Avocado, cocoa and roast banana cream pie

Yet another recipe developed for class, diet pastry last semester. Such an easy dessert to make, inspired by vegan pinterests I’ve been following, and a huge breakthrough for my eating habits, like incorporating an avocado in a dessert (I don’t even like the damn fruit).

So basically, the first step consists in baking a tart base. Gluten-free if you need it (I did for my project), if by any chance, you are not allergic to gluten, the fact you choose to gluten-free products/recipes/ingredients, won’t make you any healthier. Freakishly disturbing the amount of crazy people out there that think this is true, well, it’s not. (Although lactose is a whole different story, I promise to dish out the info sometime soon)

The filing is the most simple thing I have ever cooked, for a moment I felt quite ashamed about presenting such an uncomplicated technique, but what the heck, whoever is on a diet will never what to make such an effort doing so.

Just to embellish the dish a little, I garnished the plate with some bruléed banana slices, slithered almonds and cilantro flowers. Pretty darn simple, yet beautifully composed.

 

 

Tart base (gluten-free):

• 256 grams gluten-free flour
• 2 grams salt
• 100 g margarine
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons cold water

Procedure: mix flour with the salt and incorporate the cold margarine with finger tips, without giving it too mush heat. While using the twirly ends of a beater (if you have a kitchen aid, use the dough hook), add in the previously beaten egg with the cider vinegar, and the cold water, one tablespoon at a time. Mix till combined, cover in plastic wrap and let set in the fridge for about 30 minutes (not because the gluten needs to relax – there is non! – but to firm up the dough before rolling it out).

Roll out the dough, as thin as you possibly can, fill and form a mini tartlet dish and blind bake it with weights (dried chickpeas or beans on parchment paper), at 175ºC until golden and firm.

 

Filling:

• 1 very ripe avocado
• 1 whole roast banana (with skin, until completely black)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 20 grams low fat, dutched cocoa (the darker it is, higher pH and much more intense dutch process)
• 1 tablespoon soy/almond/lactose free milk

Procedure: blend all ingredients (just don’t forget to take the banana out of the peel). So simple. Next, you just need to fill the tartlet, add garnishes and voilá.

If by any chance you do not know how to brulé banana slices: cover the surface of the wedge with sugar, use a torch to caramelize it, just beware about doing it to ahead of time, sugar is way hygroscopic, aka absorbing too much moisture from surrounding air, it will get soggy and loose that brulé crunch.