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Monday, August 11, 2008

Recipe of the Week: Mulberry & Cream Tarts

As you can see, I just couldn't stay away from berries for very long.

When Don and I visited the farmer's market over the weekend, someone was selling mulberries; another delicious variety I had yet to try. They look almost exactly like blackberries, except that they are smaller and grow in trees rather than bushes. They are also super sweet... Perfect dessert material!

I considered making a more conventional pie, you know, blending them up with a touch of sweetener and pouring the resulting filling on a nut crust. In the end, I opted for this slight variation of my Strawberry Shortcake. I keep coming back to this one over and over again, as I find that the cake and whipped cream's subtle flavors make for such a great way to enjoy berries.

I'm pleased with my choice as these tarts were sooooo yummylicious!



Mulberry & Cream Tarts

This recipe makes 24 tarts or one 7 " diameter cake

Cake Base
3/4 cup well packed dates, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch sea salt
1 cup loosely packed left-over pulp from making milk or ground almonds
1 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup cashews

Place dates in food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little water.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

If using ground almonds instead of wet almond pulp, you might want to add a couple of teaspoons of water for moisture.

Whipped Cream
1 cup cashews or a mixture of cashews and macadamia nuts
1 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh coconut milk (simply blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
1/8 - 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (depending on how sweet a tooth you have)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon lecithin powder*

*Lecithin is derived from soybeans and acts as an emulsifier. Look for lecithin (preferably non-GMO), in granules or powdered form, at your local HFS. If using granules, make sure to grind them up in a high speed blender of coffee grinder.

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil and lecithin until smooth. Add oil and lecithin and blend until thoroughly mixed. Set in fridge for about 1 hr.

Berry Layer and Decoration
2 cups mulberries, de-stemmed

Assembly:
Form an even layer of cake base at the bottom of a silicon cup or muffin pan lined with plastic film.

Top with a layer of mulberries.

Finish with some whipped cream.

Put in fridge to set.

When firm, gently de-mould tarts and place on serving plates.

Decorate with mulberries and if desired, serve with Mulberry Sauce.

Mulberry Sauce
I used about 1/2 cup berries and 1 small Medjhool date blended in my food processor. (You don't need much dates as the berries have such a natural sweetness to them.)

I added a little water until I reached the desired consistency.

Carmella's Notes:
~ If you'd rather make this recipe into a cake, repeat layers once more.

~ You could sub the mulberries with whatever berries you have on hand.

Enjoy!

9 comments:

  1. Oh yummy yum yum!!! We are lucky to have a mulberry tree in our backyard and have enjoyed as many of those sweet berries as we could. I was so happy I did a write up on my blog about mulberries.

    I went to pick some the other day and found the berries that were left had fallen to the ground and dried up. Guess our backyard mulberry season is over.

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  2. BAM! I just fell out of my chair because that looks so amazing! Great, now what am I going to do? ;)

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  3. Someone just referred me to your blog and I'm salivating. I can't wait to try your recipies. This is just what I've been looking for. Thank you!

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  4. Ingrid,
    Your very own mulberry tree? Oh my, what a blessing! I hopped over to your site and saw your lovely mulberry cookies. Mmmmmmm


    Now, now, yardsnacker! Be careful not to hurt yourself! How could I live with myself knowing that I caused harm to anyone? ;-)


    Maria,
    So glad you were pointed to my blog. Enjoy the recipes!

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  5. what a gorgeous creation! lovely blog btw ~

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  6. BEAUTIFUL food!
    www.becomingrawvegan.blogspot.com

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  7. oops, i think my first comment didn't get posted, so will retype.

    this looks super good! do you think instead of the cashews/macadamia nuts i could use irish sea moss? my cousins is deathly allergic to nuts so i'm always looking for alternatives.

    thanks so much for posting all your creations. when i show people these pictures, they can never believe this is our food!

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  8. Thanks taste memory, becoming whole and cams!

    Cams,
    I haven't experimented with Irish moss yet, but I know it does work wonders to set desserts. Not sure how it would fare without nuts at all, though. Hey, how about using young coconut? Think your cousins would be ok with that?

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  9. oooooh yeah! that does sound like a good alternative.

    sometimes i wonder about food allergies, if we are born with them, how did we get them, etc. peanut allergies are so common nowadays. makes me wonder about people on SAD, especially pregnant mothers.

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