Raw pies are a favorite dessert around here. They are easy to prepare, they taste delicious, they are good for you, and you won’t feel guilty about eating them for breakfast the next morning. Why are they good for you? The ones that we make always contain raw nuts, usually contain raw fruit, and they never contain refined sugar.
Are you sold yet?
My general guidelines for raw pies go something like this:
Crust: Process together nuts, a few dates, and a wee bit of agave in a food processor. The dates and agave sweeten it up a bit and make it all stick together. You can get creative with add-ins such as coconut, citrus zest, spices, etc. Once you’ve got your crust dough prepared, press into your pie or tart pan.
Filling: This can be whatever you want, really. Sometimes I puree fruit, pour it into the crust, and then freeze it for a bit. Sometimes I slice up fruit, season it, and pour it into the crust. Sometimes I try something a little different, and that’s exactly what I did with this recipe.
Cashews play a starring role in many raw recipes because of their creaminess when processed in a food processor with a few supporting characters. Soaking them for a few hours beforehand makes them even creamier. For the “cream” filling in this particular pie, I soaked the cashews in water for 2 hours and then mixed in orange and carob for flavor, agave for sweetness, and a touch of salt to help deepen the sweetness of the filling. I used carob powder because I like the toasted caramel flavor of it, but feel free to substitute cocoa powder instead.
Chocolate Orange Tartlets
Makes 4 small tartlets
Coconut Crust
2 cups dried coconut
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup walnuts
2 dates
1 ½ tbsp agave
Chocolate Orange Cream
2 cups cashews, soaked for 2 hours
3 tbsp agave
2 tbsp carob powder
Juice from one orange (I used one very juicy orange – use 2, if necessary!)
Pinch of salt
To Make Crust:
Process all ingredients in a food process until they get good and sticky and start to ball up. Press into tartlet molds and freeze for 20-30 minutes before filling.
To Make Cream Filling:
Place all ingredients in a food process and process until very smooth.
Spoon filling into tartlets, garnish with coconut flakes and mint leaves, and serve.
Enjoy!
While we’re on the subject of raw food, please check out Raw Epicurean. It’s a wonderful site, and I promise that I am not biased due to the fact that I won a copy of Matthew Kenney’s Everyday Raw in last week’s book giveaway. 😀
Cooking at the Pacific Outpost 