Peaches n’ Cream Cheese Tarts

March 27, 2013 11 Comments

Yesterday while putting Eden down for bed I started thinking about “lasts”. And while Eden is far from being able to put herself to sleep, I was hit with the fact that sometime in the future there will be a last time that I hold my child,  a last time that she nurses to sleep, a last time that she buries her head into the space between my shoulder and neck.

My biggest fear in parenting has thus far been that it will be gone before I realize it started. And yesterday I was hit with the reality that 14 months is over. I no longer have a baby. I have a walking, babbling, toddler.

In response I dedicated my entire day to Eden. We spent the morning with friends (mine and hers), walked to the library and picked out books, chased each other around the house, and found an awesome used clothing store where I picked up the coolest baby Vans that I hope she never grows out of. It was a great day, and just what we both needed.

In turn I did no blog work and now have the chance to republish an old post that would be a perfect end to an Easter meal.

So from last August:

Peaches n’ Cream Cheese Tarts

peaches2

We are in the peak of peach season in Oregon and I have been loving it, enjoying fresh peaches in my creamy baked oatmeal, coffee cake muffins, and morning parfaits. I’m playing with the idea of a grilled peach pizza, but have yet to put my recipe to the test. Yesterday on our weekly Pizza Night I made these Peaches and Cream Cheese Tarts and they turned into a big hit.

These tarts are very simple but will blow you away and get your guest asking one of my favorite questions, “this is vegan?!”.

millionsofpeaches

Peaches and Cream Cheese Tarts
makes six 4” tarts or one 9″ tart

Sugar Dough Crust
3/4 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Filling
1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

4-6 peaches or fruit of choice.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease tart pans and set aside.

To make the crust, beat the butter with a hand mixer or in a stand up mixer until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes), scraping the sides often. Add sugar and beat again for another 2-3 minutes until well blended. Add flour and salt and mix to incorporate, being careful not to over-mix.

On a floured surface roll out dough between 1/8-1/4 inch (if you are making one large tart, keep it closer to 1/4 inch). Cut circles slightly larger than molds and place inside greased tart pans, pressing lightly all around to snugly fill mold. Trim the excess dough with a knife, running it along the edge and repeat for all tart pans. With a fork, poke holes in the bottom of the dough and place in freezer for 15 minutes.

Bake chilled dough for 20-30 minutes until dough starts to become golden in color. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove tart shells from mold.

Meanwhile make the filling. Scoop out the fatty solids from the chilled coconut milk (top 1/2 of can) into medium-sized bowl. Add vegan cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and blend until well combined. Scoop cream cheese filling into tart shells, about 2/3 full, and spread even. Place in freezer for 30 minutes or until ready to decorate.

*The shell and filling can be made the day before frozen.

To finish, thinly slice peaches and starting on the outside, lay the peach slices down in overlapping concentric circles, filling the top. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Best served within four hours of finishing.

peaches3

*For a soy-free filling try the recipe with my cashew pastry cream.

 

You might also like:

Frushi (Fruit Sushi)

Frushi (Fruit Sushi)

peach coffee cake

Peaches and Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

Fresh Fruit Tart with Cashew Pastry Cream

Fresh Fruit Tart with Cashew Pastry Cream

Raw Coconut Lime Tart

Raw Coconut Lime Tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: sweets Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Neapolitan Popsicles

July 30, 2012 6 Comments

Yesterday I made 8 of these little things. Today when it was time to photograph I only had two left!  This is because last night when Jason and I were taste testing the final product, we had a hard time stopping.

But it’s okay because these delicious Neapolitan Popsicles are less than 40 calories each!  You are lucky to be seeing pictures because it took all my restraint to save the final two.

Ready for an incredibly healthy, delicious dessert?

Neapolitan Popsicles – makes 8 popsicles

2 large frozen bananas

1  cup frozen strawberries

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp soy milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp agave nectar (optional)

Using very ripe bananas (the riper the sweeter), cut them into chunks and freeze. I use frozen bananas enough to make an effort to always keeping some in my freezer, a practice I highly recommend.

