Hannah Kaminsky is the author of My Sweet Vegan, Vegan à la Mode, Vegan Desserts and newly released Easy As Vegan Pie. She is the creator of the award-winning blog BitterSweetBlog.com, and she is also a baker, writer and photographer.
I met Hannah at Vida Vegan Con in Portland, OR last spring, when I took her food photography workshop. She took a few simple foods and masterfully crafted them in a photographic work of art right before our eyes. I asked her if she’d like to chat with me and talk about her cookbooks, vegan baking and her photography. Without further ado, here’s Hannah.
Chic Vegan – What motivated you to become vegan? Was it an overnight switch or more gradual shift?
Hannah Kaminsky – Truth be told, I didn’t even know that such a thing as veganism existed until I hit high school. That was where I was first exposed to real, living vegetarians, and I thought that was a really cool idea. I didn’t understand it very well, but I decided to shoot first and ask questions later by taking the plunge. Only after I started researching it a bit did I discover all of the cruelty inherent in the egg and dairy industry, and realized that it just didn’t sit right with me to perpetuate that horrible cycle. I went completely vegan after just a month of vegetarian exposure and haven’t looked back.
CV – Congratulations on your new book Easy as Vegan Pie! What inspired you to write it?
HK – Thank you! Easy as Vegan Pie was the epitome of a “labor of love,” since there’s no history of pie making in my family, and I wasn’t even particularly familiar with pie making until I started dabbling in recipe development for my blog. This book seemed like the perfect opportunity to really delve into the art and craft behind these classic pastries, to demystify the elusive perfect crust, and to start my own traditions. Because I wasn’t tied down by preconceived notions of the single “right” way of making a particular pie, I believe I had more freedom to explore more interesting flavor combinations and create something entirely new within the same general format.
CV – You now have four cookbooks under your belt. Do you have any advice for aspiring cookbook authors?
HK – Test, test, and test again. Then get other people to test once more. Finally, test any changes or suggestions they make before signing off on a recipe. It can be a daunting task when compiling a cookbook with a hundred or more recipes, but there’s no sense in slapping together lists of ingredients haphazardly just to fill a quota. Each recipe needs to earn its place in the roster, and that means they must all be thoroughly vetted both for quality and consistency. Really nurture those formulas until they’re perfect. With so many cookbooks on the market these days, there just isn’t space for anything short of rave-worthy.
CV – What inspires you to create a new recipe?
HK – I think it might be easier to answer what doesn’t inspire me at this point. It’s definitely a good problem to have, but I honestly can’t stop coming up with ideas. Although I keep a notebook of flavors and concepts to pursue at a later date, I don’t think I’ll ever have enough time to make them all, and the list just keeps on growing. Sometimes it can start with a peek into the pantry to see what I could pair up, or what’s left in the fridge and needs to be used. Of course seasonal produce is a common catalyst, since it’s always changing and evolving, so a trip to the market can yield a dozen new ideas in just one go. Holidays and the food traditions that go with them are another source of inspiration, as are memories of childhood meals, or more recent outings at new restaurants. Like I said, the list just goes on!
CV – What tips would you give to people who might be new to vegan baking?
HK – Don’t psyche yourself out and don’t over-think it! Vegan baking is no harder than anything you’ve previously attempted, and without eggs and dairy to worry about, it’s probably even easier. That means that you don’t need to worry about soured milk or salmonella threats; go ahead and eat the cookie dough while you work!
CV – Do you have any favorite recipes from your cookbooks?
HK – Picking favorites is always a really difficult task. I wouldn’t include any recipes that I didn’t enjoy, so they all rank pretty highly in my mind. However, it’s true that I’m especially fond of ice cream, so I do still crave the Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate Ice Cream from Vegan a la Mode frequently. It may be growing cold outside, but I’ve been known to crank the heat, throw on a heavy sweater, and just keep churning away to get my frozen dessert fix.
CV – What is your favorite vegan indulgence?
HK – You could probably surmise as much from my two ice cream picks above, but I am crazy for vegan marshmallows. They never really excited me as a kid, but I’ve found that the gelatin-free options on the market now are absolutely beyond compare. Fluffy but dense, almost creamy and bearing such smooth, sweet vanilla flavor, I adore both Sweet and Sara and Dandies. If I decide to indulge in a package, it will surely be gone within a day or two.
CV – What one vegan product could you not live without?
HK – Earth Balance Buttery Sticks really do make up the backbone of many of my recipes. Although I don’t want to say that I couldn’t live without them, it would certainly be a challenge to replace the texture they contribute to cookies and pastries, to say nothing of their unparalleled buttery taste. Just be careful not to try substituting any of their buttery spreads packed in tubs, since they have added water to make them more spreadable. Although convenient and delicious on toast, this can throw of the delicate ratios in some baked goods and yield unpredictable results.
CV – In addition to being a cookbook author and baker, you’re also a photographer. Other than in your own books, where can people find your photographs?
HK – There is nothing more gratifying than working with other cookbook authors to bring their recipes to life. I can’t seem to stop shooting these days, and my photos are making it into more exciting publications all the time. You can currently see my photos in Let Them Eat Vegan! by Dreena Burton, A Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life by Melliser Elliot, and Go Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming. Upcoming cookbooks include Plant Power by Nava Atlas and Choosing Raw by Gena Hamshaw. Magazines that I’ve regularly contributed both photos and writing to include VegNews, Laika, and Allergic Living. That’s all I’m at liberty to reveal at the moment… Who knows what could come next!
CV – In your wildest dreams what will your life look like in 5 years?
HK – In a perfect world, I’d like to imagine that I’d have my own studio, have graduated with my BFA in commercial photography and be working full time to photograph vegan foods of all varieties. Maybe I’d have another cookbook to my name too, but I would love to have photos more on the visual side of the equation for my next few projects at least. In a perfect world, I’d be able to start my own family… of adopted shelter dogs, of course!
