sweet miscellany

It’s funny how sometimes the simplest things in life are the most enjoyable. I get excited over a perfectly ripe peach or strawberry (or really, any fruit). I also get excited about sweet treats that are not only delicious, but easy to make and pleasing to the eye. These little mendiants fit all of the criteria.

In case you don’t know the back-story of mendiants, they are a traditional French chocolate confection, simply composed of a disc of chocolate topped with nuts or dried fruit. Traditionally, they were topped with nuts and dried fruits representative of the four monastic (mendicant) orders, but mine are not so traditional. I simply combined some flavors I love, and voila! A perfect little treat for you to enjoy or share. Since these are really quick and easy to make (plus gluten free and vegan), you could whip some up for the Easter weekend in less than 30 minutes. The recipe below is for the two types I made (toasted almond with smoked fleur de sel, and toasted coconut with goji berries), but feel free to use whatever you have and like!

Dark Chocolate Mendiants – 2 Ways
notes: I used a 3 oz bar of vegan friendly dark (73%) chocolate and it made 15 mendiants (2-inch each in size)

3 oz bar of dark chocolate (make sure it is vegan friendly if you are making it vegan)
2 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
smoked sea salt
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
tbsp dried goji berries
about 1/4 tsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral tasting oil)

parchment or silpat for pan

In a double boiler, or a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water, slowly melt your chocolate. Once it is smooth and melted, add the oil and stir it in. The oil will help keep the chocolate shiny once it hardens. Remove the chocolate from the double boiler and set it aside while you prep your work area. Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Using a spoon, carefully spoon and shape the chocolate into circular wafer shapes. I was able to get about 15 and mine were about 2 inches in diameter.

For the almond & smoked fleur de sel mendiants – I carefully placed the almonds down, then topped with a sprinkling of the smoked fleur de sel. If you want to get fancy, you can try to arrange the almonds in a pretty design.

For the toasted coconut & goji berry mendiants – I placed a few toasted coconut flakes down and then a few goji berries.

Once you have all of your mendiants decorated, place them in the fridge to set up for a couple of hours, and then enjoy!

I was so ready for spring produce after a fall and winter full of root veggies, apples, and citrus. Strawberries are slowly starting to trickle into our markets here, but for some reason, there is still an abundance of blood oranges and other citrus. Instead of buying early season, somewhat over-priced strawberries, I decided to get some blood oranges. I’m glad I did because they inspired this delicious little dessert.

These tarts have a few flavors and textures going on. The crust is nutty and buttery while the coconut cream is light and sweet in constrast to the bright, tart slice of juicy blood orange. And, in addition to the wonderful flavors and textures going on, these are gluten free, grain free, vegan, and refined sugar free! So, enjoy these little cuties without any guilt, even if you eat 2 as your breakfast…

Mini Blood Orange Tarts with Coconut Cream
notes: make sure your coconut milk is full fat (not lite) and chill it overnight or for at least 6 hours. Also, I use un-bleached cupcake/muffin liners which release from the tart shells quite easily.

2 cups almond meal/flour
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup (or agave)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 can of full fat coconut milk, chilled
splash of maple syrup
pinch of fine grain sea salt

2 small blood oranges, peel & pith removed, sliced into about 1/4″ rounds

Make the tart shells: Preheat your oven to 350F. In a bowl, mix together the almond meal and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, syrup, and vanilla until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough comes together. It should come together into a ball and stick together. Line a standard muffin tin with 6 liners and then divide the dough evenly between each. Using your fingers, press the dough in the liners to create your tart shells. Bake them for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden. Let them cool completely before using.

Make the coconut cream: Put your chilled coconut milk (it should be very thick) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also do this with a hand mixer fitted with the beater attachments). Beat the coconut milk on medium-high until it just starts to gain volume and thicken. Stop the mixer and add the maple syrup and salt. Start the mixer again on medium-high and beat until the coconut milk has more than doubled in volume and medium peaks form (it should be somewhere between a soft peak and a stiff peak). Use the mixture immediately or chill until ready to use.

Assemble your mini tarts: Remove the wrappers from the tart shells. Place a large dollop of the coconut cream in the shell, and then top with a slice or two or blood orange. If you want to get a bit fancier, you could layer the coconut cream and slice of blood orange twice to give the dessert a bit of height. Makes 6 mini tarts. Enjoy!