Decadent Creamy Fruit Tarts

Back when I (and the rest of the world) went to a lot of parties, I always brought desserts. Some of the most popular were my decadent and creamy fruit tarts. Another throw back to my NYC Italian roots, the custard cream with bright fresh fruit tarts were always a favorite.

I don’t think there is an Italian bakery in NYC that doesn’t proudly display their fruit tarts. A favorite of my family’s was Venerios Bakery on East 11th Street. On holidays, the line would be wrapped around the block with patrons and cars packing the tiny street. And for 3 generations, every family member has stood in rain, sleet, blistering heat and freezing cold waiting for these delectable morsels.

Eventually, I will at least attempt to make every traditional pastry and dessert from my youth. I say that now, but I’m already stressing over the challenge of trying to make struffoli, but I will probably nail the grain pie. Deep breath…I still have a couple of months to figure those out.

In the meantime, I made these fruit tarts with a little twist. The Mango-Passion Fruit Tarts with Basil Whip I’ve made many times before (but with dairy and a ton of sugar and all the things I now avoid). It’s always a big hit because it’s a tart-tart with the sweetness deriving from the pairing of mango. The savory basil in this recipe is the perfect foil for the coconut manna, enhancing the flavors without overpowering each other. While the other two flavors are also fantastic, I will not apologize that this one is my favorite and the reason I made these tarts in the first place.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: DECADENT CREAMY FRUIT TARTS

Tart Crust

1 cup almond flour

1/2 walnuts (pulverized)

2 dates (soaked for 4 hours or overnight)

Mix dry ingredients together thoroughly. Using a fork (or food processor) mash dates into dry ingredients until there are no dry spots. I used ramekins, but you can put them in mini pie pans or whatever you have handy as long as they’re heat resistant. Place tart crusts in the dehydrator at 115 degrees for at least an hour so that the tops are a little dry to the touch. You can leave them in longer if you want a flakier crust.

Mango-Passion Fruit Tart with Basil Whip

1/2 cup young coconut meat (not spoon meat, but can be slightly firm, but not hard)

1 Passion Fruit

1/2 cup diced mango

Put coconut meat in the blender and whip to a creamy stage. Liquefy passion fruit separately (you can strain it if you don’t like the seeds) and add mango. Blend all ingredients together and pour into tart crust.

Basil Whip

10 leaves of fresh Italian Basil

1/8 cup filtered water

1 tsp raw sugar

1/2 cup young coconut meat (firm but not hard)

Prepare basil syrup first. Pulverize sugar until it’s fine. Liquefy basil with 1/8 cup water and sugar. In a heat resistant bowl place basil mixture in the dehydrator at 115 degrees for 2 hours, checking to make sure it has not evaporated too much. I like to stir it about once an hour. Whip coconut until almost a buttery stage and add syrup until blended.

Pour curd into tart crust and place a dollop of basil whip on top.

Golden Kiwi Curd Tarts

5 golden kiwis (pealed and sliced, reserving a couple of slices for decoration)

1/2 cup young coconut meat

Liquefy kiwis. Whip coconut meat to almost a butter consistency. Blend together. Pour into tart crust.

Banana Chocolate Cream Tarts

2 1/2 bananas (reserving a couple of slices for decoration)

1/8 cup nut or oat milk (I used oat for a little more body)

1 tblsp raw cacao

1 tsp maple syrup

Blend bananas and “milk” together and pour into tart crusts. Mix maple syrup and cacao together until it’s the consistency of chocolate sauce. Place sliced bananas on top and drizzle with chocolate sauce. The chocolate is very rich, you won’t need much.

You can freeze or refrigerate the tarts before putting the fresh fruits on top if you prefer them to be firmer. I had a little kiwi and mango-passion fruit left, so I mixed them together and made another tart…yeah…do that, you won’t be sorry.