February 6th, 2016
Recently, I’ve been working on developing very light, very mildly sweetened, mousse-like dessert recipes for the new cookbook, and this White Chocolate Blood Orange Mousse Tart is an example of my experiments. I have a weakness for anything soufflé or custard-like, and I’ve grown quite sensitive to the overly sweet treats that monopolize our world, so this tart turned out to be the dessert of my dreams.
It’s blood orange season and I can never miss the opportunity to take advantage of the fruit’s photogenic nature. In addition, I just got my hands on a fresh batch of the most fragrant raw cacao butter. Being that orange and cacao is one of the most heavenly pairings known to man, I had to combine the two.
Irish moss will always be my number one thickener of choice, but because it’s so difficult to find for so many readers, I’ve decided to familiarize myself with the more widely available option – agar-agar. Agar is another sea vegetable based thickener, available in most health food stores, and I use it in this recipe to achieve a mousse-like consistency.
The texture of the mousse is very light and airy, accompanied by the intoxicating aroma of cocoa and subtle notes of citrus. Blood orange juice contributes the most gentle pale pink color, one that makes me stop and stare for a little too long. You’ll love the crust as well – it’s tender, buttery (with no addition of butter), and thin – all to go along with the delicate nature of the filling. Enjoy!
White Chocolate Blood Orange Mousse Tart
makes 1 9-inch tart
Notes:
1) I highly recommend using homemade almond milk here, as it is one of the few and main ingredients. Homemade almond milk is much creamier than its store-bought counterparts, and the creaminess is important to the texture of the mousse.
2) You can choose to omit the crust and serve the filling on its own, distributed between ramekins, as shown in the photo above.
for the crust
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
3-4 tablespoons ice cold water, divided
1/2 cup coconut oil – cold and solid, plus more for oiling the springform – at room temperature
3/4 cup oat flour (I use ground rolled oats)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
pinch sea salt
for the filling
3 cups homemade almond milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
pinch sea salt
3 tablespoons agar-agar flakes (I like these)
2 1/2 oz raw cocoa butter – shredded
zest of 2 blood oranges
1 cup blood orange juice
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract – optional
to make the crust
1. Combine chia and 1 tablespoon cold water into a paste in a small bowl, keep refrigerated. Prepare a 9-inch springform by covering the bottom with parchment paper and generously oiling the parchment and the sides of the form with coconut oil.
2. Combine all the flours, coconut sugar and salt in a food processor, pulse to mix. Add refrigerated chia paste, pulse to incorporate. Cut coconut oil into cubes, add to the flours and keep pulsing until the mixture resembles sand.
3. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and process until the mixture comes together when pressed with fingers. Add 1 more tablespoon of water if necessary. Take care to not overproces.
4. Press the crust mixture against the bottom and sides of the form evenly, leaving about 1/2 inch of the sides uncovered at the top. The crust will be very thin to be to compliment the airy and delicate blood orange mousse. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F. After 30 minutes in the fridge, cover the crust with parchment paper, weight it down with baking beans and blind bake crust for 20 minutes. Remove beans and paper and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden. Let cool.
to make the filling
1. Combine almond milk, maple syrup, salt and agar-agar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Lower heat to a slow simmer and cook partially covered for 5 minutes, whisking periodically, until agar flakes dissolve.
2. Remove from heat and add shredded cacao butter. Cover and let melt for about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk and cacao mixture to a blender, together with blood orange juice and vanilla. Blend to combine, for about 20 seconds. Taste and add more maple syrup, if needed. Add orange zest and pulse a few times.
4. Pour the mixture into a large heat proof bowl and let cool for about 30 minutes, whisking occasionally. When cool, pour mixture into the baked crust and refrigerate until completely set.
5. Carefully remove the spring form. Decorate tart with orange slices and/or zest. Slice one piece of the tart at a a time and serve immediately.
Tags: agar-agar, almond milk, blood orange, dessert, gluten free, orange, tart, vegan
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September 15th, 2013
After all these years of living in Florida, I’d never seen, let alone tasted a local fig until very recently. I heard legends of them existing, but never came across one. The other week, at a party, I met the lucky owners of a couple of fig trees in town and got an invitation to come pick some fresh figs. The trees were tiny, not at all like the ones that I was used to from back home by the Black Sea, but still studded with figs. It had been a while since I tasted one of my favorite fruit right off the tree, and they did not disappoint. Although small and pale in colour, the figs were honey-sweet and delicious.
I was inspired to make a fig tart, using my favourite long rectangular tart pan, combining my homemade ricotta, figs and chocolate – how could the combination of all those wonderful ingredients ever disappoint?
You can use any good crust recipe for the tart. I like to utilize the whey left over from ricotta cheese making as the liquid component in the dough – it gives a wonderful texture to a very simple whole spelt dough. Roasted grapes are a fall indulgence and a great accompaniment to this tart.
