Self-publishing is a tricky endeavour. Making spectacular pastries and other baked goods without gluten or animal products can also be a tricky endeavour.
Montreal-based pastry chefs Paulina Korzekwa and Tatyana Abouzeid have mastered both, and are now navigating the release of their debut cookbook called So Good: A vegan and gluten-free cookbook. It begins: “To anyone who found themselves excluded at a party without a dessert option – this book is for you”.
Paulina Korzekwa/Supplied
Korzekwa, who was vegetarian for over a decade, and now considers herself an omnivore, started her career in pastry after a celiac disease diagnosis, opened a vegan and gluten-free bakery called Audacieuse Vanille (which then changed to Pâtisserie Béline) in 2017. During a culinary journey that included making ice cream at Havre-Aux-Glaces and a role as chef de partie at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Abouzeid made the transition to a vegan lifestyle.
In 2021, she joined the team at Korzekwa’s bakery, creating (and later perfecting) a chocolate chip cookie that became the impetus to push the boundaries of baking without gluten or dairy, and ultimately publish a compilation of their efforts. Their book is a beautiful treasury of recipes and techniques that enable home bakers to produce desserts that can be tricky to master when you’re vegan and gluten-free, including classics such as tiramisu, lemon meringue pie and crème brûlée.
“This isn’t 2010, after all, and long gone are the days of using flaxseeds to replace eggs no matter the recipe,” they wrote in the book’s introduction. “Can we make a gluten-free bread that toasts and tears like traditional bread? Can we create a vegan chantilly that mimics the lightness and neutral flavour of dairy whipping cream?” Only recipes that were worth baking repeatedly were considered a success.
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Since the end of 2024, after the pair made the decision to close the bakery, writing and photographing their book became an all-encompassing project. The result is a gorgeous collection of more than 80 approachable recipes (including photos) using accessible ingredients and basic equipment. It’s filled with invaluable advice and an ingredient tool kit for anyone learning to navigate vegan and/or gluten-free baking. The book was written, photographed and published – in two versions, French and English – by Korzekwa and Abouzeid themselves, which is no easy feat in an industry dominated by large publishing houses.
With a startup budget in mind, the book launches June 25, and they are taking preorders now so that they are better able to gauge how many they will be able to have printed at a local Quebec printer.
They’ve shared this recipe from So Good. You may associate the term flapjacks with pancakes – a common term for them in the U.S. In Britain, flapjack (or flapjacks) refers to thick, chewy oat bars bound together with butter and sugar or syrup – in this case, plant-based butter and sugars deliciously infused with rose water and cardamom.
Persian Love Flapjacks
This recipe is based on the classic and addictive British oat bar, but with a twist. True to form, this flapjack is chewy and decadent, unlike granola bars, and that’s why we slice it into small squares. We were inspired by a Persian love cake, with its rose fragrance and pistachio crunch. Instead of golden syrup, we used a rose and cardamom one. We also added pistachios to the mix, and sprinkled the top with extra pistachios, rose petals and lemon zest for a decorative finish.
Flapjacks
400 g (4½ cups) quick rolled oats
100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
45 g (3 Tbsp) rose water
185 g (1⅔ cups, packed) light brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp ground cardamom
1⁄8 tsp fine sea salt
250 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) unsalted plant-based butter
50 g (⅓ cup) raw pistachios, coarsely chopped, plus more for topping
Rose petals, for topping
1 lemon, for zesting
Rose syrup
50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
25 g (1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) rose water
Prepare the flapjacks: Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) with a rack in the centre. Line a 23 cm (9″) square pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides to be able to lift out the flapjacks once they’re baked.
Place the oats in a large bowl.
In a medium saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and rose water to a boil, stirring often until the sugar has fully dissolved. Stir in the brown sugar, cardamom, salt and butter, until it’s melted and combined.
Pour the contents of the saucepan into the bowl of oats and stir until all the oats are fully and evenly coated.
Transfer the mixture to the pan, distributing it evenly and levelling out the top.
Bake the flapjacks for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is an even golden brown with slightly darker edges.
Prepare the rose syrup: In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and rose water just until it starts to simmer, whisking occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Immediately remove from the heat, cover and set aside.
Assembly: Remove the flapjacks from the oven and pour the rose syrup evenly on top. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios, rose petals and lemon zest on top.
Let the flapjacks fully cool, then lift them out of the pan, place them on a cutting board, and cut them into 16 squares with a sharp knife. They’ll keep for about three days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Excerpted from So Good: A vegan and gluten-free cookbook, by Paulina Korzekwa and Tatyana Abouzeid.
