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what's the difference between a pie and a tart anyhow? why do I randomly keep coughing? wait, ignore that second one, I was just on a question roll...
anyway, it's our father's day dinner today and I wanted to make a yummy chocolate nut cake. The filling is the icing from Ani Phyo's chocolate walnut torte. At first when I mentioned this as a possible recipe, my mom vetoed it saying my dad couldn't eat avocados as they caused him to hallucinate. Then she told me about how they'd gone to their friends' place for dinner, my dad had downed two bowls of avocado soup and disappeared. They found him hours later (I don't quite understand the reason for such an excessive time lapse, but hey clearly my parents are very strange) lying on the porch, thinking he was dying. So I was going to make a different recipe instead. But then in speaking to my dad, I learned that he "eats avocados all the time!" Of course he does. So, game back on! Weirdos.
I've made Ani's recipe a number of times and my fave part is eating the leftover icing. But then I discovered I had been making it wrong this whole time! I figured cacao power was just ground up nibs. Not so! The cacao powder is what's left when the cacao butter is taken out, or something like that. So yesterday I bought actual powder and it's WAY different! I like them both equally in this recipe; the one with ground up nibs is more like a pudding, whereas the one with the powder is intensly icing-esque. For this tart recipe, I think I would actually do the ground up nibs version, I think it would fit nicer and be less intense. But I just made a lot of the powder version, so it's that that I'll be using.
shell
1/2c hazelnuts
1/2c almonds
1/2c walnuts
1c dates
1/3c+2tbsp cacao powder
1/4tsp sea salt
In a food processor, pulse nuts with the sea salt until small pieces. Careful not to overblend as it will then turn into nut butter. Which will also be delicious, but will change your recipe plan considerably...
When the nuts are in tiny pieces, add in the dates and cacao and mix together until slightly doughy consistency and well mixed.
In your tart pan - which I would recommend sprinkling first with finely ground nuts or shredded coconut to help it come out more easily - press with fingers to create a pie shell. Now, what I learned after my first attempt, is that you should not make the base too thin, otherwise when you lift it out, it will just fall apart. Put in fridge for a couple of hours - will help it hold together more.
Fill almost to the top with Ani Phyo's icing. It's a bit sticky, so you might need to use your fingers to smooth it in.
Icing
1/3c pitted Medjool dates
1/4c agave nectar
1/2c avocado
1/3c cacao powder
Blend the dates and agave in food processor until it forms a thick syrup. Add avocado and process until smooth. Add cacao powder and process until well mixed.
chop up a mango, toss with raspberries and spoon on top of the chocolate. You can use any mix of berries for this and don't need the mango. We're a mango obsessed family though, so I thought the combo would be nice.
Return to fridge till ready to serve!
I made tartlets, so I removed them from the pans first before filling them. I would dust the plate you're putting them on when crushed nuts or cacao powder as they do get stuck. If you're making in a bigger pan, you can just cut straight in the pan and serve slices out of it.
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