Tuesday 29 September 2015

H+H | Avocado cheesecake


           
 


This year's organic beauty week came with a message, campaign for clarity, and Soil Association found itself some ambassadors to represent the cause in the shape of the Hemsley sisters. It was a pleasure to have a chat with the girls at the Campaign for clarity event. Jasmine and Melissa are so vibrant and passionate about food that nourishes your beauty from the inside, and organic skincare that takes care of your skin from the outside. If you follow these enterprising ladies on social media you might already know that they are huge fans of Pai (rose hip oil in particular, which happens to be my old time favourite too). Melissa, it turns out, also loves nail varnishes, and while I really hope someone is working on a formula for a certified organic version, for the time being she really likes Intensae and Kure Bazaar (truly a girl after my own heart).

 

The Girls have been kind enough to share their amazing vegan avocado cheesecake for me to share with you guys. Avocado really is an incredible fruit (but I think we tend to consider it a vegetable), it is actually a type of pair, and it is high in monounsaturated fats and fibre. Avocados can help improve circulation and really are pretty wonderful for your skin (obviously it doesn't mean that you should gorge yourself on the stuff, just make it part of your diet).

 

Recipe:

Avocados are a great source of healthy fats and Vitamin E, which boosts the vitality and luminosity of skin. Try them in one of our most popular desserts, Avocado Lime Cheesecake. This New York- style cheesecake is packed full of goodness. The smooth creamy lime sits atop a nutty, chocolate base with a hint of coconut. Free from flour and refined sugar as with all our recipes, this Hemsley take on a classic is also dairy free. Simple to make, it’s the perfect pud that’ll keep everyone guessing.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

SERVES 12​​​

FOR THE BASE​​​

125g pecans (preferably ‘crispy’ activated - soaked in water for 24 hours and then dried until crispy - this promotes better digestion and reduces phytates)

45g desiccated coconut​​

70g cacao nibs​​

185g pitted dates​​

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted and at room temperature

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FOR THE FILLING​​​

560g avocado flesh (from about 5 medium-large avocados)

200ml lime juice (roughly 8–10 limes)​

1 tsp lime zest (avoid the bitter white pith)​​

190g raw honey​​

175ml coconut oil, melted and at room temperature​​

a few drops of stevia, to sweeten (optional)

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METHOD

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1 Preheat the oven to fan 150°C/Gas mark 3. Line the base and sides of a springform or loose-bottomed 18 cm round cake tin with baking paper.

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2 Toast the pecans and desiccated coconut on a lined baking tray in the oven for 7–8 minutes, until golden.

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3 Transfer the pecans and coconut to a food processor and add the rest of the base ingredients. Blend until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched (don’t let it go completely smooth).

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4 Tip the base mixture into the prepared tin.Press it down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon, ensuring it is neat and flat where it meets the sides of tin. Transfer to the fridge while you prepare the filling.

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5 Place all of the ingredients for the filling into a food processor and blend until the mixture is completely smooth and silky. Check for taste and add more lime juice, zest or sweeten with a little more honey or stevia according to preference, but it’s best to keep this deliciously tangy.

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6 Remove the cake tin from the fridge and pour the filling over the base. Cover the tin, using a plate, and return it to the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight, if possible, to set.

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7 To serve, run a knife around the inner edge of the tin and carefully push the base up from the bottom. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

 

 

*recipe and photo courtesy of the Hemsley and Hemsley.

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