Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Raspberries and chocolate, a dreamy combination of sweet and tart. My family is down to the last few raspberries from our trip to Krause Berry Farms so I took the opportunity to incorporate them into some kind of chocolate dessert. This recipe is a no bake, super easy, and uses minimal equipment. It's a tart that looks extravagant enough to bring to a dinner party. No one has to know it is vegan and can also raw!

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

I managed to put this tart together in one hour, the pressing in of the crust taking most of that time. It sat in my fridge while my mom took us grocery shopping for our upcoming 'glamping' (glamorous camping) trip. By the time we returned home with an entire cooler of food for the barbeque, I was hungry and ready for a sweet snack. So hungry that I forgot to sift icing sugar over the tart to make it prettier. All that was on my mind was "photograph then eat". Oops~ Natural animal instincts, okay?

The vegan mousse is quite impressive. If made with a stronger machine like a Vitamix, the texture could become a lot smoother. My 'antique' food processor did an okay job but I could still feel a few clumps of mac nuts. I was so surprised as to how airy and light the mousse is! Looks like real mousse and feels like it. It's amazing what nuts can turn into whether it be a custard for Nanaimo Bars or a crust for a Banana Cream Pie, nuts are a healthy and satisfying alternative to highly processed store-bought food with zero nutrition and who-knows-what in it. Plus, it's been loving made with your own hands and effort~

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Next time I make a this tart, I'll have to either make the sides shorter or double the mousse filling. The final product will look more 'normal' and less like a boat (as my mom described it as). But aesthetics aside, this is absolutely delicious. I couldn't stop eating after one slice and helped myself to another. The chewy and naturally sweet crust is just as good eaten alone. This wetter version of the crust used in my Nanaimo Bars holds its shape a lot better and doesn't crumble at all. I can imagine it working beautifully in mini individual tarts.

The overall tart is very lightly sweet with no refined sugars whatsoever. Most Asians prefer less-sweet desserts so this tart suits those with that preference. As for myself, I would probably add a tad bit more honey and cocoa into the mousse to give the dessert a more robust flavour. I mean, if you're going to eat dessert it might as well be one that truly satisfies your craving for glucose. 

When in a rush and need a delicious and nutritious dessert, try making this Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Tart! It won't disappoint any taste buds ;)

Click below for the recipe

Peach Mini Galettes and Hand Pies

With one recipe of my Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust and a ripe peach, I set off to create these mini pastries. 

Painting egg wash on pastry to give it shine

The Basic Peach Filling is naturally sweetened with honey making it a very healthy option to fill pastries. The combination of honey and cinnamon is absolutely divine; I couldn't stop sniffing this mixture as I was mixing it together.

Peach mini Galettes and Hand Pies

I was blown away when I took a bite of these tarts. To begin, the crust is so flaky and crisp. Go read my Vegan Pie Crust recipe and try making pie crust with a food processor, it's the fastest and most fail-proof way to make a perfect pie crust. First, I took a bite of the Peach Ricotta Mini Galette. The creamy cheese and fresh peach tasted indulgent. My mom said this variation was most impressive. Second was the Peach Melba (peach + raspberry). This variation is most tart tasting because raspberries are naturally sour. Presentation-wise Peach Melba looks the most appealing; the bright red and yellow are eye catching. For even prettier presentation, add a sprig of mint! Peach Melba would be best when you're craving a really vibrant flavoured dessert or snack. Surprisingly, my favourite of the three flavour variations is the Peach Basil filling. Although it's a common combination seen on the internet, I was a bit skeptical as to how good it could taste. But it was love at first bite. Both flavours clearly fuse together; it wasn't as simple as mixing peach + basil. It's a refreshing burst of fresh flavour and totally unexpected. Fruit and basil is a must-try pairing!

Making Peach Ricotta Mini Galette

These adorable little rustic pastries would be perfect to bring to parties or give away as gifts! They have the the look, smell, and taste needed to impress other peoples' palates. It's also a great way to incorporate summer peaches while they are still in season. I'll will be making many more of these mini pies in the future! Savoury fillings would work beautifully as well, butternut squash or mushrooms in the autumn...yum~

Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust

Wow, I really seem to be venturing into Peanut Crumpet's land of veganism. Not because I am a vegan, but simply because Coconut Crumpet enjoys the wholesomeness of vegan recipes~ I still have a lot to learn from Peanut Crumpet; she has some awesome possum recipes. Be sure to check them out in our collection of recipes!

Poor Coconut Crumpet has been admiring the summer sunshine...from indoors. After spending all day in the house, I had the sudden urge at 8pm to make pie and started Goggling recipes for inspiration. My experiences with pie crust haven't been so pleasant. Even when I follow a recipe exactly, making sure the butter is cold and cutting it in with a pastry blender, there is always something that isn't quite right. Whether it be a really hard end product, too greasy, or shrinkage, my pie-making skills are far from stellar.

