tomato and plum cornmeal galettes with basil cashew cream

because summer ain't over till there's no more tomaters.
#GRAMMAR
Tomato and Plum Cornmeal Galettes 
with Basil Cashew Cream.

don't go, tomato.

I made a lot of delicious foodstuffs this summer. 

I made and ate a lot of delicious foodstuffs this summer. 

I made and ate and forgot to post about a lot of delicious foodstuffs this summer. 

Things happened. 

Fun was had. 

Days were long, the sun was bright. 

Feet were bare and delicious growing things were abundant.

There were road trips and boat trips and cold beers and grilled pizzas. 

There was music.

There was ocean rock skipping and boozy fireside storytelling.

Times were good. 

Times ARE good- if only a tiny bit chillier.

Yeah, the calendar says October, but I believe summer to be a fluid concept. 

A state of being the ebb and flow of which is entirely dependent on 

local tomato availability.

Soon mountains of dirt-caked root vegetables will replace the last lingering 

super-saturated nightshades. 

But not quite yet.

So put on a sweater, give those overeager fallen leaves the swift ass (stem?) kicking they so richly deserve, head to the market, and get baking.

itsy bitsy.

Plum and Cherry Tomato Cornmeal Tart 
with Basil Cashew Cream

(makes 5 medium tarts)

crust:

1/2c unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2c stoneground cornmeal

1/3c unrefined coconut oil

1/2c chilled water

1/2tsp ground sea salt

filling:

2c plums, any variety, sliced into quarters or eighths depending on their size

1c halved cherry tomatoes, I used a mix of heirloom, sungold, and sweet 100 varieties

1c unrefined sugar + 1-2Tbsp extra for topping

1tsp fresh lemon juice
1tsp vanilla extract

2-3 large basil leaves, thinly sliced, for garnish

cashew cream:

1c raw cashews

1/2c fresh basil leaves
2tsp fresh lemon juice

1Tbsp maple syrup

1/4tsp ground sea salt

Raspberry-Cashew Cream Cheese Pinwheels in a Coconut Oil Crust

my head hurts and everything smells like berries...

Raspberry-Cashew Cream Cheese Pinwheels

in a Coconut Oil Crust.

worth it.

Did you ever have one one of those delayed hangover mornings where you don't realize the full extent of your hungover-ness until you undertake a way too massive baking project? C'mon, anyone? This is not a situation I find myself in too frequently as of late; sadly (?) my reckless "party like a rock star all night then bake vegan treats all morning" days are waning. But the weekend will ALWAYS call for baked goods and in that two day span I will, on occasion, go a little to hard at the brown liquor. And yeah, on some mornings those two things can create slightly unpleasant overlap. Last Saturday was a full day and night of social consumption but I jumped out of bed the next morning bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and almost annoyingly pumped to make use of my handpicked raspberry haul from the previous week. I had battled many a bee for those perfect little berries and they were destined for greatness. So tea was made and dough was cranked out like nobody's business. Then the fatigue set in. My eyeballs started to feel dry and the thought of continuing to move my body in any way at all became massively unappealing. But I was already in too deep, raspberry pinwheels were the chosen course of action for the morning and there was no turning back. The rest was a blur of whirring food processor blades, berry-stained fingers and uncontrollable sweating, but at the end there they were.

All pink and swirly, and totally worth it.

This is life in the fast lane, my friends.

It's not for everyone, but for those that can handle it...

Party like an aging rock star, make raspberry pinwheels, rest, repeat as necessary.

Or sub out the whole party thing and just make the damn pinwheels.

Your head will hurt way less and there are still delicious baked goods at the end.

do what the sign says.

seasonal rituals: u-pick at sunshine farm in sherborn, ma.

Baked Banana Bourbon Donuts with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

mmm...alliterative. 

Baked Banana-Bourbon Donuts with 
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting.

The answers are all here.

I wouldn't call myself a particularly together person. Most of the time I'm bordering on what could only be described as mildly unhinged and grasping for answers, but there are two things I know with absolute certainty: 1) bourbon makes everything better and 2) the same can be said of donuts. Emboldened by these dual concrete truths and inspired by a few past their prime bananas, a donut pan and a bottle of our finest barrel aged, I embarked on some EXTREMELY CONFIDENT
baked banana-bourbon donut making. 

Plus a little cashew cream cheese frosting composition, for good measure,
and further alliterative hilarity. 

Baked Banana-Bourbon Donuts

(makes 10 donuts, using a standard donut pan)

2 large over-ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 1/2c whole wheat pastry flour

1/3c melted unrefined coconut oil

2/3c brown sugar

1Tbsp ground flax seed

+

3Tbsp boiling water

2Tbsp bourbon

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2tsp sea salt

1tsp baking soda

2tsp cinnamon

Mini Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

tiny cake for the win.

Mini (Raw Vegan) Chocolate Cheesecake.

because tiny cake always wins.

I could, if properly motivated, carefully craft some sort of elaborate origin story

 for this cake, but it would be a filthy lie. 

The truth is simple. 

I wanted raw cheesecake, the ingredients were on hand and...cake happened. 

More specifically raw vegan chocolate cheesecake with coconut walnut crust. 

Boom.

Now go make some, 'cause its pretty dope. 

(shortest. blog post. EVER.)

Mini Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

(makes one 4 1/2" cake)

you will need a mini springform pan
or
something comparably sized. 

filling:

1/2c raw cashews

1/2c raw walnuts +

water for soaking

3Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2Tbsp raw agave syrup

(can also use maple or brown rice syrup, not raw)

1/2tsp sea salt
2Tbsp softened raw coconut oil

1Tbsp raw cacao powder

1/2tsp vanilla extract