Paloma ate the majority of the tart (a chocoholic in the making). She just started kindergarten, and we have been getting used to the new routine and rules that come about all too fast when the little ones grow up. Because the content of her lunchbox is always very different from most of the children in the class, the beginning of each new school is quite an adjustment, food wise. I have to work out how to pack all of Paloma’s food in a way that is convenient enough for her to eat, how to store it safely during the day, and last but not least, I have to think about how the kids (and sometimes the teachers!) will react to it. The most constant variable in her lunchbox is a green juice or smoothie, while everything else changes from day to day. The juice, of course, gets some negative attention, but thankfully Paloma is a fiery little Leo who can stand up for herself. The last incident happened very recently, and Paloma’s comeback (according to her own account) was “This is my mom’s juice, and if you don’t like it, don’t look at it!” She didn’t seem at all upset by that conversation.
And speaking of healthy foods for children, a reader, Elle Valentine, recently shared her healthy children’s book with us. It is called The UnPopular Pea (and Carrot) and was written to help kids learn about real food and making healthy dietary choices. It is a helpful tool, along with being very clever and entertaining – Paloma is obsessed. Watch the campaign video here and buy the book here. Thank you Elle!
Fig and Chocolate Ricotta Tart
for the crust
1 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour (I used sprouted spelt flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whey – left over from ricotta making
to make the crust
1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in the whey, mix and knead into a soft dough.
2. Lightly grease a tart pan with coconut oil and press the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan to create a crust of even thickness. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
for the filling
2 cups ricotta cheese (I make mine with raw goat milk)
1 vanilla bean – seeds scraped out, optional
2 tablespoons coconut sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
about 4 tablespoons (half of a standard bar) grated dark chocolate, or more to taste
15 dried but moist figs – stems removed and halved
9 fresh ripe, sweet figs – stems removed and halved
to make the filling and bake the tart
1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
2. Combine the ricotta with vanilla seeds and coconut sugar in a medium sized bowl, set aside.
3. Remove the crust from the fridge and sprinkle about 1/2 of the chocolate over the bottom. Spoon 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the chocolate, distribute evenly.
4. Press the dried figs, cut side up, into the ricotta layer, positioning them evenly over the surface of the tart. Follow with the rest of the ricotta, distributing it into an even layer. Press the fresh figs, cut side up into the ricotta, flattening the surface. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the figs are caramelized. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the rest of chocolate and place back into the oven for a couple of minutes to let chocolate melt slightly.
6. Let cool, slice and serve with roasted grapes if desired.
Notes:
1. If using store bought ricotta, consider draining it over a sieve overnight in a fridge.
2. If you don’t have the left over whey, consider this simple recipe for a crust. Substitute spelt flour for all purpose if you wish.
Roasted Grapes
grapes
coconut oil or ghee
1. Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).
2. Make sure that the grapes are dry after you wash them. Toss the grape clusters with oil or ghee to coat lightly.
3. Roast for 8-12 minutes until soft and skins began to split.
Tags: dessert, fig, grapes, recipe, ricotta, tart
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March 8th, 2013
The cookbook manuscript has been submitted! And even though there is still a lot of work to be done in the editing stage, this is a huge relief. The past few weeks have been extremely busy and very exciting. Getting feedback from our amazing recipe testers has been so fulfilling, and I learned so much along the way. Time to celebrate with a recipe for something sweet.
After finishing the manuscript and clicking Send, I thought I would need a very long break from the kitchen. Instead, I turned around and baked this celebratory tart, inspired by how sweet both the pineapples and mangoes have been at our markets.
I had never before baked with pineapple, and this first experience left me wondering why I didn’t think to do it earlier. Baked pineapple is delicious, its flavours become maximized and caramelized, and it looses some of its aggressive acidity. And when combined with sweet, smooth Champagne mangoes and a hint of lime juice, it is sure to be a hit. Enjoy.
Pineapple and Mango Tart
(makes one 9-inch / 23 cm tart)
for the crust
8 tablespoons coconut oil – melted, plus more for greasing the tart pan
1/2 cup (90 g) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (65 g) garbanzo flour – (I make my own by grinding sprouted and dried garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca flour
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons ice water
for the filling
1 tablespoon almond flour
1/2 – 3/4 large ripe pineapple – skin removed, cored and thinly sliced
1 ripe mango – peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime
to make the crust
1. Pour the coconut oil into a small shallow dish and put it into the freezer for 10 minutes. Lightly oil your tart pan. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of vanilla extract and ice water. Pulse several times to combine.
2. Take the coconut oil out of the freezer and cut it right in the dish, into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes into the food processor and pulse until the coconut oil is broken down into tiny granules and the mixture resembles sand. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of ice water, and pulse until the dough either forms a ball or sticks together when pressed between your fingers. If not, add one more tablespoon of ice water.
3. Turn the dough onto your working surface and quickly knead, forming a ball. Flatten it with the palm of your hand and press into the tart pan, starting with the bottom and working it up the sides. Make sure that the crust is of even thickness throughout. Prick several times with a fork and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
to assemble and bake the tart
1. Preheat oven to 395 F (200 C). Take the crust out of the refrigerator and sprinkle the bottom with the almond flour. Arrange the fruits in a circular patter, alternating them inside the crust and filling it tightly. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.
2. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruits are soft and caramelized. Brush with the lime juice and sprinkle with the lime zest when still hot. Let cool before unmolding and slicing.
Tags: book, gluten free, mango, pineapple, recipe, tart, vegan
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