Vegan Strawberry Vanilla Custard Tart

Every year I cross my fingers and hope there are local strawberries for my birthday, which usually falls on Memorial Day weekend. So when the strawberries showed up at the Greenmarket right on time this year, I wanted to make something super special. I turned to a recipe that I have had dog-eared for over a year - Amy Chaplin's Strawberry Vanilla  Custard Tart from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen.

I haven't made a ton of creamy vegan tarts like this one, and it was a super fun little project that made good use of the first gorgeous local berries. The oat, barley, and spelt crust comes together quickly in a food processor and is patted in the pan, then while the crust cools, the filling is briefly cooked on the stovetop before being chilled and topped with a big 'ol pile of  fresh strawberries - it's a perfect Springy treat. In the photo from the book, Amy's tart is covered with the tiniest  tristar strawberries. Tristars are my absolute favorite too, but they don't show up at the market until later in the summer here in NY. This doesn't really need to be said, but use the tastiest, cutest berries you can find here.

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EVENT ALERT! I'll be at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday, June 18th with the folks from Food Book Fair, signing copies of Sweeter off the Vine and handing out treat samples. Come say hi!

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Vegan Strawberry Vanilla Custard Tart

from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen by Amy Chaplin

makes one 8 or 9-inch tart

This tart was originally made with a glaze that the strawberries are tossed in before arranging them on the tart, but I skipped it in favor of sliced strawberries tossed with the tiniest bit of honey. Also, Amy suggests using a high speed blender to mix the filling, but I used my food processor which worked fine. I just made sure to soak the nuts the full 6 hours and gave them a good long mix to ensure the mixture was as smooth as possible. I also used honey from my friends at Old Blue Raw Honey instead of the maple and brown rice syrups the recipe originally called for, which I know isn't strictly vegan so choose your own adventure there.

Crust

3/4 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons barley flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup spelt flour

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup (I used honey)

Filling

3/4 cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked 2-6 hours in 2 cups water

1 vanilla bean, split

1/4 cup brown rice syrup (I used 3 tablespoons honey)

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (I used 2 tablespoons honey)

2 teaspoons agar flakes

pinch sea salt

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

Topping

2 pints strawberries, washed, sliced, and lightly sweetened

Make the Crust

Preheat oven to 350ºF and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of an 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the sides.

Add the oats, barley flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor; blend until the oats are ground. Mix the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla together. Pulse in the spelt flour and salt, then with the processor running, drizzle in the coconut oil mixture and mix until the flour is moistened.

Press the crust onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pan, about 1 1/4-inches up the sides.

Bake the crust for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside while you make the filling.

Make the Filling

Drain macadamias and place in a blender along with the 2 cups water. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes.

Add the macadamia milk to a medium saucepan along with the vanilla bean seeds, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agar, and salt. Whisk until the mixture comes to a simmer. Then loosely cover and simmer for 15 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes or so.

In a small bowl combine the arrowroot with 2 teaspoons of water then whisk it into the simmering custard. Remove the mixture from the heat then let it cool for 10 minutes. Whisk to smooth, then pour into the prepared crust. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes on the counter (until it stops steaming), then chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Just before serving unmold the tart then top it with a pile of lightly sweetened, sliced strawberries. Enjoy immediately. 

Powdered Cake Doughnuts

I am back in New York after a fun few weeks on the road, catching up on things, including my vegetable consumption that I may have let slip a little bit while I was traveling....but that doesn't mean that I can't talk doughnuts with you today. Specifically, perfectly tender-crumbed, excessively powdered cake doughnuts like these guys.

Doughnuts are one of those treats that really are 1 million times better when they are warm and fresh, and the best way to make that happen is to pull out your biggest pot, a quart of oil, and get to work at home. Most cake doughnuts some together just like cookie dough (this one is even simpler than cookie dough!), and once you get over the fear of frying, they are super easy to make. These doughnuts (by way of  Stella Parks, who you may know as the Brave Tart)  are gloriously powdered, made with the legendary Hostess Donette in mind, and they do not disappoint.

I took most of this batch to a picnic where everyone was happily covered in powdered sugar by the end of the afternoon, and ate a couple hunched over the sink – which is a move I usually reserve for one of summer's perfect peaches, juices dripping down my arm. I highly suggest either :)

I'll be back soon with more summer book event announcements, and lots of rhubarb things as soon as I get some film for my camera. Have a nice holiday weekend, US friends!

STELLA PARKS' POWDERED DOUGHNUTS

makes about 1 dozen doughnuts and holes

very, very slightly adapted from Serious Eats

Stella originally made these as little bitty donettes, like the ones from the convenience store, but I went with more traditional sized doughnuts and holes. Also, she recommends frying in coconut oil for a lot of great reasons, but I couldn’t find refined coconut oil at my local market (and didn’t want to wait to order it online!) so I fried my doughnuts in coconut oil. Visit the original post on Serious Eats for lots more in depth info about this recipe and some troubleshooting tips from Stella!

3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup/100g)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tablespoons/30g), melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

4 ounces plain, unsweetened nonfat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup/110g), at room

temperature

6 1/2 ounces low-protein, all-purpose flour (scant 1 1/4 cup/185g)

Refined coconut oil, enough to reach a 2-inch depth; about 32 ounces (1L) in an 8-inch pot (I couldn’t find refined coconut oil, so I used peanut oil)

4 ounces powdered sugar (1 cup/115g)

Whisk the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, stir the melted butter, vanilla, egg yolks, and yogurt (or sour cream) together. Add the flour mixture and stir to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough until it is easy to handle, add as much flour as necessary to the dough during this process.

Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thick and use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour. Use a doughnut cutter to cut as many doughnuts and holes as possible. Gather the scraps and cut another round of doughnuts and holes.

Melt the coconut oil in a microwave then pour into an 8-10-inch stainless steel pot to a depth of at least 2-inches. Heat the oil to 365ºF over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and put the powdered sugar in a fine mesh sieve.

Fry the doughnuts, being careful to not crowd the pan, for about 45 seconds on each side or until deep golden and cooked through. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Enjoy warm if possible! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for about a day.