Persimmon & Ginger Tart
Until a few years ago, I had never tried a persimmon. I grew up in Maine, where anything but local produce can be hard to find, and in the winter time, it can be hard to find any produce at all. Needless to say, I had long since moved to California when I got my first taste of these little beauties. Native to China, they were introduced in California sometime in the middle of the 19th Century, and Americans have been hooked ever since. They have a delicate flavor, sweet with a little tang, and are great in baked goods or sliced with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. I've seen loads of persimmon based muffins, cookies, crumbles, and cakes lately, so I decided to make my own version: a buttery, flaky gluten-free crust (yes it CAN be done!) under a rich, gingery cheesecake middle, topped with sugared persimmon slices and finished with a sweet smattering of coconut whip. This dessert is low sugar, so pretty guilt-free, and a crowd-pleaser- we shared with our friends and it was gone in one night! It would make a great Thanksgiving dessert and takes about an hour to throw together. We hope the friends at your table love it as much as ours! Let's eat.
INGREDIENTS:
Buttery Crust: 2 cups gluten-free flour blend (we used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking flour) 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum (only if your flour blend doesn't include any, and even then- optional) 1/8 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup vegan butter 9-12 tablespoons ice cold water Ginger Cashew Cream: 2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, or about a 1-inch chunk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Persimmon Topping: 4 persimmons, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger Coconut Whip: 1 can full fat coconut milk 3-6 tablespoons powdered sugar 1-2 teaspoons vanilla INSTRUCTIONS: Buttery Crust: 1. To prepare the buttery crust, mix flour, xantham if using, and salt in a large bowl, then cut in butter using a fork or pastry butter until crumbs form. Drizzle tablespoons of ice cold water one at a time over the mixture, using a wooden spoon to stir and work the liquid in until a dough begins to form. Add water until dough is moist enough to form a ball but not too sticky to knead. Add more flour, a little at a time, if needed. Once dough is prepared, roll out to about 1/4 thickness and press into your 11-inch tart pan, being sure to line the edges as evenly as possible. I use the back of a wooden spoon to press the dough evenly into the tart pan. Once finished, place in fridge to chill while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Ginger Cashew Cream: 2. In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine soaked and drained cashews, water, maple syrup, ginger, vanilla and nutmeg and blend on high for about 1 minute, until mixture is completely creamy and smooth. Pour the mixture into your prepared crust and set aside. Persimmon Topping: 3. Wash and thinly slice the persimmons, discarding the ends. Toss persimmons in sugar and ground ginger mixture, then arrange them around the tart, starting on the outside and working your way in, overlapping the persimmon slices slightly. Bake the tart, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove, let cool, and serve with coconut whip. Coconut Whip: 4. Refrigerate coconut milk overnight, being careful not to shake or jostle cans. Once you're ready to make the whip, gently open the can and use a spoon to remove the thick white layer of coconut from the top half of the can, leaving the clearish liquid left at the bottom. Put the thick white cream into a mixing bowl with the sugar and vanilla. Mix with hand beaters until mixture is smooth, creamy, and whipped up. Serve a dollop with each slice of tart! Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days, re-fluffing with beaters as necessary. 5. To serve, slice tart into pie-slices, then top with coconut whip and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Save leftovers, covered in the fridge, for up to a week. Enjoy! 
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Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Maple Vanilla Icing
Prepare yourselves: the weathers getting cooler and it's about to get all kinds of pumpkin up in here. After walking the aisles of Trader Joe's last week and seeing pumpkin-themed snacks EVERYWHERE, I was inspired. Last year at this time I was so sick of pumpkin. I'm not even sure we posted one pumpkin recipe on this site last fall. Lame, right?
This year, lucky (or maybe unlucky?) for you, I've jumped back on the pumpkin bandwagon. HARD. The next couple of weeks will be filled with pumpkin treats both sweet and savory...but mostly sweet. I promise not to overdo it. And I promise you will find at least one pumpkin goodie to love. In fact, we're calling it 'GREAT PUMPKIN WEEK' here this week. Use the handy pumpkin on the homepage sidebar to explore ALL of our pumpkin-filled recipes! Now, let's BAKE!
INGREDIENTS:
Spiced Pumpkin Bread 1- 15 oz. can pumpkin purée (about 1.5 cups) 1/3 cup softened coconut oil 1/2 cup organic sugar 1/2 cup non-dairy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 2 cups whole wheat OR gluten-free flour blend 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground ginger Maple Vanilla Icing 1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 - 1/3 cup water DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, sugar, milk, vanilla, & vinegar. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. While you wait, grab a second mixing bowl & combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Once the wet ingredients are ready (slightly bubbly), slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Once the two are completely combined and a batter has formed, add the pumpkin purée. Stir to combine. Pour batter into a greased, lined or non-stick loaf pan. [We used a non-stick pan with a little parchment paper, for easy removal.] Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. Bread is finished when a toothpick comes clean. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. While bread cools, whip us icing by combining soaked cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, and water in a food processor or high speed blender. Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with a corner cut off with icing mixture and pipe icing over cooled loaf. Loaf lasts well on the counter or in the fridge for about a week, or can be frozen indefinitely. Enjoy!
Creamy Tomato Soup
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