Hi FitFeat friends!
It’s been a busy busy week again here. I’ve been cooking up a storm and working on our most recent homework assignment for school.
How are your poached eggs going? Anyone give a try to a new technique?
When I last wrote to recap school fun, I’d left off at Vegetable Proteins and Fish. Since then we’ve been focused mostly on Health Supportive Desserts, Intro to Natural Desserts and Savory Baking. All I can say is, “Mmmmmm!”
On Health Supportive Desserts day, I was assigned a pumpkin tart recipe. The crust is made with finely ground almonds, sorghum flour, maple syrup, maple sugar and coconut oil. It tastes just like a graham cracker crust! I was so crazy about this crust that I’ve made it twice at home since, making it with different flours. The pumpkin for the filling was freshly roasted and blended with cashews. Here are my Twin Tarts:
A few of us got to work separately on the same recipe – I love when we do this because it’s so fun to see how each of us does something a little different. Here are the other pumpkin tarts:
The other half of the class created Raw Fruit Cobblers with Raspberry Coulis and again it was fun to see everyone’s individuality with the same recipe:
In our homework assignment, one of the 5 recipes we were to create included a dessert using alternative ingredients. I decided to try using the agar agar with some coconut milk to create a custard of sorts, as well as an almond wafer inspired by our tart shell from school.
Want the recipe? OK, twist my arm. 
Coconut Carob ‘Tapioca’ Custard with Almond Crisp Wafers
Coconut Carob Custard by Shari Becht
Almond Crisp Cookies adapted from Tart Shell by Bauman College Staff
Serves 4
The healthy fats in the coconut milk react with the agar agar to create tiny ‘tapioca-like’ grains, providing interesting texture to this dessert. The almond wafers for dipping provide crunch as well as a bit of lightly salted flavor contrast.
Ingredients
For the Almond Crisp Wafers
¼ cup very finely ground almonds
2 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour
½ tablespoon Sucanat
pinch of sea salt
½ tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut oil (unrefined), softened
For the Custard
2/3 cup water
2½ teaspoons agar agar
1 cup coconut milk + ¼ cup water
2 teaspoons carob powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1½ tablespoon maple syrup
- Preheat oven to 325. In a medium mixing bowl, mix almonds, garbanzo bean flour, Sucanat and sea salt. Add honey, vanilla extract and coconut oil to same mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly blended to a paste-like consistency.
- Place almond wafer mixture onto a small baking sheet. Cover with a piece of wax paper and roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Press a round cookie cutter (about 2½“ diameter) into the mixture, forming 4 round wafers. Bake until the edges turn golden brown (about 10-12 minutes) then immediately remove to a cooling rack.
- In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Add agar agar and stir continuously until it has dissolved, about 1 minute. Continue boiling for 5 minutes until agar agar begins to gel.
- In a small bowl, combine coconut oil, ¼ cup water, carob, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and maple syrup. After the agar agar begins to gel, add the coconut milk mixture to the saucepan. Return to a boil, then remove from heat. Divide evenly among 4 ramekins (about 1/3 cup each). Refrigerate for 45 minutes, or until custard has set.
- Just prior to serving, press a cookie perpendicularly into each custard – it will stay upright in the dish for presentation.
My suggestion is to eat this the same day. The agar agar can get pretty tough on the next day.
Joan, this might be a place for you to use up your carob chips (melt them in with the coconut milk, in lieu of carob powder).
Well friends, it’s time to get my workout done then head off to school. Today is the start of our Ethnic Cuisine module (Day One: Mediterranean!) We’ll be working on Ethnic Cuisine until Thanksgiving, and then when we get back from that long holiday weekend, we have MIDTERMS! Time is flying by!
Have a fabulous day, blog buds! See you next time!
– Shari B. =)
