Vacation in Provence

I will be on vacation in Provence for the last 3 weeks, harvesting beautiful pictures for Scrumptious Venus. See you back in October and have a blessed month of September.
Sandra

Raspberry Cream Tart {Gluten-Free & Vegan}

I decided to revisit a recipe for a raspberry cream pie that I love making during the summer. In my favorite new baking book Gluten Free and Vegan Pie, I found a good recipe for an almond press-in crust, as well as a base for a cream that I twisted into a raspberry cream. When you are on a special diet, it's all about being creative and experimenting, which totally suits my personality.

The pastry dough is definitely a keeper as it tastes like an almond cookie. I will for sure reuse it for other tart recipes. It was the first time I was making a vegan cream based on cashews and agar flakes. I was a bit suspicious at first, being afraid my tart will taste fishy... But surprisingly, that was not the case at all.

The only thing that I can say is that it takes some time for the cream to set, so it needs to rest in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours before you can serve it, otherwise it will be a runny mess. In the end, this raspberry cream tart was really good and I hope this will inspire you to give it a try.




Ingredients
(Yield 8-10 servings)

Almond Press-In Crust
3 cups (330gr) ground almond
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt


Topping
½ cup raw cashew, soaked for 2 to 8 hours
1 13oz can BPA free whole coconut milk
2 medium bananas
2 cups (500gr) organic raspberries
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) water
3 tablespoons agar flakes
¼ cup (60ml) water
¾ cup (180ml) maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Fresh mint leaves for garnishing {optional}
Coconut shreds or dark chocolate shavings {optional}





Cooking Instructions


Preheat the oven at 350°F (180°C).

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and mix until the dough start to form a cluster. Do not over process, the dough will be sticky. Press the dough in a 24cm pastry ring or a 10-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust smells like toasted almonds. It will be golden and firm to the touch. Let it cool completely before filling, about 1 ½ hours.




Drain the cashews. Place them in a blender or the bowl of a food processor along with the coconut milk, bananas, raspberries {reserve some for presentation}, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Process throughly until very creamy and smooth. Leave the mixture in the blender.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, agar flakes and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then reduce to heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut oil. Add this mixture to the raspberry mixture in the blender and process until smooth and creamy.

Pour the cream in a bowl and refrigerate for at least a 2 to 4 of hour until it is really set. When you are ready to serve, spread the cream over the almond crust, decorate with raspberries and fresh mint leaves.