Sother Teague on Building a Plant Based Menu with JUST Egg

Celebrated mixologist and host of HRN’s The Speakeasy, Sother Teague is now offering food pairings at his East Village bar, Amor y Amargo. Reserve by Amor y Amargo is a prix fixe experience consisting of five cocktails and four plant-based dishes. This is the first time Sother is taking on the role of Executive Chef and in doing so, he’s uniting the bar and kitchen under a single vision.

The third pairing course includes an Improved Kingston Negroni with aged overproof rums, zucca, punt e mas and pimento bitters which is served alongside an almond milk creamy spinach tart with “scallops” made from smoked, jerk-seasoned king trumpet mushrooms. 

Sother told Black Book: “When pairing Amor y Amargo style drinks – spirit forward and bitters driven – with food, my philosophy is to consider origin. The old saw of what grows together goes together is often in play, as well as complimentary flavor profiles.”

In the process of creating a thoughtful, innovative, and plant-based menu Sother had to consider his ingredients carefully. He discovered one of the key ingredients featured in his creamed spinach tart serendipitously, on an ad during his show The Speakeasy. JUST Egg is a plant-based egg and the company is an HRN underwriter. JUST Egg is good for people and the planet- it has zero cholesterol, is packed with clean, sustainable protein, and it cooks and tastes like eggs. This partnership is now incorporated into the menu at Reserve by Amor y Amargo and you can find Sother’s recipe for a plant-based creamed spinach tart below. 

If you’re a chef or restaurant owner interested in adding JUST Egg to your menu, use these five tips to get started:

  1. Begin by trying a free sample at ju.st/hrn.
  2. Give eaters the option for a vegan brunch featuring plant-based frittata bites, omelets or scrambles.
  3. Use JUST Egg in baked goods like breakfast waffles or a savory tart.
  4. Brand JUST Egg on your menu - consumers will be 47% more likely to order it.
  5. Let diners know about the benefits of JUST Egg: it uses 98% less water, has a 93% smaller carbon footprint, and uses 85% less land than conventional sources.

Sother Teague Spinach Tart
Image Credit: Sother Teague

Sother’s Recipe:

Creamed Spinach Tart with Smoked Jerk-Seasoned King Trumpet Mushroom 

Tart crust:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

.5 tsp kosher salt

.25 tsp baking powder

.5 cup refined coconut oil at room temperature

5-7 Tbl ice water

In a medium bowl, mix the first three ingredients. Dot the mixture with small spoonfuls of the coconut oil and cut it into the flour mixture until a coarse meal is obtained. Sprinkle the tablespoons of ice water over the flour, mixing gradually with a fork until the dough sticks together. Add additional water by the tablespoon until the dough comes together with your hands, but is not sticky (add a bit more water or flour if necessary). Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate in a covered container until the filling is ready, or at least 30 minutes.

Then roll thin and line a tart pan. Blind bake the dough until lightly tan.

Filling:

2-3 diced king trumpet mushrooms depending on size

(Reserve some of the stems to be cut into .5 inch thick disks)

2 medium shallots minced

3 garlic cloves minced

.5 Tbl nutritional yeast

12 oz bag spinach

2 Tbl vegan butter

6 oz almond milk

Freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

3 oz JUST Egg

Sauté the garlic and shallots in the butter to soften, add the mushrooms and cook through. Add in spinach and wilt until liquid has mostly evaporated. Add almond milk and nutritional yeast and reduce until thick. Grate in nutmeg and season with salt and freshly ground pepper and remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, fold in JUST Egg and fill tart pan. Bake at 350° for 25 min or until just set. Allow to cool for 20 min before slicing.

 

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