In a season of indulgence, delicious treats that also nourish the body are a welcome surprise

3 amazing recipes + 5 more desserts that only taste decadent

By Elyse Glickman

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, we gift each other delights of exceptional taste, specifically cookies, cakes, pies and candy. Consequently, we also may give (and receive!) ancillary gifts we’d prefer to avoid—extra pounds, sugar imbalance and food sensitivity reactions.

Chefs with a vegetarian, vegan and sensitive-eater clientele have endeavored to solve this dilemma by developing desserts that reconcile a collective craving for comfort, sweetness and flavor with the realities of everyday eating. They accomplish this either by adapting classic recipes or creating new delights.

Eric Lechasseur of SEED Kitchen, Venice Beach and pastry chef Serafina Magnussen of West Hollywood’s Crossroads both approached the art of vegan dessert-making from personal necessity—for him, reactions to the classic French ingredients of eggs, butter and cream; for her, gluten sensitivity. Both employ what Magnussen calls a “mad scientist” perspective—experimenting with different ingredients to achieve flavor and texture that will appeal to all palates.

“[Taking] away butter, eggs and cream is challenging,” Magnussen acknowledges. “However, the most satisfying part is making desserts that make those eating them not feel like they’re missing anything.”

The process demands they do their homework on substitutions. For example, Magnussen found that whole spelt flour has high nutritional value and a sweet, naturally nutty taste. And coconut milk, they discovered, adds richness and body to a recipe, especially in something like a mousse. Magnussen adds that she purposely portions everything small, the idea being that it’s more fun to have an assortment of little bites, rather than overindulge in large servings.

Encino-based Fond of Cakes owner Jennifer G started creating gluten-free and healthier desserts for her husband with gluten sensitivity. “On many occasions, I’ve served all of my guests gluten-free cakes, and they have been widely accepted as regular baked goods. They don’t taste like they are (made with) modified ingredients,” notes the chef. “What it all boils down to is that when we eat whole, real foods, we become satisfied faster.”

Two-time James Beard Foundation “Rising Star Chef’ nominee Matthew Kenney explains he uses the flavor of a beloved traditional dessert as a starting point rather than try to replicate a traditional dessert with vegetarian or vegan ingredients.

“One of the beauties of raw food is that correctly prepared desserts involve no compromise in flavor and texture,” explains Kenney, who founded Santa Monica food-prep school M.A.K.E. “While some recipes won’t translate, ganache, crusts, fillings and ice creams made with raw/vegan ingredients are super-rich.  We do a pumpkin tart for the holidays with a filling made from cashews, carrot juice, fresh pumpkin, spices, maple, coconut ‘butter’ and agave. It tastes like a chilled pumpkin pie, and the flavor is not diluted with egg or dairy.”

Kenney doesn’t always announce that a dessert is raw or vegan. “[My approach] is more about enjoying food all of the time rather than experiencing deprivation some of the time,” he says.

M Café chef Lee Gross agrees that successful desserts starts with identifying the textures, flavors and mouth-feel people associate with holiday season desserts before swapping out the traditional ingredients for healthier ones. And Morgan Simons, founder of Pi Bake Shop in Studio City, adds that using seasonal produce is just as important in sweet recipes as it is in savories. “When food is consumed seasonally, it’s better,” she assures. “If you use fruits that are flavorful, sweet and ripe, you don’t need to use additional ingredients like sugar, fats and so on, and you end up with a product that is delicious no matter what.”

Pumpkin Pie with Thyme

Matthew Kenney, M.A.K.E.

Crust

2¼ c pecans, soaked overnight and dehydrated* at 118° for 24 hours
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp date paste
1 pinch sea salt

Place prepared pecans in food processor and pulse into small crumbs. Mix pecans and all remaining ingredients together well by hand. Press into plastic-lined 9-inch tart pan to desired thickness. Dehydrate 48 hours.

Chill crust in freezer for 15–30 minutes before filling.

(If not using all the crust mixture, store extra in containers in the freezer.)

Filling

½ c cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
½ c maple syrup
¼ c agave
½ c coconut oil
½ cup and 2 tbsp carrot juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
¼ vanilla bean, scraped
1½ tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp nutmeg
½ tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Blend all ingredients except thyme in the blender until very smooth. Stir in thyme. Fill candied tart crust and chill in freezer overnight.

Remove pie from tart pan, cut into 12 even slices, and wrap the entire pie in plastic wrap.

*If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can set the oven on the lowest setting and prop open the oven door open to create the same results (in raw food prep, nothing is heated above 115°)

Pomegranate Granita

Ariane Resnik, Ariane Cooks Catering

32 oz pomegranate juice  (preferably fresh; bottled is okay, but not a blend)
⅔ c coconut sugar

In a small pot, boil down pomegranate juice with coconut sugar over medium heat until volume is reduced by 1/3.  Let cool completely. Pour mixture into a baking dish and place in freezer. Fluff/stir with a fork once an hour for several hours, until mixture has progressed from slush to a firm, chunky iced texture.

To serve: Scoop into festive glasses, layering with fresh pomegranate seeds (optional). Garnish with a twist and slice of clementine.

Chocolate Date Nut Truffles

Chef Instructor Jessica Hilton, New School of Cooking

1 c walnuts

1 c dates, pitted

¾ c cocoa, divided

¼ c shredded coconut (optional)

Combines dates with just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes until dates are soft. Strain the dates, reserving the liquid.

Chop walnuts in a food processor to a flour-like consistency.

In a large bowl, combine dates and nuts, and coconut if using. Add about ½ cup cocoa and stir until you have a stiff paste. Add reserved date liquid, if needed to adjust consistency.

Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop balls of dough and drop into reserved bowl of cocoa. Roll to coat in the cocoa and refrigerate until firm.

For 5 more recipes, including:

* Classic (Vegan) Baked Tofu Cheesecake

* Raw Apple Pie

* Vegan Cranberry Hibiscus Crumble

*Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Raw Chocolate Chips

* Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

… and simple Basic Pie Dough, as well as where to buy these dreamy delights, please go here. You can also discover secret ingredients for raw food prep

❋ If you enjoy preparing delicious desserts, you may also enjoy . . . ❋

~ Fabulous Filipino Coconut Desserts

~ Bike Messenger Brownies

~ Gluten-free Chocolate Brownies

~ What Do I Do with This? Cooking with Strange Produce

Share:

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin

Pinterest

StumbleUpon