Raw Vegan Tamarillo and Vanilla Tarts

Yusss. Its that time of year again. Tamarillo time. First the feijoas make an appearance and then right behind them the tamarillos march in, all firm, tart, gorgeous and strange. 

They are pretty kooky. Bought here from South America in the late 1800s tamarillos flourished in our climate and have forged a place in the hearts and palates of lots of kiwi folks. They were called tree tomatoes till 1967 so that's where that little name comes from. That and the fact that they are also a member of the  solanaceae family- that's the tomato fam and they do look a bit like a tomato.  They are pretty polarising though. Love em or hate em. I love em.

And apparently, so does my darling, so I decided to make him these. Cos I miss him when he's not around :(

Okay, so these take a bit of faffing around but they are really pretty and worth it. 

Whats in them?   

Base

• 1 cup of dehydrated tamarillo ( you can use dried dates instead- the tamarillos are quite strong in the base)
• 3/4 cup of hazelnuts or almonds
• 1/4 cup of coconut  

 

Vanilla filling

• 1 cup of cashews soaked for an hour
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablesoons of vanilla paste

 

Tamarillo top

• 6 tamarillos
• squeeze of lemon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 peeled and sliced for topping 

How do you do it?

Base





• Peel and cut up about 8 tamarillo and dehydrate on 43 overnight.
• Add nuts and coconut to processor and process until fine
• Add dehydrated tamarillo ( or dates) to nuts in food processor and process until like a crumbly dough
• Press into silicon muffin trays and put into freezer to set

Vanilla Cream 

• Add soaked cashews to high speed blender with the coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon. Blend until smooth and creamy.
• Pour onto bases and put back into freezer.

Tamarillo topping

• Add chopped up tamarillos, lemon juice and maple syrup into blender and blend till smooth.
• Put blended tamarillo into a nut milk bag or muslim and squeeze through into a jug.
• Pour onto the vanilla cream and top with a slice of tamarillo.
• Put back into freezer to set.

These are best served with some coconut icecream or yoghurt.

 

So now I'm going to have one with a cup of tea and watch ET with my baby.

 

Enjoy!