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4

Oct

2007

Fennel & Cherry Tomato, Balsamic Crust Tart with Macadamia Cheese

Saved in:-   Main Courses,Raw Food Recipes,Starters


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From Issue 2 of News From The Kitchen

 

raw food recipe fennel tomato tart

Makes 8, 11cm tarts.

For the base

2 cups cashews
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water

- Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed, leaving some texture to the nuts.

- Press into plastic film lined individual tart cases so you have a thin crust. You will find that regularly dipping your fingers in a bowl of water helps with this.

- Place bases onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 2 hours. They should now be firm enough to remove from the tart cases so you can continue to dehydrate them for a further 6 hours.

 

For the tomatoes

3 cups cherry tomatoes on the vine
3 tablepsoons olive oil
2 tablespoons basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

- Slice the tomatoes and marinade in the olive oil and salt for at least an hour, or overnight.

- Transfer to a non-stick dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 1 hour.

 

For the macadamia cheese

1 cup macadamias
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons onion
1/2 teaspoon salt

- Process all ingredients in a food processor until fluffy.

 

For the fennel

1 cup fennel
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
2 tablespoons agave nectar

- Thinly slice fennel on a mandoline and marinade in remaining ingredients for at least an hour, or overnight.

- Transfer to Paraflexx sheet and dehydrate for 1 hour.

 

Assembly

- Arrange a layer of fennel in the bottom of the tart case. Top this with the tomatoes and crumbles of cheese.

 

 

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  • Beth

    brilliant! could i use the same marinating technique on onions to make a onion and “goat” cheese tart? this looks very yummy!

  • http://therawchef.com Russell James

    Hi Beth, yes you could. That’s what I did here

  • Lisa

    This looks delicious! As I’m the only person in my family who eats raw, and the base mixture is quite hard to reduce in quantity, I was wondering if it is possible to make a batch and freeze the bases til required? Thanks.

  • http://therawchef.com Russell James

    Hi Lisa,

    Yes that’s completely possible. You could also halve the base recipe, which should work to produce 4 tarts. But the great thing about the tart bases is that you can use them up by getting creative and fill them with whatever takes your fancy.

  • Dea

    I made these 2 weeks ago and impressed my very traditional Italian in laws. They were amazed by these tarts and did not quite believe me when I told them it was raw. I served them as an appetizer/first course they were perfect. Thank you! :) xo Dea

  • http://ceginyddaear.blogspot.com/ Emma

    Where can I get the tart moulds from that would go into a dehydrator? Thankyou***

  • http://therawchef.com Russell James

    Hi Emma, any tart case bought from a cookshop will work fine.

  • Sarah

    what kind of dehydrator do you use?I use the excaliber is it a big difference using a different dehydrator then any other brand?

  • http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/ Carmella

    Russell,
    I’ve made these a few times (sooooo delicious!) but have been having trouble with the crusts. They turn out VERY oily and don’t hold their shape when I turn them onto the mesh. Any suggestions?
    Thanks!

    Oh, and fabulous job, by the way. Your creations never fail to amaze me!

    From Russell: Thanks, Carmella. Try leaving them in the shells for longer than 2 hours, that should sort the issue with holding the shape when turning them out, that way they’ll be firmer.

    As for the oilyness, I would say that maybe you need to process the pine nuts for less time, as they may be giving off their oil and once they do that there’s no way of getting in back in – just pulse them in if you haven’t already.

  • http://cheferikjl.blogspot.com/ Chef Erik

    I used to do a lot of raw foods, never seen anything like this. Looks so great, you have quite a talent.

  • http://www.cranio-livingtherapies.com Sylvia

    I made it tonight and was delicious!
    I have to admit I’m not a great fan of fennel, but the texture of the thin slices with that marinate made the taste so delicate!
    Thank you for sharing your creativity with us!

  • http://www.KristensRaw.blogspot.com Kristen’s Raw

    Hhhmmmm…. those look divine :)

  • Lenna

    I made this for lunch today… It was amazing!!!!!! Even my 2 year old and my 3 year old loved it! It was rich eating it on it’s own. I think next time I will make it with a rice dish and some veggies. I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!

  • norma cross

    hi – i am about to make this fabulous recipe and wonder if it would be ok to make it as one big tart? i imagine it could be tricky to cut, and maybe take longer to dehydrate – have you done this?
    thanks!

  • Katie

    Are you for real? This came out so professional. I actually feel like a chef.. Thanks again, and again.

  • Leonie

    Hello Chef,I like dishes that look fancy,and are easy to fix like this one.We have monthly Potlucks with Chef Olive in Orlando,Fl.and now I can :”impress” !!

  • Linda

    Hi Russell, Thankyou, looks delicious!

  • Carolyn

    I am new to raw food living and love preparing this way. I saw the Stuffed Mushroom with the Pesto and couldn't wait to try it. This was the second pesto I made that has a bitter taste, almost too strong flavor. What is causing the pesto to taste this way.

  • pia

    it looks so great . What are italian seasoning we dont have that in denmark. Atleast i have never seen it. Thanks again for sharing iam gonna make this for easter family gadering.

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    Italian seasoning: http://bit.ly/dVTZkQ

  • Davis_tarad

    I love your recipes and use theme often.  Can you have a print friendly option with the recipes to allow us to print them?  Much thanks.
    Tara

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    I’ll see what I can do :)

  • Johnna1234

    Are “non stick” mini tart pans healthy/ok to use?I can not find metal pans without the non stick finish.
    Thank you for your wonderful recipes!!!

  • Shannon

    1) try reducing the garlic, raw garlic has a very strong/sharp taste, which personally I like in small doses and with at least a little salt
    2) do your basil leaves feel soft & pliable?  Unless you grow your own basil this is unlikely to be a problem but basil that has gone-to-bolt has tougher leave which I don’t like the taste of as well.
    3) pine nuts might be rancid, but I don’t think I’d describe that as bitter tasting

    Most likely it’s the the first one.

  • Shannon

    The two things I wish I noticed were:

    a) the Excalibur allows for creating a deeper area by removing trays, most dehydrators are made up of the trays so removing one just means you have one less, not a deeper area to use.  The usually area provided is quite thin, good for crackers not for stuffed mushrooms/peppers etc.

    b) the Excalibur has square trays which allow for easier spreading, flipping, cutting and creating longer/wider items

    Other than that I like my Nesco fine, but I think eventually I will just have to upgrade. 

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    Yes, non-stick are fine.

  • Kathy

    What a beautiful elegant meal idea. This is so perfect for summer , since I am cuurently with out a dehydrator , I make this filling and roll ii in red lettuce leaves to make wraps . I know …I know …no where near as nice as your idea but this will work for me and I think it will be lovely , Thank you so much for sharing this recipe , I am beyond excited at the idea of the “cheese” :)  

  • Cathy

    Hi, this looks great. Would like to know if you soak the nuts before using them? And, do you remove the plastic wrap as well when you remove from the tart crust dishes? Thanks, looking forward to making them.

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    No need to soak the nuts for the tart cases.  Yes, remove the plastic wrap.

  • Carol_k

    Hi there. Can I make the crust a day ahead? And if yes how would I store it?
    Thanks, can’t wait to try it.

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    Hi Carol,

    Yes, you can definitely make the crust a day ahead.

    Just store in a sealed container in the fridge.