Starting with the chocolate layer, place 1 frozen banana  in a food processor (or if you’re lucky enough, a vitamix) with cocoa powder and 3/4 tsp vanilla. Blend until smooth. It should be the texture of soft serve ice cream. Spoon or pipe the chocolate banana mixture into popsicle molds, filling 1/3 full. freeze for 1 hour.

Now the vanilla layer. Using the other frozen bananas and remaining 3/4 tsp vanilla, blend until smooth. Spoon or pipe on top of the chocolate layer. At this point, stick your popsicle sticks into the molds, through the vanilla layer, stopping when you hit the top of the chocolate. Refreeze for another hour.

Finally the strawberries!  Blend your frozen strawberries in your food processor with enough soy milk to process into a smooth, sorbet-like consistency. If your strawberries aren’t very sweet, add agave nectar or other liquid sweetener. Top off the poposicles with strawberries, pouring or piping around the sticks. Give it a few gentle whacks (is that an oxymoron?) to settle the bubbles and freeze one more time until strawberries are solid.

Gently remove popsicles by running hot water around the molds. And enjoy as many as you can handle!

 

Filed Under: Eating in Season, gluten-free desserts, snacks, Summer, sweets Tagged With: , , , , ,

Seasonal Fruit Leather

July 24, 2012 36 Comments

I have been in mega preserving mode this week, staying busy dehydrating veggie chips, fermenting sauerkraut, shelling and freezing sweet peas, and most recently, baking fruit leather.  Last week in my CSA I received another two pints of marionberries (hooray!). I still have lots of frozen strawberries from prior weeks, and when fishing through the bottom of my chest freezer discovered a bag of last year’s blueberries. So yesterday I went went all out, testing three new seasonal and exciting fruit leather flavors.

And here they are from left to right: Marionberry Lavender (remember my Marionberry Lavender Pie? I couldn’t get enough of this flavor combination), Strawberry Balsamic, and Blueberry Lemonade.

And here’s what I did:

Marionberry Lavender

4 cups fresh or thawed marionberries

1-2 tsp fresh lavender

2 tbsp sugar

Strawberry Balsamic

4 cups fresh or thawed strawberries

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

Blueberry Lemonade

4 cups fresh or thawed blueberries

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

*These recipes are very flexible and can/should be altered to taste.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Place all three ingredients in a small pot over medium heat stirring often until sugar has dissolved and fruit is slightly thickened. Transfer into a food processor and blend together until the mixture is smooth. Pour mixture onto the baking sheet and using an offset spatula spread out as evenly as possible. Place in oven for 3-5 hours.

*Each of these recipes bake for different lengths. Bake until leather is sticky to the touch, but does not pull off onto your finger.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. The leather will continue to harden until completely cool. Peel away from silicone mat and slice into desired pieces.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Filed Under: Eating in Season, snacks, Summer Tagged With: , , , , ,

frushi (fruit sushi)

May 8, 2012 4 Comments
 What is better than tropical fruit and minty coconut flavors on a hot day? 
That’s right, we had frushi for dinner! Typically I think of this as more of an after-dinner sweet, or summer time snack, but I had a very specific craving tonight and thus I offer you my fruit sushi.
Frushi
Gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan
Coconut Rice
1 cups sushi rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt
 Prepare the sushi rice. Rinse the rice 4 or 5 times until the water runs clean. Once clear, drain water and add 1 1/2 cups cold, fresh water to rice. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Place on stove over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes.
When water has evaporated and the rice is done, turn heat up to medium and add the remaining ingredients.
Stirring often, mix until the coconut milk is soaked into the rice, about ten minutes. Spread rice onto a plate and allow to cool. 
Once rice is at room temperature, scoop the rice into heaping tablespoons and shape into squares or circles. Place back into refrigerator and let rice set up. Meanwhile thinly slice fruit.
 mango
kiwi
watermelon
pineapple
or any other fruit of your choice
Assemble frushi however your heart desires.
Once frushi is assembled refrigerate and make the coconut dipping sauce.
 Coconut Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk (or the remaining of your can)
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp finely minced mint
Mix together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Enjoy!

