Fourth Tart

My cousin Leila was in town last week from Toronto for a summer visit. This was the longest we had ever gone without seeing each other. It has been a year shy one week, and somehow the year just slipped by without a visit. Its the last time I ever want that to happen. I missed her too much, and her time here felt too short. Before she left I scheduled my trip to Toronto so that we would know there was time together on the horizon.

Here visit overlapped with Fourth of July, a holiday she had never been here to celebrate. As a Canadian, I have never made a big deal of the holiday, but we always seem to make a relaxing day of it around the pool with friends or family. Leila kept suggesting festive ideas to celebrate the fourth: red white and blue nail polish being one the funniest. When I told her I had recently purchased vegan white chocolate chips for a tart I had been wanting to try, she immediately was inspired to to a ‘flag themed’ version. I obliged her and we got to work.

This tart was super fast to prepare. The crust comes together in less than 20 minutes, and the filling is very quick as well. It is rally nice that you can make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge for when you want to serve it. I always love a desert that is waiting for me and not the other way around.

Was it delicious? I didn’t mind it, but I think I have become accustom the the taste of tofu in my desert. Everyone thought the crust was wonderful, but the filling got very mixed reviews. I would agree that it needed some tweaking. I think that some lemon and raspberry blended into the filling or coconut would have been a nice addition. Perhaps a different brand of Silken Tofu. I plan to play around with this a little more because I think it had amazing potential. I will re-post when I find an improved version. In the meantime I will leave you with the recipe I used for this go around.

White Chocolate Berry Tart:

(inspired by have cake will travel)

For the crust:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup raw cashews
Pinch fine sea salt
4 tablespoons raw agave nectar or (30 ml) pure maple syrup
4 to 6 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Nonstick cooking spray

For the filling:
One bag vegan white chocolate chips
16 ounces firm silken tofu
8 ounces fresh berries

To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 325°F . Lightly coat a 11 inch  tart pan with cooking spray.
Combine flour, cashews and salt in a food processor. Process until the cashews are finely ground. Add the agave nectar and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil at first, pulsing to combine. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil if the dough crumbs do not hold together when pinched.
Place the crumbs in the prepared pan, and press down to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the tiny bit of extra crust that will pop over the top of the pan by sliding a rolling pan across the top. Place those scraps back in the center of the crust and press down lightly. Use the tines of a fork to lightly prick the bottom of the crust.
Bake the crust 14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, carefully pop the crust out of the pan and place it on a pretty serving plate.

To make the filling: Slowly melt the chocolate in the microwave (in 1-minute increments, stirring often) or use a double boiler, until perfectly smooth. Place the tofu in a food processor, scrape the melted chocolate on top of the tofu. Blend until perfectly smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the food processor occasionally.

Scoop the filling into the cooled crust. Decorate the top with the berries, and chill for at least 3 hours before slicing. The tart will keep well for up to two days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield: 8 portions