I have released four recipe books so far:

The Best of the Sunny Raw Kitchen
The Best of Raw Freedom Community
Delightfully Raw and
Deliciously Raw

These feature some of the most delectable creations to have come out of my raw kitchen and will appeal to anyone interested in a healthier diet, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. From easy one-step everyday fare to more elaborate and involved gourmet dishes and layered cakes, they offer something for everyone and every occasion. Incredibly tasty smoothies, creamy and comforting warm soups, sexy salads, delicious nut cheezes, satisfying entrees and scrumptious guilt-free desserts...

Healthy food never tasted so good!

To learn more about my recipe books, click here!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate 'N Cream Charlotte


OK, of all the fancy desserts I've created so far, I must say this has to be the most elaborate. Actually, I've been toying with this dessert idea ever since the Coconut Lime Macaroons Heathy and I created last year. They turned out so light; I immediately thought of how they would make wonderful ladyfingers.

This Charlotte - a classic French dessert that usually consists of a ladyfinger 'mold', filled with fruit, mousse, custard or whipped cream - would definitely not fall under the 'quick 'n easy' category, mostly due to the fact that you must dehydrate the ladyfingers ahead of time. But don't let that stop you! The rest is pretty simple and the final result is so worth the effort! It would be perfect for the Holidays or for those times when you wish to make something special to impress the crowd!



Chocolate 'N Cream Charlotte

Serves 8

For this recipe, you'll need:
Ladyfingers
3 cups dry coconut pulp (from making milk with mature coconut)
1/3 cup agave nectar or raw honey
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs water
2 tbs vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until well mixed.

Form into ladyfingers (long and narrow) of roughly uniform size.

Place on Teflex sheet and dehydrate until firm and crunchy, flipping after a few hours.

Carmella's Notes:
~ If you don't have access to mature coconut, simply replace the coconut pulp with 1 part dried coconut, ground and 1 part almond pulp.

~ When forming the fingers, they will seem very fragile and as though the mixture isn't going to hold, but not to worry. Once dehydrated they will keep their shape.


Variation 1: For Chocolate Coated Ladyfingers
Dip ladyfingers in following mixture:

Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao or carob powder (I used 3 part cacao/1 part carob)
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Blend until smooth in high speed blender or food processor.

Set chocolate coated ladyfingers aside on parchment paper. Chill for a few minutes.


Variation 2: For Tiramisu-Style Ladyfingers
Dip ladyfingers in a strong concoction of coffee substitute, such as Bambu or Inca, mixed with a little honey or maple syrup. You want to soften them up while they still retain their shape.


Chocolate Brownie Crust
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup pitted dates
1 tbs cacao powder
1 tbs carob powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place walnuts and pecans in a food processor and process until ground. Add dates, cacao, carob and vanilla extract. Process until crumbly.


Chocolate Mousse
I actually used Heathy's yummy Nutless Chocolate Mousse recipe from her new ebook (coming out very soon!) but any avocado-based mousse should do. This is the one from my Chocolate Mousse Cakes:

2 medium ripe avocados
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup + 2 tbs water
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tablespoon carob powder
1/2 cup raw honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 whole vanilla bean (vanilla pwder)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons lecithin powder*
1/2 cup melted coconut oil

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

Blend all ingredients except the last two in high speed blender until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut oil and blend some more.


Whipped Cream
1 cup cashews
1 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh coconut milk (simply blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
3 tablespoons raw honey or agave nectar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon lecithin powder*

Blend all ingredients except the last two in high speed blender until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut oil and blend some more until thoroughly mixed. Set in fridge for about 1 hr.

Carmella's Notes:
~ If you can't find lecithin granules, you can use 2 teaspoons psyllium husks instead. As a result, I found that I had to let the cream set in the freezer rather than the fridge. The consistency also made it difficult for the cake to hold its shape well once at room temperature. However, this may not be a major issue if you keep the cake in the freezer, thawing pieces as needed.

~ If the Whipped Cream is too set, place container in hot water, stirring until desired consistency is reached.


Assembly
1- First lightly press crust at the bottom of a 7" spring form pan.

2- Form little indentations along the edge and secure ladyfingers, one by one. I managed to fit a total of 18.

