Ingredients

150 g whole rice, washed in cold water, well drained then cooked in water until very tender
160 g rice malt syrup
3 tablespoons light and fruity extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 organic lemon, grated
3 tablespoons whole rice flour
80 g corn flour (GMO-free)
a pinch of whole sea salt
a few pinches of vanilla powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch (GMO-free)
3 handfuls of sultanas, soaked in 3 tablespoons mirin for about 15 minutes then drained and pat dried
powdered brown cane sugar or extra fine almond flour, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170° C. Place cooked rice, malt syrup and oil in the bowl of a mixer and process until very smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add all remaining ingredients and stir well until everything is incorporated. Place a sheet of parchment-paper on a baking tray and scoop up a spoonful of batter and drop it onto the parchment-paper. Repeat with remaining mixture. Once the fritters have been placed on the baking sheet bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden on both sides (you can turn the fritters over with a spatula). Remove from the oven, transfer onto a plate, absorb any excess oil with kitchen paper (this step shouldn’t be really necessary), sprinkle with some powdered sugar or almond flour and eat warm.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g semi-whole wheat flour
80 g wholemeal flour
120 g almond flour
40 g unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
50 g muscovado sugar
half a teaspoon vanilla powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
a pinch of whole sea salt
180 g barley malt syrup
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
200 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
100 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)

For the chocolate sauce

300 ml almond milk, unsweetened
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
half a teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered cold water

For the chocolate ganache

150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), broken into pieces
200 g rice malt syrup
50 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)
half a teaspoon fine ground Himalayan salt

To complete

chopped candied ginger (candied with dark brown sugar), to taste
dark chocolate curls (made with a vegetable peeler dragged down one side of the chocolate block from top to bottom), to taste

Makes 16-20 squares.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) cake pan, or alternatively, lay down a sheet of parchment paper on your cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together the semi-whole wheat flour, wholemeal flour, almond flour, cacao powder, muscovado, vanilla, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well.
Place the barley malt syrup, extra virgin olive oil, almond milk and almond cream in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. The centre of the cake should be firm but still a little moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the almond milk, rice malt syrup, ginger juice, vanilla extract, ginger powder and salt in a saucepan and start cooking over low heat. Add the cacao powder while you keep stirring. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the cornstarch and cook for another minute or until the sauce is slightly thick (don’t stop stirring while it thickens). Let cool for a few minutes but not too long as the sauce will thicken a bit further as it cools.

When the cake has cooled, remove it from the pan and cut into squares. Poke a few holes in the squares, using a fork or stick. Pour some chocolate sauce over them little by little and let it soak in. Set aside for a while, to let cool again and let the sauce make everything moist. In the meantime you can make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a saucepan together with the rice malt syrup, almond cream and Himalayan salt and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has completely melted and everything is combined. Let cool for a bit then pour the ganache over the top of  the cake squares and garnish with the candied ginger and chocolate curls.

Ingredients

For the crust

The recipe is here. You will need about 80-100 g of dough in order to make 2 tart shells. of about 15 cm. The quantities vary according to the thickness you prefer for the single shells.

For the hazelnut cream

200 ml almond milk
a pinch of whole sea salt
2 tablespoons hazelnut butter
1 teaspoon thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon agar agar powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch (GMO-free), dissolved in 2 tablespoons filtered water
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup

Quantities indicated here are enough for 2 tart shells of about 15 cm. To fill a single larger tart you will of course have to double or triple the quantities.

To complete

coarsely chopped hazelnuts, to taste
thyme leaves, preferably fresh, to taste
rice malt syrup, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. When you’re ready to roll the dough, take it from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm). Oil your tart pans and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough in the pans, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, and transfer the pans into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden (cooking time varies according to the thickness). Let cool a tiny bit before removing the tart from the pan and filling with the cream.

To make the hazelnut cream, pour the almond milk in a pan over low heat, then add the salt. Stir, add the hazelnut butter and keep stirring until it has completely melted. Add the thyme, using a tea infuser spoon or ball, and turn the heat to medium-high. Remove the thyme/infuser after 3-5 minutes and add the agar agar, while you stir until it has dissolved. Add the cornstarch and keep stirring for a few more minutes until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat, add the rice malt syrup and stir to combine. If the texture of the cream is grainy, mix with an immersion blender to make it smoother. Set aside to cool slightly before you fill the tarts.

To complete, fill the tarts with the hazelnut cream, scatter the hazelnuts and thyme leaves over the top and drizzle with the rice malt syrup.

Ingredients

200 g semi-whole Manitoba flour
100 g whole rice flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
a pinch of whole sea salt
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
100 ml agave syrup
100-120 ml oat milk
half a teaspoon of essicated ginger powder
half a teaspoon cinnamon powder
2-3 pinches of powdered cloves
3-4 pinches of grated nutmeg
a pinch of mace powder
a pinch of vanilla powder
a pinch of cardamom powder
2 firm apples (I used Golden Delicious)

Makes 12-14 muffins.

Directions

Preheat oven to 170° degrees C. In a large bowl combine the Manitoba flour, rice flour, cream of tartar, salt and spices. In another bowl combine the oil, agave and milk. Whisk well and fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (preferably using a wooden spatula). Stir gently until the ingredients are combined but make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Add the apples and stir againg just to make sure they’re evenly incorporated into the batter. Fill the muffin cups or muffin tray with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tray or muffin molds.

Tips, thoughts and ideas

You can either use single greaseproof muffin cases or paper cases placed in a muffin tray. If you spoon the batter directly into the muffin tray, make sure you lightly oil the molds and sprinkle them with flour.

Ingredients

For the crust

50 g cornmeal (GMO-free)
100 g whole wheat flour
100 g whole rice flakes’ flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of vanilla powder
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
70 ml natural mineral or filtered water, at room temperature

Makes about  24 discs (tartlets) or 1 20-22 cm crust.

For the custard

4 tablespoons plain and unsweetened soy yogurt (GMO-free)
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
3 tablespoons raw almond butter
a pinch of whole sea salt

Makes about half a cup of custard, which is just enough to top 6-8 tartlets, 6-8 cm each.

To complete

fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
a sprinkle of powdered whole cane sugar

Directions

First, make the custard. In a bowl, mix the soy yogurt, malt syrup, almond butter and salt. Whisk until very smooth then refrigerate for about 1 hour.

When ready to make the crust, preheat the oven to 180° C. Stir the flours, salt and vanilla together in a large bowl, then add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Add the water little by little, to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated in the recipe. As soon as the dough holds together, you don’t need any more water. Knead until you have a smooth dough. Transfer the ball of dough in a flour-dusted bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

When the dough is ready to be rolled, take it and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm), then cut out  round disc shapes using a round cookie cutter or  a cup and place the  discs on an oven tray lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Poke a few holes in the  tartlets with a fork to let the steam escape, and transfer the pan into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden (cooking time varies according to the thickness, as well as the oven), then remove from the oven and let cool.

Once the custard is set and the tartlets are cold, arrange them on a serving plate or tray just before serving. Spoon some custard onto each tartlet, top with the raspberries and blueberries and sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Enjoy.