I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your emails about and comments on my last post. More on that below the recipe.
For my final post (for now), I’m excited to share this recipe (two recipes, actually!) from my latest cookbook, Practically Raw Desserts. As with all the treats found in PRD, it is no-bake, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, made entirely of real food ingredients, and endlessly adaptable.
This Linzer Torte (found on page 134 of Practically Raw Desserts) is filled with a luscious Fruity Chia Jam (found on page 196) made of raspberries. Named after the city of Linz, Austria, the Linzer torte is a traditional Northern European pastry often enjoyed at Christmastime. This may well be my favorite recipe in the entire book—and that’s saying something. It’s astonishing how so few ingredients can create such a drop-dead-delicious (yet healthy!) treat. The lattice-style top crust takes a little extra time and effort, but it sure does look impressive.
One more thing: a note about coconut flour (as stated in both my Enlightened Carrot Cake post and my Devil’s Food Cupcakes post)…no, you cannot substitute any other flour in its place. I know, I’m the queen of ingredient substitutions (and every recipe in Practically Raw Desserts, just as in Practically Raw, comes with a list of ingredient substitution options), but coconut flour is the one staple ingredient that can never be substituted—it is indispensable in the recipes that call for it. Coconut flour absorbs many times its weight in liquid, FAR more than any other flour can, so it is irreplaceable. However, I promise you that if you go out and invest in a bag today, you will easily be able to put all of it to great use! I utilize coconut flour in a number of the recipes in Practically Raw Desserts (particularly the cake recipes, for the fluffy moisture it lends them), so you’ll definitely use it up. Bob’s Red Mill brand coconut flour is sold at most stores (even non-natural-food stores), though in my opinion, it’s priced a little too high. Personally, I get my organic coconut flour very affordably from Nuts.com (which is actually where I do a great deal of my bulk shopping—for nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc.). Another option is to grab a bag on Amazon—and if you order a copy of Practically Raw Desserts at the same time, you could even get the free super saver shipping deal.
Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Oil-Free
No Added Sugars, Paleo, Raw
283 calories, 19.5g fat (2g sat), 28.3g carbs, 7g fiber, 4.8g protein From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley.
©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
- Pinch of sea salt
- Liquid stevia (or sweetener of choice) to taste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 1/4 cups dry hazelnuts
- 1 cup dry pecans
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 heaping cup pitted dates
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 to 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- To make the Fruity Chia Jam, place the raspberries and salt in a high-speed blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and add some stevia or other sweetener (if desired); pulse to combine.
- Scrape down the sides, add the chia seeds, and blend again until smooth.
- Transfer to a small bowl and let sit at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, until it thickens up to your liking. Use immediately or transfer to a glass jar or container (leaving an inch or two of room at the top) and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the crusts, combine the hazelnuts, pecans, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground (be careful not to overprocess).
- Add the dates, about 3 at a time, pulsing between additions until each date is well-incorporated and the mixture is sticky.
- Transfer all but 1 cup of the mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom (like this one). Press the mixture thinly, firmly, and evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator.
- To the remaining 1 cup crust mixture in the food processor, add the coconut flour and pulse to combine.
- Turn on the machine and stream in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing until the mixture starts to ball up (use only as much water as you need to get it sticky and homogenous).
- Transfer the dough onto a large square of waxed paper (or a silicone mat or Teflex sheet) on a countertop or cutting board and press it firmly into a rough 9-inch round. You can place another sheet of waxed paper on top and use a rolling pin to flatten it out if you want. Carefully transfer the flattened dough (still on the waxed paper) to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
- To assemble the torte, remove the pan with the bottom crust from the fridge and spread the thickened Fruity Chia Jam thinly and evenly on top, going almost all the way to the edges.
- Remove the rolled-out top crust from the freezer and slice into thin strips. Carefully arrange and/or braid the strips on top of the jam in a cross-hatch or lattice style.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve. Snugly wrap leftover torte in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Substitutions:
Hazelnuts: walnuts or almonds
Pecans: walnuts or almonds
Dates: soft raisins
Fruity Chia Jam: Raspberry Coulis (recipe can be found in Practically Raw Desserts)
Variations:
Lower-Fat Linzer Torte: Replace 1/2 cup of the hazelnuts in the crust with old-fashioned rolled oats.
Apricot Linzer Torte: Replace the raspberry jam with the dried fruit version of the Fruity Chia Jam made with dried apricots (recipe can be found in Practically Raw Desserts).
Chef’s Tips:
Divide the crusts and filling between six to eight 4-inch tartlet pans to make mini Linzer tortes. If the crust strips start to fall apart as you braid them, that’s ok—I can tell you this torte will taste just as good no matter what it looks like!
Now! A note about my last post: The reception to my “farewell-for-now” was better than I could’ve hoped. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I have been blown away by your kindness and support. It means more to me than I can express. I know that my quitting right now is the right thing for me to do, but you all have made me feel so warm and wanted that you’ve already got me plotting a possible return. Although I can’t promise anything, I will say that the likelihood of my resuming blogging at some point (as an openly omnivorous chef and eater) has risen significantly. How could it not, with amazing readers like you?
In the meantime, I’ve also been asked how you can help support this site (which is going to remain up in full) while I’m gone. There are a few things I would suggest:
- If you haven’t already, purchase my books: Practically Raw, Practically Raw Desserts, and The Real Food Cleanse . And if you have, consider purchasing copies for friends and family members for birthdays, holidays, anytime gifts, etc. Spread the word about the books in any way you can or wish!
- If you own and enjoy Practically Raw and/or Practically Raw Desserts, please leave brief 5-star reviews for the books on Amazon! It only takes a moment, and they can be as short as two sentences.
- Anytime you shop at Amazon.com, please consider clicking to there through my Amazon affiliate link. You can even bookmark it for easy access. This would earn me a very small percentage (typically 5-7%) of the price of anything you buy, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
- Finally, and most importantly, continue making, sharing, and enjoying my recipes. That’s why I became a chef, cookbook author, and blogger to begin with, and why I’ve spent the last 5+ years creating and giving away my content. Nothing makes me happier than seeing or hearing about your enjoyment of something that I put my heart and soul into.
Feel free to stay subscribed to the blog so you can be notified immediately if/when I start posting again (since I would not rely on FB or another social media page to let you know, if I were you!). Meanwhile, as I’ve mentioned, I do plan on staying active on Instagram, and I’ll still post occasionally on Facebook and Twitter. Keep in touch!
Thank you all so very much!
With love and gratitude,
