Over 20 years ago, I took a road trip from Minnesota to California. I had never been west of Colorado with it’s beautiful pines, and fluffy snow. As we drove down the coast from Seattle, I was amazed at the beauty of the west coast. The haystack rocks of Oregon, the high cliffs of Northern California and the palm trees of Southern California were all breathtaking in their own way. But one memory stayed with me and to this day, is as clear as a bell. It was my first California peach.
I honestly had never tasted anything quite like it. The flesh was firm but juicy and the flavor was unbelievable. We got good Washington peaches in Minnesota but they were imported. This peach was fresh off the tree. It was amazing. I’ve never had a peach like that in my life.
Now I live in California and it is peach season! My daughter and I have our favorite peach vendor at the farmer’s market and every Saturday we stock up. Peach season is a time to rejoice in our house.
I wanted to make a little raw dessert that featured these beautiful peaches. But don’t worry, it will work with any good, ripe peaches. I used the same cashew whipping cream that was in the strawberry torte but added a little cardamon which goes so well with peaches. The crust is made from pecans and ginger. All together, these ingredients make a pretty tasty, deliciously peachy summer dessert. Please make sure your peaches are organic as they are at the top of the dirty dozen list.
There is a little pre-soaking and refrigeration involved here so make sure you read the entire recipe before you start. I actually start this one the day before by quickly making the “whipping cream”. It does best if it sits in the refrigerator overnight.
Cardamon
Cardamon has become a little bit of an addiction for me. I love this spice in my coffee, in baked goods, and in savory dishes. It has a heady aroma that is vaguely like cinnamon but with floral notes. It is described as having a woodsy scent along with lemon and camphor. It is pungent, aromatic and delicious. It’s a scent that is somehow so fetching and you find yourself drawn to it repeatedly.
Cardamon originated in India, Nepal and Bhutan. It is said to have many health benefits including improving cardiovascular health, fighting colon cancer, helping with stomach disorders and helping cure infections. In ancient Egypt, it was used as a teeth cleaner and breath freshener.
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Just a quick note to let you know that the Rawmazing 3-Ebook collection is on sale for a limited time for only 9.95! This collection includes Rawmazing Frozen Desserts, Rawmazing Holidays and the best selling, Rawmazing Transitional Recipes. 3 books full of delicious raw and transitional recipes with full color pictures included with every recipe!
Almost all of the recipes are inclusive in the books and with a couple of exceptions, are not on the website. If you are transitioning into raw foods, you will love all of these, especially the Transitions book. And the recipes in the Frozen Desserts Book are some of my best! The Holidays Book takes many of your favorite holiday recipes and turns them into raw delights.
The books are offered as a bundle for 29.95 but for a limited time, you can get them for 9.95!
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Crust
- 2 1/2 cups of pecans*
- 3 dates, soaked until soft
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- pinch himalayan salt
- Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until very well combined.
- Press into 4″ tart shells, reserving 1/4 cup for topping.
- Place crusts in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 4-6 hours
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, softened, (Note: NOT cacao butter cocoa butter)
- 1 vanilla bean (cut the bean in half and scrape out the insides. Use that.)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamon
- 2 ripe organic peaches, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- Place all ingredients except peaches in high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour “cream” into a glass bowl and refrigerate until firm. I usually do this overnight.
- If the “cream” is not firm enough, place in chilled mixing bowl and whip with chilled beaters to get desired consistency.
- Fold in peaches.
- Fill tart shells with peach mixture and sprinkle set aside crust mixture on the top.
*You can soak and dehydrate your pecans to make them more digestible. Just make sure they are completely dry when making the crust.
There is a recipe to make your own coconut butter here: Coconut Butter