Vegan MoFo Day 13: Carthusian Dumplings

Today's post has nothing to do with my monthly theme, but who cares? I have an annual craving for Kartaeuserkloesse (Carthusian dumplings) every October. October 6 is the feast of St Bruno, the founder of the Carthusians. While I'm not sure that the austere Carthusians really created this recipe, I'm certain St Bruno wants me to have one. (I spent a long time in theological school, including a period studying monastic history, which explains why such obscure things bubble up in my brain and manifest in my kitchen.)

First, you need some stale kaiser rolls (or some similar sort of roll). Carefully trim off the crusts from all sides of the rolls. (If your rolls are not stale, remove the crusts and dry in a low oven for a bit.) If you are frugal like the Carthusians, you will grind the crusts in a food processor to make nice bread crumbs, which are needed later in this recipe. If you are lazy like me, you will feed the crusts to your circling dogs, and open a box of panko.

Next, make a batch of your favorite vegan French toast batter. This time, I used the banana rabanada batter from Isa Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch, but there are plenty of good recipes out there. Be sure your batter includes plenty of vanilla and grated lemon zest. Thoroughly soak your crustless rolls in the French toast batter.

In a deep fryer or cast iron Dutch oven, bring several inches of oil to 350 F. Toss the soaked rolls in the bread crumbs until well-coated, and then deep fry until brown and crispy. When they emerge from the fryer, toss the finished dumplings in cinnamon sugar. You will probably have to fry the dumplings in batches. The finished ones will keep in a 200 F oven until you are completely done.

A crispy-crunchy-sugary exterior and a donutty-french-toasty interior... what's not to like?