method from veganyumyum’s site. Check it out for a detailed explanation of dry frying tofu and “tofu geometry”!
When the tofu is done (if you stop hearing the angry hiss from the tofu while pressing down, youve probably gotten most the water out!), place the triangles in the herb-dijon bowl. Carefully toss the tofu in the mixture to coat. Let the tofu marinade an hour (or overnight if you have the time).

When you are ready to eat, heat a large non stick pan. Spray with olive oil spray. Place the tofu, along with the herb-dijon mixture in the pan. Grill both sides on medium, turning once.

Remember, the tofu is already cooked. We just want to cook the onion and garlic in the marinade!

If you have a lot of the herb dijon mixture stuck to your pan, deglaze with a splash of white wine (or even water) and drizzle over the tofu.

Mushroom Medley

Button Mushrooms – 1 box
Crimini (baby potobellos) – 1 box
Garlic – 2 cloves
White wine – couple of splashes
Basil – 2 tbsp chopped
Parsley – 1 tbsp chopped
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Marinara sauce – 4 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Clean and chop the mushrooms. Heat a non stick pan and add the oil olive. The pan should be very hot. Add the chopped mushrooms and spread them evenly on the pan. Cook them on high without moving the mushrooms around too much. If you stir too often mushrooms will release a lot of water.

When the mushrooms are golden, add the garlic, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Then add a few splashes of white wine and let it reduce on high heat.

Turn heat off and stir in marinara sauce.

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