Since I have already pulled out my museum-artifact of a food processor to make my family-pleasing Vegan Nutty Nanaimo Bars (YOU MUST MAKE THESE!!), I figured it'd be the perfect opportunity to try using it to make pie crust dough. After watching Chef John of Food Wishes' video on Youtube, I was convinced I needed to try it for myself. I have inserted the video at the end of this post so you can visually see the steps and consistency at each step. He's videos are super lively; his happy voice shows he actually enjoys his work. In an essence, this is the fastest and most fail-proof way I have ever completed a pie crust. Ever.

Making Peach Basil Hand Pies

In his recipe, he uses frozen butter, but since I tend to gravitate as far as possible from butter, I decided to try using frozen coconut oil. The changing states of coconut oil continue to amaze me; it can be used in place of butter in every possible recipe I can think of. Melted, softened, or frozen, just like butter. It's magical! The only difference is that since it's currently summer, the coconut oil only needed to be blitzed for about 30 seconds to become pea-sized crumbs rather than the 1 minute for butter, as it softens at room temperature. Coconut oil is a translucent white colour so you'll have to look closely to see if the pieces are small enough. Beware that coconut oil melts fast so be sure to also work quickly when molding mixture into a ball.

Although the food processor method helps me successfully put together a dough, I'm still not very good with handling it. The fact that coconut oil changes state so quickly doesn't really make things any easier either. If using coconut oil in place of butter, be sure to let the dough sit at room temperature for at least half hour after fulling chilling in the fridge to let the centre become pliable. Essentially, we're waiting for the bits of coconut oil inside to soften so it doesn't crumble once you try and roll it out. Roll the dough out between two layers of plastic wrap or parchment paper to ensure the dough doesn't stick to everything.

The flaky layers of Vegan Pie Crust

So how does this pie dough turn out when baked? I used this dough to make Peach Mini Galettes and Hand Pies. The result was phenomenal. An definite improvement from my previous attempts at pie crust. The crust is sturdy, fragrant, and just as crispy and flaky as the video shows. It is a tad bit greasy to the touch because the clumps of coconut oil melt as it bakes in the oven, but it is unnoticeable when eaten. I normally don't care much for flaky pastries but this was so. insanely. good. Worth every second of my time to shape, chill, and put together the pastries. Never again will I use butter in my pie crusts.

Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust

Adapted from Food Wishes

Yield: 1 layer pie crust

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• A few grinds of Himalayan pink sea salt
• 6 tbsp ice water

Directions

1. Put measured coconut oil into a silicon mold and place in freezer until completely frozen. Remove from mold and cut into half-inch cubes. Keep cubes in freezer until ready to use.
2. In a food processor, pour half of the flour in. Add the cubed frozen coconut oil. Pour other half of the flour on top. Your frozen coconut oil should now be sandwiched between two equal layers of flour. 
3. Add sugar and salt into the food processor. Pulse in short intervals until coconut oil becomes pea-sized pieces. This took about 30 seconds.
4. Drizzle ice water over crumbly flour mixture in food processor. Pulse in slightly longer intervals until mixture becomes fine crumbs. Like the texture of almond meal.
5. Thoroughly scrape down the mixture, making sure to scrape off any wetter parts from the S-blade and bottom of food processor. 
6. Pulse a few more times just to incorporate. Press mixture between two fingers to see if it becomes a dough. If so, pour mixture onto a clean surface (I used a silicon baking mat) and press with hands to make a ball. Flatten slightly into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour, no more than that or, due to the characteristics of coconut oil, the dough will be rock solid to the core. You want it to still be soft enough to roll out. Use this versatile pie crust for both sweet or savoury pies, galettes, or tarts.

Video instructions on Food Wishes

 
Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Simple Blueberry Sauce

These will be the fluffiest pancakes you will ever put into your mouth. They are cloud-like and will take you on a field trip to heaven. Really.

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

My family has been consuming blueberries at record amounts; the 40lbs we picked at Krause Berry Farms just a week ago has pretty much been consumed as is. Being a cook, I wanted to make something with fresh blueberries, as it is very rare I have them at hand to use in a recipe. Frozen berries turn my baking into disasters...it's very unfortunate. So I saved a small box of blueberries to create something magnificent. And I managed to reach my goal.

Time to take a bite of Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes smothered with Blueberry Sauce

I remember Peanut Crumpet telling me about her mom's uber fluffy ricotta pancakes. With that inspiration in mind, I searched the Internet for a blueberry version. Blueberry + lemon + ricotta appealed to me the most; the light and fresh flavours were perfect for a summer brunch. My mouth started salivating as I scrolled through all the photos, I was so eager to make them!

