Creamy Honey & Vanilla Tarts with Chocolate Nut Base and Berries
Recipe by: Kelly Gibney
Serves 4
These lush, creamy tarts are an absolutely gorgeous dessert. Top with your favorite fresh berries or other seasonal fruit. Tart cases can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Ideally you’ll fill and top your tarts no more than an hour before serving.
Ingredients
Chocolate Nut Base
- ¾ cup dried dates
- 80g Pili natural nuts (can use cashew or macadamia nuts also
- ¼ cup cocoa
- ¾ cup coconut
- ½ cup almond meal
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of Taylor Pass Native Flower Honey
Filling
- 500g mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup cream
- 2 tablespoons of Taylor Pass Native Flower honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Topping
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries
- Additional Taylor Pass Native Flower honey for drizzling
- Additional roughly chopped Pili nuts for topping
Instructions
Base:
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
- Place the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes, then draining well.
- Place the nuts, cocoa, coconut, almond meal, chia seeds and salt into a food processor. Run the machine until the mix is the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Add the dates and honey. Blitz until the texture is roughly even in consistency and the dough sticks together when pressed between 2 fingers.
- Grease 4 x 10cm flan dishes with removable bases.
- Divide the crust dough into 4 portions and press evenly and firmly into each tin. Spend a little time doing this. It will make a difference to the end result. You may not need all the dough. Tidy the edges with a knife and prick the base a few times with a fork.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Watch carefully and do not let it burn. Leave to cool completely and then remove from tin.
Filling and topping:
- Place the mascarpone, cream and honey in a bowl and use electric beaters to whip together for a minute or so. Add vanilla and quickly beat to combine.
- Spoon the filling into the tart cases. Top with berries.
- Drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle with chopped nuts just before serving.
