Say adios to saturated fat and fibre-less dairy and embrace this fabulous tasting vegetarian alternative. Easy to make, but this does involve planning ahead as the cashews need to soak overnight.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw whole cashews, soaked overnight or for 8 hours
- 3 – 4 tbsp light ‘raw’ agave nectar. I use ‘Madhava’ and coconut sugar may work as well
- 1 tsp brandy or Cointreau liqueur or ‘real’ vanilla extract
- ½ cup Maison Orphee coconut oil, gently warmed to melt
- Cold filtered water
- ¾ cup fresh berries per person, (Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
- Fresh mint leaves or lemon balm, to garnish
Directions:
- Drain cashews and rinse with cold water. Place in a blender and pour in enough cold filtered water to just cover them. Blend on high scraping down sides of blender occasionally until the mixture is creamy and very smooth.
- Add agave nectar, brandy, and 2 tbsp cold water. Blend thoroughly on high.
- Reduce blender to low speed, slowly pour a steady stream of the coconut oil through opening in the blender lid. Continue to blend until emulsified, thick and creamy.
- Transfer to a glass bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir before using.
- Place one half of the berries in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring gently, until berries soften without breaking up. Remove from heat and cool.
- Divide cooked berries and spoon into wide mouth champagne glasses. Top with a generous layer of the Whipped Cashew Coconut Crème. Sprinkle each with remaining berries, top with additional crème and garnish with mint leaves.
Note: Make a basic cashew crème to use in savory recipes in place of cheese, sour crème or yogurt. (Soaked cashews, a pinch of sea salt, water and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice for a tart flavour.)