Admire the fluffiness of these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Tung Sing Chin 東昇村海鮮酒家

Needing to find dinner somewhere on the way back from Downtown, we met with my dad at Tung Sing Chin on Hastings street. Both friends and relatives have raved about the good prices and portions at this restaurant, so we decided to see for ourselves.

When we arrived at around 6pm, there were not very many people in the restaurant, but I didn't expect there to be because it was a random Monday night. The lack of customers usually makes me wonder if business is always this dim, but since I've seen the long line ups for dimsum before, it didn't bother me much. I believe many people that visit this restaurant are 'usuals'; waiters greeting them and chatting about random things with them, already knowing what food they want etc.

Tonight our eyes were slightly larger than our stomachs, so we ordered a three dish set meal, despite my aunt telling us that a two dish set meal can feed four people. That's because all set meals come with a 'free' extra dish of either lobster, crab, or chicken. So our three dish meal became a four dish meal. 

After ordering, we were served a complimentary soup. All set meals come with soup. I didn't snap a photo of the soup, but it was a lotus root duck broth. It was okay, flavourful without the overuse of MSG. (I'm sure there is some in there....)
 

Lobster in a Butter Cream Sauce

Since I was craving lobster, my parents allowed me to pick lobster as our 'free' dish. We chose to have it cooked in a butter cream sauce. Usually people will pay a few extra dollars to have noodles added to the base that will soak up all the rich sauce. But since we already ordered more than enough, we skipped doing so. This dish was pretty good; there were enough large chunks of meat to share amongst the three family members that actually eats seafood. The sauce is a bit heavy, but that's expected from cream and butter. The raw shredded lettuce helps balance that. Although the lobster was tasty, my mom says the 'free' chicken probably would've tasted better and been a better value.

Quick as a Wink Pizza (Yeast-free, V, GF)

I have always loved homemade pizza. But I never liked making the dough because it just hogs up all your time. Here's an example: "Let sit for 2 hours. Once dough has doubled, punch the middle, and let rise for another 3 hours" ... you get what I mean?

Many people would just buy the unbaked or pre-made pizza dough, but what's the point of eating a home-made pizza when you didn't actually make the dough? You more or less just put toppings on and stuck it into the oven.

So the solution to solve my problem for never having the motivation to make pizza is to create my own yeast-free, vegan recipe. For those with gluten sensitivities, this recipe is also for you!

Quick as a Wink Pizza (Yeast-free, V, GF)

makes one large pizza

Dough

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Topping Ideas

• Vegan Pesto
• Walnut Cheeze (crumbled walnuts + nutritional yeast)
• Zucchini chunks
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Red peppers
• Avocado
• SUNDRIED TOMATOES!! 

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2.) In a large bowl, combine together all the dry ingredients.

3.) Add your water and mix with a plastic spatula. This will seem like a lot of       water, but it will be absorbed!

4.) After water is absorbed, your dough should have the consistency of a drop         cookie dough, a bit of a contrast compared to your good ol' fashioned dough.     Dump your dough onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet. 

5.) Spread the dough evenly on your pan. I found it easier to wet my fingers         first so the dough stick less.

6.) Put in oven for 15 minutes, until the top of crust is no longer doughy.

7.) Now it's time to pile up your pizza! Remember to stack it up high with           nutrient dense veggies!

8.) Bake for another 20-30 minutes until crust is perfecto, slice and indulge!

 Lots of Nuts,
Peanut Crumpet xo

Bakery 101

Entrance to Bistro 101 and Bakery 101

Some of the greatest value food can be found at culinary schools. Students use quality ingredients and cook up fine-dining dishes and bake pastries and cakes that look like they belong in a high-end bakery. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is one of the best culinary schools in Vancouver. Their students run a bakery and a restaurant, both with exceptional prices. Every time I pass by Granville Island, I always make sure to pay a visit to Bakery 101 to pick up a chocolate croissant or a packet of macarons for Papaya Crumpet. Compared to the vendors inside the Granville Island Public Market, Bakery 101's baked goods are much more friendly to our wallets. Students supporting students, that's the way it should be~


I had originally wanted to take my mom and aunt to have lunch at Bistro 101 next door, but it was completely booked full. Instead, we found brunch at Twisted Fork Bistro and ventured to Granville Island in the afternoon. A sign outside the culinary school advertised all desserts were 3 for $10, so we stepped into Bakery 101 to grab some sweets for an afternoon snack.

Display counter at Bakery 101

Selection varies everyday, but there weren't as many desserts to choose from when we arrived compared to usual. The woman at the cashier explained that since the bakery is closed on the weekends, people tend to stock up on Mondays. 

Desserts from Bakery 101