Dharma Feast Cookbook (43 page)

Authors: Theresa Rodgers

Dates add sweetness and an interesting texture to this tart shell. Fill it with the non-dairy
Chocolate Filling
or with
Macadamia Cream
topped with fresh fruit (both recipes follow). Bake it the same day you will serve it and wait until shortly before serving to fill it.

S
ERVES
8

P
REP TIME
35
MINUTES

3 cups blanched almond flour

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

8 Medjool dates, pitted

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

2 tablespoons agave syrup

½ cup cold butter, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put almond flour, salt, xanthan gum, dates, and almonds in food processor. Pulse until dates are chopped into small pieces and ingredients are evenly combined. Add agave syrup and butter and pulse until evenly mixed. Press into bottom and sides of an 11–inch tart shell. Bake at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool before filling.

Note:
See description of xanthan gum in recipe for
Banana Bread Muffins (Gluten Free),
page 172.

C
HOCOLATE
F
ILLING FOR
T
ART

This non-dairy chocolate filling is sure to please every chocolate lover. Dark chocolate makes it satisfying and not too sweet. Most people don’t even taste the coconut milk. It’s thickened with agar-agar, a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from seaweed, and sweetened with a small amount of agave syrup, but honey can also be used. For variety, top with chopped toasted pecans instead of toasted sliced almonds. Or, if you’re a coconut lover, as a final touch, sprinkle with lightly toasted unsweetened coconut.

M
AKES ENOUGH FILLING FOR ONE TART SHELL

P
REP TIME
15
MINUTES (WITHOUT CHILLING TIME)

1(13.5 ounce can) regular coconut milk

Pinch of sea salt

5 teaspoons agar agar

2 tablespoons agave syrup

6 ounces dark (70%) chocolate

Pour coconut milk into small saucepan. Whisk to combine liquid and solid parts. Whisk in salt and agar-agar. Stir continuously over low heat until agar-agar dissolves. It may take 5 minutes or longer. Mixture should thicken. Add agave and chocolate and stir until melted. Refrigerate for about an hour. Before putting in tart shell, whisk or beat with mixer until it is smooth.

To assemble, spoon filling into
Tart Shell
(page 213). Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Sprinkle toasted almonds over filling. Serve immediately.

M
ACADAMIA
C
REAM

A light, orangey cream that miraculously has no dairy in it. Serve it instead of whipped cream. Or spread it evenly in a tart shell and top with nicely arranged fresh fruit, such as raspberries and blueberries, or thinly sliced peaches and raspberries or blueberries.

M
AKES
2
CUPS

P
REP TIME
15
MINUTES

1 cup macadamia nuts

Juice of 2 oranges

2 teaspoons natural vanilla

extract

Squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Blend macadamia nuts into a powder in a blender. Add the other ingredients and blend into a cream.

L
EMON
S
ORBET

Here is a sorbet is not made with processed sugar. The lemon zest intensifies the lemon flavor. Use it as a refreshing dessert after a special summer meal or a palate cleanser between courses. If you wish, serve a cookie on the side for a more substantial dessert. For a different twist, add finely minced fresh mint leaves just before freezing in ice cream machine. Garnish with mint leaves.

S
ERVES
4

P
REP TIME
20
MINUTES (WITHOUT CHILL/FREEZE TIME)

1 cup water

¾ cup agave syrup or raw honey

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, chopped

Put water and agave syrup or honey in a small saucepan, heat and stir until combined. Pour into a glass bowl and cool. Once cool, add lemon juice and zest. Put in freezer for about a half hour to chill. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After the sorbet is made, transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for an hour before serving.

Note
–If you use dark agave syrup, the sorbet will have a brownish color. It tastes great but it may not appear as appetizing.

O
RANGE
S
ORBET

We wanted a sorbet that could be used on our Stage 3 diet so we came up with this. It’s a nice alternative to the more traditional lemon sorbet. Be sure that the oranges are naturally sweet and juicy. It’s not as sweet tasting as most sorbets but we’ve found that when we rarely eat sweets, naturally sweet fruits have just the right amount of sweetness.

S
ERVES
4

P
REP TIME
20
MINUTES (WITHOUT CHILL/FREEZE TIME)

3 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, chopped

Combine juice and zest in bowl or container. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours.

Strain juice into bowl of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Once frozen, transfer to air-tight covered container. Freeze for an hour before serving. Garnish with mint or basil leaves.

M
ANGO
S
ORBET

We love to serve sorbet but the sorbets that are available commercially (and the recipes to make them) are sweetened with lots of processed sugar. This recipe, which is sweetened with agave syrup or honey, is perfect to serve on a special occasion, especially after a Japanese or Indian meal. Make sure the mangoes are ripe and juicy.

M
AKES ABOUT
3
CUPS

P
REP TIME
20
MINUTES (WITHOUT CHILL/FREEZE TIME)

1½ /cups fresh-squeezed orange juice (about 8 small juice oranges)

1½ –2 cups very ripe mango (2 mangos, peeled and flesh sliced off the pit)

¼ cup agave syrup or honey

Put orange juice, mango, and agave syrup into blender. Blend until smooth. If there are any fibers in the puree, strain it before proceeding.

Freeze in a small ice cream freezer (like a Cuisinart) according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Remove from ice cream freezer bowl and put into a glass container. Freeze for several hours before serving.