Saturday 27 August 2011

Chocolate Vanilla Tarts with Chocolate Almond Crust



If you want to impress someone then these little tarts are for you. Their taste is what impresses most but people are also amazed to find out that they are completely uncooked. They're a great way to introduce
the uninitiated to raw food. They are very mousse-like in texture and the base is wonderfully chocolatey. I love the sweet, rich chocolate flavour with a hint of salt. (Confession: First time I made them I ate them all!)
Sometimes I feel like a broken record but they are easy and quick to make. (As are all my favourite recipes.) They do need at least 2-3  hours (or overnight) to sit in the fridge though.

Makes 8x little tarts (little flan tartlet with removable bases  - approx 6cm diameter)

Crust
1 cup (dehydrated) almonds
2 tbs coconut oil
4 medjool dates (or soaked pitted dates)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raw cacao powder

Make the crust first. Blend almonds in a food processor until they form a fine meal but before they begin to turn to almond butter. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and blend until they resemble a crumbly texture and the dates have been broken down and have blended with the almonds. The mixture should be dry and crumbly but when you scrunch it, it sticks together. Spoon into little flans (no need to pre-oil them) and pinch out the edges first so that you have a crust about 1/2 cm thick. Flatten the top edge so you have a nice flat, even rim around the tart. Then spread out the remaining mixture to cover the base and press it down firmly. Place all 8 into the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Filling
1/2 cup medjool dates (or soaked pitted dates)
1 whole ripe but not over ripe avocado
8 tbs raw cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla bean seeds or paste (good quality one)
1/4 tsp good salt
8 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup

Process the dates in the food processor until they have broken down. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth. Spoon into each flan, and smooth out to the edge. Then add a final spoon in the centre of each tart and using the back of the spoon touch the filling lightly, creating a quiff in the centre. Chill, if you can, for 1-3 hours.

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