Raspberry Chocolate Pie (with Almond Crust) for One

You'll be glad that this recipe makes a little more than a single serving. I shared the raspberry version (made in a small casserole) with two friends and ate one of the cherry versions yesterday and the other today. It's just right for a post-rehearsal treat! 

Makes a small single-serving casserole-sized tart or two ramekins.

For the Crust:

1/3 cup raw almonds

½ cup pitted dates

Pinch of salt

For the Raspberry Sauce:

¼ cup fresh raspberries

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

For the Chocolate Filling

½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 15 minutes in water

1 TBLSP maple syrup

2 TBLSP water

2 pitted dates

2 TBLSP coconut oil

1 TBLSP unsweetened cocoa powder

                A dozen or so fresh raspberries for decoration

Line a single-serving-sized casserole or two ramekins with parchment paper. This may be a nice art project for you, as parchment paper doesn’t come in little ramekin shapes. You might try only lining the bottom and thoroughly spraying the sides with cooking spray. It won’t come unstuck quite as well, though, and you'll have to go around the edges with a paring knife.

Set the cashews to soaking before you begin anything else, and they’ll be ready when you need them.

To Make the Crust:

1. Place almonds, dates, and salt in a blender or food processor and pulse until it’s a sticky mass.
2. Press the dough into the ramekin bottom and up the sides. The sides don’t need to be completely covered, but make sure that the bottom is.

For the Raspberry Sauce:

1.  Put raspberries and powdered sugar in the blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth, although there will still be seeds.

To Make the Filling:

1. Place cashews, maple syrup, water, dates, coconut oil, and cocoa powder in the blender or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth.

To Assemble the Pie:

1. Pour the Raspberry Sauce into the bottom of the nut/date crust. Completely coat the bottom.
2. Pour the chocolate filling into the ramekin, making sure that it goes all the way to the sides but doesn’t climb above the top of the sides of the crust. The Raspberry sauce will try to escape, so keep a stern eye on it.
3.  Top the chocolate filling with fresh raspberries.
4. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight, until the filling is firm.

Variation:

·         Replace raspberries with fresh cherries. In the filling, increase the chocolate by a teaspoon and add a slosh of vanilla extract. 

Replace raspberries with fresh strawberries (and a modeling chocolate flower)

Fig Tartlet for One

I really like figs. No really. Not just they're my favorite, but I'm OBSESSED with them. They have a short season, and I make a complete glutton of myself.

But figs are pretty sweet, and you can't just eat sweets all the time, so here's my recipe for a savory little personal tart.

Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 TBLSP shortening or vegan butter

1 ½ TBLSP ice water (or half vodka)

Topping

            1 TBLSP olive oil

3 slices of red onion, cut in half or thirds

            1 clove garlic, diced finely

            3 TBLSP balsamic vinegar

            Pinch of sugar (optional)

            4 Kalamata olives, sliced into circles

            2 Mission figs, quartered or cut into eighths

Make the Dough

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the water/vodka and mix until it holds together in a very soft dough. (Vodka is a pie-maker’s trick. If you use it the crust will be a little lighter. In such small quantities, though, you may not notice the difference. The alcohol burns off, so you don’t taste it, but, like the water, it evaporates and leaves little fluffy openings in the dough.)
•  Form the dough into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just squish it together until it holds.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 7- or 8-inch circle or square, or just a rough shape. Fold the edges up and over to make a little ridge to hold the toppings in. It doesn’t have to be pretty, or round; in fact the more organic the shape of the crust, the more pleasing the appearance.
• Put the crust onto the parchment paper on which you’ll bake it, and then onto a plate. Stick it in the refrigerator for an hour or two (overnight is fine). You might want to cover it with plastic wrap if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge or you plan to leave it for longer

Make the Topping

•  Place the olive oil and onion slices in a small saucepan, and on a medium or low heat, sauté them until they’re fairly soft but not quite translucent. Perhaps 7 or 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent.
• Carefully (it will splatter) add the balsamic vinegar and continue to sauté until the liquid is mostly gone. You can sprinkle in a pinch of sugar if you like, or if your figs aren’t particularly sweet.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Assemble the Tartlet

• Put the dough and its parchment paper onto a baking sheet and slip it into the hot oven for 5 or 6 minutes while you cut up the olives and figs.
•  On the now-warm crust, spread the caramelized onions evenly on the bottom. Scrape in as much of the yummy juice as you can.
• Arrange the figs on top of the onions in an artful way and then sprinkle the olives on top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown, the onions bubbly, and the figs all squishy.
• Let it cool on a rack for five minutes before devouring.

Peach Pie for One

This little pie is labor-intensive, and you will spend MUCH longer making it than eating it, but boy oh boy is it worth it! Peaches are in season now, so go and get yourself some ripe ones!

Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 TBLSP shortening or vegan butter

2 teaspoons ice water

2 1/2 teaspoons vodka (you can use all ice water, if you prefer)

Filling

1 TBLSP granulated sugar

½ TBLSP brown sugar, packed

1 very ripe fresh peach, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

A sprinkle of ground nutmeg

A sprinkle of ground cinnamon

A shake of salt (less than a pinch)

Juice of one lemon wedge

½ teaspoon vegan butter

Topping

            1 teaspoon almond milk

            1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Make the Dough

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the water and vodka and mix until it holds together in a very soft dough. (Vodka is a pie-maker’s trick. If you use it the crust will be a little lighter. In such small quantities, though, you may not notice the difference. The alcohol burns off, so you don’t taste it, but, like the water, it evaporates and leaves little fluffy openings in the dough.)
• Form the dough into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just squish it together until it holds. If it's a hot day, refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. 
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough ball into a 7- or 8-inch circle or square.
• Put the dough, still flat, in the refrigerator for an hour or two (overnight is fine). I use the same waxed paper that I roll it on (speeds clean-up), slide it onto a plate, and cover with another sheet of waxed paper. You might prefer plastic wrap if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge.  

Make the Filling

•  Combine the sugars in a small bowl.
•  Put the peach pieces into the sugars with as much juice as you can capture, and give it a gentle stir. Cover and let it stand for a half hour. (After the half hour, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a ramekin. )
•  Drain the peaches, capturing the juice in a small saucepan. Set the fruit pieces aside while you deal with the juice.
•  To the small saucepan of juice, add the cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring. This should thicken quickly—in about a minute.
•  Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and butter. 
•  Gently fold in the peaches.

Your oven should be preheated to 375 degrees and your ramekin already greased. If you didn't do it before the third step in Make the Filling, do it now.  

Assemble the Pie

• Cut out a section of dough large enough to cover the bottom and sides of your ramekin, with about a half-inch extra at the top for folding over. You may have to do some trimming to avoid thick places.
• With the remaining dough, make enough thin strips (cut them with a floured knife) to make a lattice top, or cut a circle to place on top of the pie. I like to assemble the lattice on my waxed paper, and then lift it onto the filling. That way, the filling spends the least amount of time making the bottom crust soggy.
• Pour the filling into the crust.
• Assemble the lattice on top of the pie or place the crust. Crimp the edges to the ½ inch of extra dough from the bottom crust.
• Brush the top lattice or crust with milk. I just slopped some into a small bowl and did it with my fingers. Sprinkle the crust lightly with the sugar, just enough to make it sparkly. If you made a solid crust on top, prick it with a fork in several places.
•  Put the ramekin on a baking sheet (it can get messy), and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Let it cool on a rack. If you can wait until it's completely cool, it will taste better. (I had to leave the house in order to resist temptation.)