1
As a preface: the original recipe relies on a meringue. Since my guests included a vegan, that changed things quite a bit. What follows is the atrocity that resulted. Please, please don't try this at home.
2
To make up for the lack of egg whites, I tried whipping the egg subsitute. No good. So I poured what it was into a dish in the oven and let it cook. For a while. Eventually, something gooey resulted. I used that.
3
The lotus root is supposed to be sliced into matchstick-sized pieces, along with the pears.
In the only part that worked, this dish looked good. Save some of the lotus root (sliced horizontally to get the lovely shape), and pear centers (the seeds make a similar pattern).
4
Next, I made a 'sauce' per the instructions made of the cornstarch, 3 tbsp sugar, and 1 cup water. One of the pictures shows the bland result.
5
Then, the sauce, goo from step #2, pears, and lotus were mixed in a dish, garnished with the slices, and chilled for 3 hours.
6
The result was dished into bowls, garnished with lotus root slices, served, and fairly promptly fed to the dog.
