Wai Lana's Avocado Tarts

It rained cats and dogs all day today. I went to the market at around 7 am this morning to restock our kitchen. I love to feed people, and I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. With the avocado season just about to end, I took advantage of the few and last cheap yet wonderful avocados I could get my hands on and tried out Wai Lana's "Avocado tart" recipe.

Avocado Tarts

These pre-baked pastry cups filled with a custardlike cream will please your vegan friends. Best served freshly chilled. Cholesterol-free avocados are loaded with potassium, vitamins A and C, and niacin.

Pastry:
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp. raw sugar
1/2 tsp. egg replacer powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. safflower oil
Water for binding

Filling:
3/4 cup fresh cashew milk*
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups ripe avocado
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh mint leaves for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the dry pastry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Rub in the oil with your fingertips until evenly crumbly. Carefully add just enough water to make a soft ball of dough.

2. Lightly oil 4 mini tart pans or custard cups, or a standard muffin tray with 6 cups. Divide the pastry into 4-6 pieces depending on the size and choice of pan. On a floured work surface, roll each piece into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

3. Place the pastry into the pans and mold to fit. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Bake for 20-30 minutes until light golden. Cool and remove the shells from the pans. If you are using custard cups, bake first, then remove the pastry shells from the cups and bake on a tray, bottom side up, for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Prepare the cashew milk as directed below. Blend the cashew milk and the next 4 filling ingredients until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix. Spoon the filling evenly into the cooled shells and chill briefly. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Makes 4-6 tarts

*Cashew milk: Blend 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces with 1 cup hot water until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 293, Fat 15.3g (138 cal), Carbohydrate 34.7g (139 cal), Protein 3.8g (16 cal)
Added information: Saturated Fat 1.8g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 202mg, Dietary Fiber 2.7g

I say, it came out quite well. My neighbors really liked it too. The cashew milk is really wonderful stuff. I could drink it on its own if I didn't know about how fatty it is.

It's a tart anyway- and well.. personally I like avocados when they're not smooshy and ripe. I like them when they're still firm and beautifully buttery. But since this recipe's a tart- it's definitely a bit easier to use the avocados which are relatively riper and therefore softer... just makes it all easier to mix up.

An interesting thing about avocados:
1. avocados are also known as butter pears or alligator pears and originally came from Mexico
2. Avos are high in good fats, dietary fiber, vitamins and potassium.
3. The pit, seed, leaves, bark and in some cases fruit can be toxic to some animals, particularly birds

Anyway... I'm just dreaming about avocado sandwiches right now.

Cya