{ the 1st attempt at a raw vegan Hungarian Dobos Torte was a crumbly flop }

There’s no other way to put it.  I’ve been creamed by the Hungarian dobos torte.  At least after the first attempt.

I chose Earthmother’s entry as the winner of my sinful pleasures dessert contest last week, knowing full well I might be wandering too far into unknown (in this case, Hungarian) territory.  But the beauty and unique drool-worthiness of the original recipe made it a challenge I couldn’t pass up.  Although the finished product fell flat, or more like squashed, it wasn’t a total loss.

I’ll first explain how I went about the process of recreation.  I decidedly went for a miniaturized torte due to cost and overall uncertainty to the finished product.  Thank goodness.

I used a traditional recipe submitted by Earthmother with the entry, and broke it down section by section.  The easiest and most successful part was the chocolate.  I’ve got plenty left to make more goodies even after I’ve been in and out of sugar comas (yes this can happen with raw food) from testing, testing, testing and eating spoonfuls of it.

{ raw vegan chocolate }

There are two ingredients that made this chocolate different than any other chocolate I’ve made.  In the original torte recipe, it calls for “3 tablespoons strong coffee”, and so I followed suit by grinding fresh espresso beans and adding 2 tablespoons.  The result was a subtle enhancement to the dark richness raw chocolate already tends to have, and the coffee flavor is only slightly detectable.

The other component was a product I purchased weeks ago to try it out, and this happened to be the perfect occasion.  If you aren’t familiar with agave inulin, it’s practically a dead ringer for confectioners’ sugar.  Fine and powdery, it isn’t nearly as sweet as confectionary but it does lend the same physical characteristics.  The taste is very light and delicate, which is kind of nice rather than a powerful sugar surge.  Now, I don’t believe this agave inulin is raw, but the Viv Agave product (available at Whole Foods Market)  is stated as “organic, prebiotic, and probiotic”.  And when making sweets that call for confectioners’ sugar I think it’s a very good compromise.

So the original torte recipe is emphatic on using vanilla confectioners’ sugar  both in the chocolate and the cake.  As you can see from the photo, I used vanilla inulin but I also added 1 1/2 scraped vanilla beans to the mix.  For the raw translation, I’m not sure that it made a big difference in flavor, perhaps very subtly it did.  But the product was fun to work with and I can see where it would be a great feature for other raw desserts.

{ agave inulin package, inulin mixed with vanilla }

{ bowl of agave inulin mixed with scraped vanilla beans }

On to the next main component of the dobos torte monster: the golden cake layers.  I was pretty enthusiastic while making this “batter” since the test specimens I whipped up seemed successful.  Again I used agave inulin, in addition to coconut flour.  True raw coconut flour is made simply by dehydrating young coconut meat and grinding it to flour consistency.  Bob’s Red Mill also makes packaged coconut flour, but since there’s no stipulation to whether it’s raw on the label, I have to assume it isn’t.  My thoughts behind using coconut flour and the agave inulin was that it would help to create a truer light “cake” texture that wasn’t too dense.  Maybe the macadamia nuts screwed it up? I’m not sure.  But when it came out of the dehydrator (maybe a little too done) it was far from the light cake texture I’d hoped for.  It tasted good, but it was dry and cracking up.

{ cutting out the cake layers }

Still trying to make it work, I went ahead using a ring form to punch the layers but it continued to break apart. “No way!” I thought.  I was gonna keep this thing together somehow, and surely the thick chocolate would help glue it all together.  Wrong!

{ dabbing on the chocolate }

By the time I assembled and stacked all five layers, they began to collapse under their own weight.  The chocolate oozed from every side, the cake continued to crack and slide around upon each chocolate layer.  But I had just one more idea in the hopes of salvage.  I let this torteless thing rest until it appeared to be well settled.  Then I took a very sharp knife and attempted to clean up the edges to its intended round, uniform shape.  NOPE, no deal.

{ torteless mess }

The final step would have been to add the caramel glaze.  I think I still have a good idea of how to do that, but as you can see it didn’t quite get that far.  Despite this total construction fail, the chocolate was really good and the cake may have been better had I not let it go all night in the dehydrator.  So here’s how I did it:

The vanilla sugar:

1 cup Viv Agave organic blue agave inulin
1 1/2 vanilla beans, scraped

Blend together in a food processor until the sticky vanilla beans are evenly distributed.

