Farmers' Market Tartelettes

I made these raw vegan tartelettes a few years ago when I found these gorgeous currants at the farmers’ market. To be honest, whenever I would find something really great there, I’d take it home and panic. As a food blogger, I felt the pressure of making something that would dazzle the interwebs. As a human (who’s been going to therapy and has pretty much gotten over this issue now), I would feel guilty. Oh no, what if someone sees this and feels bad because they can’t get currants, too . . . Ugh! I’m so done feeling that way.

Anyway, my solution was to simply drape these jeweled beauties over a cloud of vegan pastry cream, along with options for other berries, as well.

Word to the wise: since these are raw, they need to stay cold. Thought I’d warn you before you drive across the city on a hot July day to meet your gluten-free vegan friend you want to share them with. By the time you get there, their edges will collapse and the filling will ooze out the sides. But they’ll still be delicious.

Raw Vegan Tartelettes

This recipe works best when you use tart pans with removable bottoms; or, the way I made them, crumpet rings (which I bought at a kitchen supply store), set on top of a parchment-lined baking sheet.

I would not suggest using tart molds without removable bottoms for this recipe as it relies solely on cold temperatures to set both the crust and the filling. I can only imagine it would be a beast to try to get them out of the molds once they’re ready to serve.

You could alternately use a silicone mold, which would be flexible enough to peel away from the tarts and leave them unharmed.

for the crust:

1 cup almond meal, or 1 cup almonds ground in a food processor

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

pinch of salt

7 medjool dates, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or melted cocoa butter)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

for the filling:

1 cup cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours, and drained

juice and zest of 2 lemons

4 tablespoons fresh water

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/3 cup of melted cocoa butter (available at good health food stores)

fresh berries or other fruit of your choosing

To make the crust:

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse together almond meal, macadamia nuts, salt, chopped dates, and oil. Mixture should be crumbly. Add in maple syrup and pulse until the mixture is smooth and coming together.

Divide the mixture between four crumpet rings set on top of a parchment lined baking sheet or four 4-inch tart pans. Press the mixture as evenly as you can into the bottoms and up around the sides to form the shells. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes.

To make the filling:

In the food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, blend together drained cashews, lemon juice and zest, water, salt, and maple syrup until very smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the melted cocoa butter through the feed tube.

Divide mixture evenly between the prepared tart shells. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours until set.

Gently ease the tarts from the molds or the crumpet rings and set on a serving plate. Decorate with fresh fruit as you please, and refrigerate until ready to serve.