Raw Cardamom Cream Pear Tart with Salty Date Caramel

My Raw Cardamom Cream Pear Tart with Salty Date Caramel is such a quick, easy dessert (or breakfast!) to put together. Because it is raw, you really only need a blender or food processor to pull it all together. Cardamom scented yogurt is layered with simple, salty date caramel, all nestled in a raw date and nut crust and topped with fall’s best pears. This recipe is raw, perfect for 2 people, gluten free, contains no added sugar and there’s a vegan option too! 

We put our house on the market this last weekend. I’ve been flooded with ALL THE FEELS ever since. Makes me want to guzzle sangria and then take a nap.

Yes, I’m grateful and excited for new things to come. And I am so thankful for any lookers we have at our house. But here’s the flipside:

I feel so vulnerable. So judged.

You can’t help but have this strange feeling after someone has walked through your home. They’ve peeked in every corner. They’ve looked in your closet. They have thought about what color they are going to paint over your baby’s nursery. They hate your rug. They hate the color of your couches. They wonder why you don’t have an entryway table. They picture themselves waking up here on a Sunday morning and brewing coffee. They picture themselves using your professional Range stove to cook Thanksgiving dinner.

It hurts. I picked this home because I loved it. We were the first owners and we truly loved each piece of this house that made it “us”. We brought our baby home here. I display my million cookbooks as décor. I live in that kitchen. I bought funky rugs. I made my first real adult decisions here. We hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas here while I was massively pregnant and then had a newborn. I walked this block a million times at 5am before work and a million and one times at 5pm with a sleeping baby. We added a finished room upstairs so my husband could scream at his favorite sports teams and so I could drink wine and watch Redbox movies as loud as I wanted to. I’ve photographed countless eats and treats in the dining area.

I’m sure there will be more amazing houses in our future. I’m sure there will be more houses that just aren’t “us,” as past houses have been. It’s just hard, as it’s all hitting me now.

Terrible transition, but I made you a Raw Cardamom Cream Pear Tart with Salty Date Caramel. I guess you could say this is a subtly sweet, slightly salted treat, just like selling your home and moving on to bigger, more exciting things. Stretch?

Let me give you a quick rundown. The crust is raw. It is dates and nuts. It’s essentially a homemade Larabar, if you’ve ever made one. And it’s super simple. It wizzes together in the blender or food processor.

The cream layer is actually plain Noosa. I chose Noosa because it isn’t tangy or sweet, it’s just creamy and buttery yogurt. You can use whipped coconut cream instead which would make this recipe vegan. That’s cool. But I love using the plain Noosa here.

The salty date caramel is just that: dates and a bit of salt…and a splash of vanilla. When you choose super soft, sticky dates, they blend easily into this perfectly thick caramel. It’s spreadable and so delicious. I can’t stress enough that they have to be uber soft to work. If yours aren’t, soak them in a bit of boiling hot water for 30 minutes before you begin.

And then that pear. Yes, apple’s more forgotten cousin. I love pears, I just never really remember that I love them until fall rolls around and they’re filling the grocery store! Choose whichever variety speaks to you, and make sure it is soft (but not mushy) and not crunchy or it’ll be a bit hard to eat with the tart.

This recipe makes a perfect 4” tart. Plenty for two people to share or just for yourself, no judgment. I only made an extra mini one in a jar so you could see the layers. You can make them in jars if you want to, but that caramel is a bitch to spread in an even layer down in the jar. Just warning you. It’s easier in a shallow little tart tin or mini pie dish.

And last but not least…oh just eat the dang thing. Breakfast or dessert, it’s perfect. Enjoy!

Raw Cardamom Cream Pear Tart with Salty Date Caramel

2016-10-20 15:05:58

My Raw Cardamom Cream Pear Tart with Salty Date Caramel is such a quick, easy dessert (or breakfast!) to put together. Because it is raw, you really only need a blender or food processor to pull it all together. Cardamom scented yogurt is layered with simple, salty date caramel, all nestled in a raw date and nut crust and topped with fall's best pears. This recipe is raw, perfect for 2 people, gluten free, contains no added sugar and there's a vegan option too!

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For the crust

1. ¼ cup raw almonds
2. ¼ cup raw walnut pieces
3. 1 Tbs. unsweetened coconut
4. 3 large very soft Medjool dates, pitted
5. pinch of Kosher salt

For the Caramel

1. 4 large very soft Medjool dates, pitted**
2. pinch of Kosher salt
3. ¼ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cream layer

1. ½ cup plain full fat yogurt (I used Noosa)*
2. ¼ tsp. cardamom
3. 2 -3 tsp. maple syrup
4. ½ - 1 ripe pear

Instructions

1. In a food processor or in your high speed blender, combine the crust ingredients. Blend and pulse until all of the nuts are in tiny pieces and when you pinch some of it together, it sticks (think LaraBar).
2. Press the crust into the bottom of your 4” pie tin or tart tin. Pres some up the sides as well. You’ll want maybe an inch or so up the sides (or just to the top of a tart tin).
3. Make sure the processor/blender is clean then add the dates for the caramel. Blend until smooth, pushing down with a spatula (while the motor is paused) a few times. Once it is smooth, add the vanilla and pinch of salt and blend. If your caramel isn’t smoothing, your dates may not have been soft and sticky enough. Add 1 Tbs. of very hot water and blend more.
4. Spread an even layer of the caramel into just the bottom of the tart.
5. Next, in a bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or coconut cream), maple and cardamom. Taste it and if you want it sweeter, add more maple. Remember the caramel layer is very sweet so you don’t want the cream layer to be overly sweet. Pour it all into the tart and smooth the top.
6. Slice your pear, fan it out and add it to the top! Tah dah!***
7. Eat right out of the pie tin or remove the sides of the tart pan carefully, share and enjoy!

Notes

1. *You could use coconut cream instead! Make sure it is very cold and just the cream layer. I used Noosa because it is very smooth, buttery and doesn’t have the usual tang of yogurt, so keep that in mind.
2. **Your dates must be very soft. Like, if when you split them to pull out the seed your fingers are very sticky and they almost mush. If your dates aren’t soft, soak them in very hot water for 30 minutes before you start this recipe.
3. ***To freeze or not to freeze? If you used coconut cream or truly full fat yogurt, you can feel free to freeze the tart once it is done but BEFORE you add the pear. Freezing it will certainly change the texture into a bit of a “frozen yogurt” pie but that may be what you’re going for, versus a cream pie. Just add your fresh pear before serving (and let it soften a touch so you can get a fork into it). I like mine just cold out of the refrigerator and creamy soft.

By melissa @ treats with a twist

Treats With a Twist https://www.treatswithatwist.com/