The Chocolate:

1 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup vanilla inulin
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp finely ground espresso
1/4 tsp sea salt

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender or Vita-mix. I strongly recommend a blender versus a food processor to assure the chocolate becomes very smooth and silky.

The “cake”:

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked at least 8 hours
1 cup sifted coconut flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup vanilla inulin
1/4 cup agave
1 tbs coconut oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

First, put the macadamias, agave, and coconut oil in a food processor and blend well. Then gradually add dry ingredients and blend again. A dough ball will form, and at this point begin drizzling in the cup of water until it becomes a sticky batter consistency. With an offset spatula, spread mixture about 1/4″ thick onto lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate until desired tenderness.

And finally…

Earthmother:   I know you were looking forward to this, so I hope the raw goodies make up for the wonder torte that socked it to me.  I still wouldn’t have chosen different, and this isn’t the last attempt!

<3, JMK

{ Purely Delicious, Summer 2009 }

Have you subscribed yet to Purely Delicious magazine?  It’s probably THE most beautiful and modern raw food periodical out there today.  And this summer’s issue includes the very informative article, “Who’s Afraid of Sea Vegetables” by yours truly, complete with two drool-worthy recipes.  A big THANK YOU to the publisher, managing editor, and my friend, Rebecca Carlson for her amazing talent, limited Zzz’s, and juggling big fat computer FAILS to bring us this lovely quarterly.  Big HUGS and lots of LOVE to Rebecca!

Now for another quick update:  Today I have begun my first ever three day juice cleanse.  It sounds strange to say it, “My first ever three day juice cleanse”, after being raw for over two years.  It seems that when you’re in the infancy of a raw food lifestyle (and I consider two years infancy in proportion to the rest of my physical life), you hear and read an awful lot about everyone’s juice cleanses, juice feasts, “The Master Cleanse”, etc.  I thought everyone was just juice crazy, and why in the world was I not catching the fever until now?

Simply put – my body and my mind were just not ready.  I now realize I’m not weird or dissing the raw food world by not jumping on the juice cleanse bandwagon.  It’s not something you should ever feel obligated to do, and oddly enough that’s just what happened to me at times when I’d read about global juice feasts or about Angela Stokes’ 92-day run…and that SHE is one committed raw food Wonder Woman with an incredible story.

You don’t need to cleanse to get the benefits of living food! However, my time has come.  I’ve been a bit overindulgent in cooked foods and wine over this past month, and I’ve realized this had a direct relationship to my daughter having been away from home (thankfully she’ll be returning this evening).  I’ve also experienced a “calling” if you will, to have out with old – in with the new!  My body and mind are now ready to voluntarily clean house.

I’ll be posting my experience – the good and the potty poopy talk, and surely there will be some.  So consider this fair warning to those that are squeemish.

<3, JMK

During a recent Whole Foods shopping trip, I as usual made a slight right from the supplements section to head down the ethnic foods isle when a sight before me stopped me in my tracks.  Next to the English mushy peas and HP sauces was an unfamiliar multi-tiered shelving unit stocked with a brightly colored product array.  My eyeballs were immediately captivated by the predominant words waving to me on the packaging… “GO RAW”.

I parked my basket out of the way of blocking traffic.  It was immediately apparent I’d spend a fair amount of time investigating this generous selection of living cookies, cereals, flax “snax”, sprouted nuts, bars, and chocolates.  Eventually I was able to roll my tongue up back into my mouth, and make off with the Real Live Flax Bar, Spirulina Super Chips, and Chocolate Super Cookies.

The Go Raw product line

Freeland Foods is the parent company behind Go Raw.  It was founded by Robert and Brana Freeland, inspired by their children Ben and Leah.  Robert and Brana didn’t just want something better for their children than the common sugar and wheat laden packaged snacks with cartoon characters adorning the boxes.  They want to revolutionize the food industry by offering real packaged food and create awareness not just for everyone, but encourage parents to make better choices for kids that does not include the all too common processed, industrialized varieties.

As you may have noticed from the photo above, all of the ingredients are proudly displayed on the front of the package in a font size that doesn’t require a loop to read.  Nor do they contain ingredients that you couldn’t eat one by one.  The entire production line and facility is 100% raw, 100% vegan, 100% certified organic, 100% certified wheat and gluten free, and 100% nut free.

