As you may know, raw food first became a passion of mine when I worked as the pastry chef for Matthew Kenney in Oklahoma City many years ago. I fell in love with raw food at a young age because of how it made me feel. To this day – raw food makes me feel more alive than I could ever begin to explain.

Above the way it makes me feel, I love the way it takes people by surprise. When you talk about the concept of raw food with someone, they immediately imagine someone munching on raw carrots as if they were a rabbit – which is FAR from reality. Raw food is rich in flavor, unbelievably filling, and limitless.

Raw pastries and desserts happen to be my specialty, but they also happen to be my favorite way to introduce someone to a new way of eating. If you can prove to someone that his or her sweet tooth can be satisfied by eating a “RAW” dessert, you will sell them on a whole new world they had no idea existed. No one is going to pass up an offer for a free dessert - so, let them try it, love it, and then tell them it is made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. In my experience, you may see some jaws drop.

This recipe happens to be one of my sister’s favorites. We love it because you can eat it for breakfast and not feel bad about it :)

Please note: The original recipe was meant to be dehydrated. I have changed it slightly so it doesn’t have to be – however, if you happen to have a dehydrator sitting around – I recommend using it on this!

Photos by Alice Fall

RECIPE

Recipe makes one 9inch tart or 11 mini 3inch tarts.

Crust Ingredients:

· 3 C cashew flour (3 cups of cashews blended into flour, or sub for almond meal)

· 1/4 C honey

· 3T coconut oil, melted

· Pinch sea salt

Filling Ingredients:

· 2 C frozen or fresh raspberries, muddled

· 2T honey

· 1T lemon juice

· ½ t vanilla

· Pinch sea salt

Topping Ingredients:

· 1 C pecans, diced

· 1 C pistachios, crushed

· ½ C coconut sugar

· Pinch of cinnamon, optional

Crust Directions:

1. If you are making your own cashew flour, you will need to blend about 1/2 cup of cashews at a time. If you blend more than 1/2 cup at a time it will turn into cashew butter instead of flour. So, you'll blend 1/2 cup on high until all of the cashews are ground into powder, which is a matter of seconds. You'll dump it into a bowl and then add another 1/2 cup, until you reach a total of 3 cups. (If you prefer to not make your own cashew flour, you can buy almond meal at the store and use that instead; it just won't be exactly the same.)

2. Once you have your cashew flour in a mixing bowl, add all of the remaining crust ingredients into the bowl and combine until you have a thick cookie-like dough. You will probably have to use your hands to make it stick together.

3. Using a tart or cheesecake pan, firmly press the crust down into the pan, making it as even as possible. Then set it aside.

Filling Directions:

1. Place all of your filling ingredients into a mixing bowl. Simply smash the raspberries with your hands (I prefer to wear gloves). It should seem like a jam or jelly by the end of it, but I do like to keep it chunky and thick so don’t mash them too much!

2. Pour, or spoon, your filling onto the crust. Spread it out evenly and set aside.

Topping Directions:

1. If your pecans and pistachios aren’t already chopped, use a food processor to do so. If you don’t have one, try placing them in a zip lock bag and smashing them with your hands.

2. Sprinkle the coconut sugar on top of the raspberry filling.

3. Then sprinkle on your chopped nuts.

4. Place in the freezer to set, or serve immediately. However, I prefer mine to firm up before serving.

Enjoy!

Xo

Emma