3- Once the ladyfingers are in place, pat the crust firmly against the bottom.


As you can see, I tried both plain and chocolate dipped ladyfingers.


4- Next, pour half of the Chocolate Mousse, followed by half of the Whipped Cream. Place in the freezer to set.


5- Once firm, repeat layers with the rest of the Chocolate mixture...


... finishing off with the Whipped Cream.


6- Set the whole thing in the fridge or freezer until completely firm.

7- Before serving, sprinkle with sifted cacao powder.

8- Slice Charlotte (I found that the easiest way was to make cuts at every 2 ladyfingers.)

9- Drizzle pieces with Chocolate Sauce. Again, I used a recipe from Heathy's new 'Just Desserts' ebook, but any Chocolate Sauce would do. You can make a simple sauce by mixing cacao powder with a bit of agave and vanilla.

Thick & Dreamy Chocolate Sauce
By Karen Knowler

Oh-My-God. That’s really just about all I can say.

Ingredients
• ½ cup raw chocolate powder
• ½ cup dark agave nectar
• ½ cup raw cashew butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Directions
Simply place all ingredients into your food processor (this works better than a blender) and process into a thick runny chocolaty goo! It’s a miracle! About 2 minutes worth of pouring and whizzing for the most amazing creation ever.

Enjoy and give thanks for how yummylicious raw food can be!

22 comments:

  1. That looks amazingly delicious :) I cant wait to try it! How do you get coconut pulp from making coconut milk? The first time I made coconut milk (last week) I just blended the coconut water with the meat and thats what I used. Am I supposed to strain it?

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  2. Hi Malilies,

    You can make coconut milk using both mature and young coconuts. It's key that you use the dark, mature variety (not the white ones) in order to obtain the coconut pulp called for in this recipe.

    To make the milk, we blended the meat with pure water, then strained the mixture through a mesh.

    Enjoy!

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  3. I'm nearly speechless! You have outdone yourself...okay, until next time that is but this is AMAZING! I'm salivating staring at the screen. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. LOL, so what did you have it in -- a big bucket?! This thing looks huge.

    And what is Charlotte?? Is that Tiramisu? I've not heard of that before.

    My gracious, this thing looks good!

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  5. That is the most decadent raw dessert I've ever seen!!!

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  6. Holy mother of Jesus.
    My stomach loves you already.

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  7. Carmella,

    this is gorgeous! I have t make some raw treats for someone pretty special and I think this will really knock his socks off... thanks a bunch!

    Gina

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  8. they look soo delicious!

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  9. i'm so glad you have this blog. you are a true raw food goddess. your pictures always look sooo amazing. i can only imagine what they taste like!

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  10. Miss Carmella,

    You're a goddess. And you made me drool on my keyboard. ;)

    xoxo
    Vee

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  11. u are so thin and u eat so highly calories sweets i am really jealous

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  12. Ohhhhhhh My!!!
    Oh yay! I can make this for my dad's B-day soon!!
    Thank-you!!!

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  13. Holy Moly! OMG! WOWEE! That looks AMAZING!!!

    Great job!!!

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  14. My ladyfingers are in the D. Im making this cake tomorrow to take to the Thanksgiving dinner (I know not a traditional cake but too tempting ;)). I am also making the pumpkin pie on Heathy's blog.

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  15. Oh awesome, malilies! Can't wait to hear how yours turned out! That and pumpkin pie? Mmmmmm...

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  16. OMG Carmi! That's is sensational! Indeed, I'm giving thanks right here and now for how yummylicious raw food can be and for all the wonderful raw creations you share.

    Hugs!

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  17. Hello Carmella! I must say it looks like I've found a great place to frequent whenever I need to try some new dessert recipes to satisfy my aftermeal urges. I have a feeling because you extensively use coconut oil, coconut etc. in them.

    What else can I say but, Thanks a lot!

    Cheers,
    CoconutOilGuy
    www.coconut-oil-central.com
    Your Drugstore in a Bottle

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  18. NO WAY!!!

    I always look at your blog, and I am CONSTANTLY amazed about how you can make raw food look so freakin amazing!

    I just had to leave a comment to let you know how amazingly delicious all of this looks!!!

    KEEP IT UP!

    -ashley

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