But besides getting to have your snacks and having them chocked full of nutrition, this all wouldn’t be quite as exciting if they weren’t absolutely delicious!  Since the time of my initial purchases, I’ve returned to Whole Foods and replenished with “Pizza” Flax Snax, “Spicy” Flax Snax, Apple Cinnamon “Granola”, and the Spirulina Energy Bar.

Unlike empty calorie junk food, such as a bag of potato chips that will just induce more cravings later on, raw food requires less to fill you up and keeps you full longer.  You’ll be satisfied and energized because you treated yourself well with whole, nutrient-dense food. If you’re new to raw food or limited with time in preparing your own raw snacks, then these Go Raw snacks are a perfect choice.  Eat them on the go or keep them in your desk at work for those late-afternoon munchies.  Look for them at your local Whole Foods Market, or visit their store locator to find your nearest retailer.  You can also order direct from goraw.com .

<3, JMK

Package of Vosages Haut-Chocolate “An Aphrodisiac Library of Chocolate Love Spells”

These exotic little treats look more like a find for Valentine’s Day. But take a bite of one and you’ll want to have them on hand for any reason at all! I first found this box of Vosges Haut Chocolat at Bergdorf’s the last time I was in New York City a couple of months ago. Although words like “aphrodisiac” and “love spells” are certainly alluring on this particular package, I was most enticed by what was inside – dark chocolate seasoned with the most unlikely ingredients! They’re totally reminiscent of the movie, “Chocolat” with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

Dark chocolate varieties: Red Fire, Black Pearl, Oaxaca

A “Black Pearl Bar” with wasabi, ginger, and black sesame seeds? You won’t see that on the dessert menu at the local sushi bar! How about a “Red Fire Bar” with Mexican ancho and chipotle chilies and Ceylon cinnamon? Sounds almost like an ancient Aztec concoction used for love rituals! If you’re feeling really spicy, there’s the “Oaxaca Bar” with guajillo and pasilla chilies, seemingly like something you’d find around Sevilla, Spain at a tapas bar.

Of the three dark chocolate varieties, the latter definitely packs the stingiest bite. Having the highest cacao content paired with the chilies, it’s no wonder. They are all positively excellent and the unique ingredients are in perfectly subtle combinations so that you’re getting a hint of the flavors, not overwhelming awkwardness. Best of all, the ingredients are most pure and natural.

Milk chocolate varieties: Barcelona and Naga

I should also mention the other varieties that are made with milk chocolate, though no less interesting. The “Naga Bar” is made with sweet Indian curry powder and coconut flakes. The “Barcelona Bar” has hickory smoked almonds and grey sea salt. Now if only Vosges could do these in a dark chocolate version with raw ingredients!

While each of these bars are a sample size of .5 ounces each, they do come in full-sizes which can be ordered directly from vosgeschocolate.com. There you will find an even more extensive selection of chocolate bars with ingredients such as goji berries, organic walnuts, green tea, kalamata olives, cardamom, and plums! You’ll have fun on their website checking out all the treats. The products make excellent gifts as well. I’m all over that. . .

<3, JMK

This absolutely cool Zumex orange juice machine is nothing too new. You may have even seen them in juice bars or restaurants. This particular one has been with me for almost two years, and even longer for my husband since he bought it way before we were married. Why am I just now getting excited about it?

Because for some reason, I’ve been craving orange juice more than I can ever remember. It’s not that I didn’t like it before, just not more than a few sips. The acid has always seemed to upset my stomach. But no more. And there’s nothing like freshly squeezed, sweet Valencia oranges!

Here’s how this juicy, mechanical box of coolness works

Dump your case of oranges (or just a few if you fancy) into the reservoir on top.

And then all you do is flip the switch…

The neat little rotating wheels do their magic by slicing each orange in half and squeezing…

And the orange rinds are conveniently and automatically discarded into the receptacle neatly hidden behind a cabinet door. I pour my freshly squeezed, perfect juice from the tap…

And then I am sure to tag and claim before chilling in the fridge, or it will surely be gone before I even make it out of the kitchen!

The Zumex pumps out about a liter of juice in about 30 seconds. I’ve been drinking 1/2 to 1 liter nearly every day now for the past 2 weeks! Obviously there’s something going on in the ol’ bod that needs this liquid sunshine. Guess it could be worse, right?

<3, JMK