raspberry coconut tartelettes; dairy, gluten & grain-free

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I've noticed a lot of talk about fall here on the food blogosphere.  In my last post, I even threw out words foretelling the end of summer and the imminent need for woolen sweaters.  It turns out we're all a little ahead of ourselves on this fall thing.  My sunglasses are still getting daily use here in Seattle, and although the nights have been sweater-worthy, the sun hasn't given up yet, and our days have been pleasantly warm.

Yesterday, I went to the Captiol Hill Farmer's Market, and the booths were still filled with summery things like tomatoes, broccolini (just wait until you see what I made with that), and berries.  Nothing says summer like the delicate vibrance of berries.  The harsh chills of winter simply cannot support the dainty frailness of summer's tiny fruits.  

When the berries are gone, then I'll believe that winter is finally on its way.

I have to be honest, raspberries are not my favorite berry.  Too tart at times, too many seeds persisting with their stronghold inside my teeth at others, and not as readily available on the streets of my city as their pervasive cousin, the blackberry.  Raspberries seldom make their way into my shopping basket and into my recipes.

But when I thought up this recipe, the raspberry was my first and only consideration.  Hello, little berry.  Welcome to my kitchen.

These little tartelettes begin with a gluten and grain-free crust, molded from ground nuts, coconut oil and honey.  Once baked and cooled, they're filled with a slightly sweet whipped coconut cream where the raspberries were then nestled in for a sweet/tart tease of taste and color.

My sweetheart and I have wolfed down half the batch since this morning.  And as a self-proclaimed hater of both coconut and raspberries, her praise is far more than just the obligatory compliment of a supportive partner.  She's not the false flattery type.  She is, however, the type to maintain fierce loyalty to her love/hate relationships with foods like raspberries.  I secretly (well, not so much a secret now) love to instigate these little battles between her thoughts and her taste buds, which bring out statements along the lines of These are sooo good, and I hate coconut.  She's not particularly pleased with my antics.

One of the great things about this recipe is the ease to change it, depending on the season or what you have in your pantry.  Swap out whatever nuts and/or seeds you like, and top them with the berries that are in season, or try out another fruit altogether.  These can readily become vegan by subbing agave, maple, or another liquid sweetener for the honey.  Keep in mind, though, that different sweeteners may affect the overall sweetness level of the dessert.  

Enjoy, friends.  And enjoy your last bit of summer, too.

Raspberry Coconut Tartelettes

makes 12

crust based on this recipe by Sarah Britton

gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free

1 C. almonds, pulsed into meal

3/4 C. pecans, pulsed into meal

1/4 C. ground flax seed meal

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. coconut flour

3 T. honey

2 tsp. coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan

1 15 oz. can coconut cream (about 1 1/2 C. of cream), chilled for 2-3 hours

1 T. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the crusts:

• Brush 12 cup muffin tin with melted coconut oil and set aside.

• Add almond meal, pecan meal, flax meal, salt, coconut flour, honey and coconut oil to food processor and pulse into a coarse dough that holds together when pressed.  Scrape dough into a bowl and press into a ball.

• Divide the dough equally among the 12 muffin cups and press each firmly onto bottom and up sides of the muffin cups.  The dough should reach about half way up each cup.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake the crusts until golden and firm, about 6-8 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, because they will over-brown very quickly.

• Cool completely before gently running a knife along the edges of each cup to remove from pan.  

             **Can be made one day ahead and stored in an airtight container.

For the cream:

• Empty the can of chilled coconut cream into a large mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer or a whisk, until smooth and fluffy, about a minute.

• Add brown sugar and vanilla, and beat for another 30 seconds to a minute to combine.  Use immediately or refrigerate until needed (the sooner the better).

For assembly:

• Fill a pastry bag or a plastic bag with one corner cut off with coconut cream.  Pipe cream into tart shells in a circular design, and garnish with a few fresh raspberries.

• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

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