 What’s your favorite food on a hot (almost) summer day?

Filed Under: gluten-free desserts, snacks, sweets Tagged With: , , , ,

Easter Fruit Tart

April 26, 2012 4 Comments


As I mentioned earlier, I am totally into cashews right now and have been eager to try cashew pastry cream. I have made other vegan pastry creams in the past and never been very pleased with the result. Going creamy often involves tofu (which I am trying to limit in my diet) and always runs the risk of having that “vegan aftertaste”. Well I have decided it is time for that “vegan aftertaste” to become a compliment. It is time for people to expect our creams and custards and mousses to be better than their cow counterpart.

So my dessert challenge this week was to make a delicious pastry cream out of cashews that would be the base of my Easter fruit tart.

The Components:

Cashew Pastry Cream
Shortbread Tart Shell
1 pint Strawberries
1/2 pint Raspberries
1/2 pint Blueberries
2 Kiwi
1 Mango
Apricot Glaze


Cashew Pastry Cream

3 Tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance is best)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups soy milk
2 vanilla beans
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water

Soak the cashews in 1 cup water overnight.

In a food processor blend the cashews with the water until completely smooth. This may take a long time so be patient.

Meanwhile melt margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cornstarch and quickly whisk until smooth and thick. Mix the milk and sugar in a separate bowl and add slowly into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. With a paring knife slice the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the bean clean. Stir vanilla into pastry cream. Switch from whisk to spatula and continue stirring while cream thickens, scraping down the sides. It should coat the spatula, looking something like this:Once thick, remove from heat and allow cream to cool slightly. When it is no longer hot to the touch add it to the cashews which should be very smooth and creamy and blend for a few more minutes until well combined.
 

Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Set in refrigerator and allow several hours for pastry cream to set up.
This can be made several days in advance; it will store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Shortbread Tart Shell

This recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s wonderful cookie cookbook, “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.”

1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, slightly softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan.
In a large bowl beat together the margarine and sugar, scraping the sides often, until very light and creamy.

Sift together flour and cornstarch. Add to margarine mixture in batches, folding in with a spatula first. Beat together until mixture is crumbly yet moist, holding together when pressed. You want it to look something like this:

Empty dough into tart shell and press down with fingers so that it evenly fills the bottom. Press all around the entire rim of the pan to get the dough into the fluted edges as well as at the fold so that you have a good 90 degree angle.
For a clean look run a knife around the top to even out the sides.

With a fork poke holes into the dough.

Place tart shell in oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes until the shortbread is slightly puffed and the edges are staring to golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

Assembly

Pour chilled and set-up pastry cream into completely cooled tart shell, filling about half full. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Place back in fridge to set up for another hour or so.

 


Once ready, gently remove the sides of the tart pan by holding the bottom and slightly pushing down at the rim to remove. It’s important to do this now before the tart gets too heavy. Take a knife and stick it between the bottom of the pan and tart shell. The bottom should just ease off at this point.

Place on flat round plate and begin assembling. You can do this however you like with any type of fruit. This is what I did:
Cut strawberries in half and place around the edge. Place raspberries just inside the strawberries, doubling them up to create volume.

Skin and slice kiwi into eight slices and place around the raspberries, followed by all the blueberries. Again, I used an entire 1/2 pint, stacking them to create more volume. I finished with three strawberries and slices of mangos in the center.

You’re almost finished! Heat up 1 Tbsp apricot jam (or any jam really) and 2 Tbsp water, whisking constantly until boiling. With a pastry brush (silicone works best) brush the glaze on over the fruit. This gives it a nice shine and a couple extra hours of shelf life.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Filed Under: Spring, sweets Tagged With: , , , ,

To the Top

Follow

Get every new post on this blog delivered to your Inbox.

Join other followers: