Entertaining in the Raw with Laurel Anderson

I knew about Laurel Anderson via her gorgeous cookbook Wild Plate which was named Cookbook of the Year by VegNews in 2014. Laurel not only created all of the recipes for the book, she did the food styling, photographs, and typography. I finally had the pleasure to meet Laurel in person in October on the Vegan Cruise Planners Cruise to Panama, and what a pleasure!! We each did a food demo, Laurel made her astonishing raw bean-less chili which was astonishing! In fact, that chili won a swanky chili cook off in LA. You will find that recipe and many more in Wild Plate. Don’t forget to enter the contest at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of Laurel’s book. Enjoy the recipe that Laurel has given us here and check out her newest project: Scout Box. I am thrilled that Laurel took the time from her busy life to be the December blogger for my Fabulous Women in Food series.

Amaretto and dark chocolate: a match made in holiday heaven!

Winter is, hands down, my favorite time of year to entertain. In fact, nothing brings me greater joy! This time of year in Nashville, the sun makes an early retreat in the late afternoon, tucking itself behind the hills as darkness awakes and the air turns cold and crisp. As the holiday party invitations are mailed off and our mailboxes (and inboxes) fill up, I always look forward to pulling out my favorite tacky, novelty sweater, cranking up the jazzy holiday tunes, and embracing the seasonal madness with open arms. Like most people, I tend to gravitate toward hot foods in the winter months. Though it can sometimes be a challenge when eating raw (nothing may be heated above 118 degrees), there are several creative ways one can conjure the feeling of warmth in raw cuisine.

For this recipe, the sweet, warming qualities of nutty amaretto and rich dark chocolate team up with pistachio and a hint of vanilla for a match made in holiday heaven! Let’s say you have an event or party coming up, and you’re trying to figure out what to make that can be enjoyed by all, including those party-goers whom when you say, “raw” or “vegan” run for the hills. This recipe will transcend any preconceived notions and is so tasty that ohhh’s and ahhh’s will permeate the air as people devour every last morsel. The hypnotic horizontal stripes of silky dark chocolate mousse and sweet amaretto cream, garnished with a dusting of crunchy pistachios, will excite all of the senses. Not only is this dessert delicious, healthy, and visually stunning; it’s also easy to make, requiring only a high-speed blender and time to set and chill. With each bite of this mini parfait, your guests’ taste buds will rejoice and you’ll be declared the “food star” of the party!

Print

Layered Dark Chocolate Mousse & Amaretto Cream with Pistachio Dust

Author Laurel Anderson

Ingredients

Dark chocolate mousse

• 1 ½ cups young coconut meat
• 3/4 cup young coconut water
• 3/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw light agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped, seeds only
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Amaretto cream

• 1 ½ cups young coconut meat
• 1/2 cup young coconut water
• 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw light agave nectar
• 2 ½ teaspoons almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Garnish

• 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
• Fresh raspberry seeds for added color, optional

Instructions

Make dark chocolate pudding

1. In high-speed blender add coconut meat, coconut water, cacao powder, maple syrup, agave nectar, vanilla, vanilla beans, and salt. Blend on high for about 2 minutes until coconut meat is broken down.
2. Add coconut oil and blend on high about 1 minute until pudding is smooth and creamy.

Make amaretto cream

1. In high-speed blender add coconut meat, coconut water, agave nectar, almond extract, and salt. Blend on high for about 2 minutes until coconut meat is broken down.
2. Add coconut oil and blend on high for about 1 minute until cream is totally smooth.

Assemble

1. Layer each 2.5-ounce shot glass with 1 tablespoon chocolate pudding followed by 1 tablespoon amaretto cream, repeat until you have 6 layers.
2. Sprinkle with a pinch of pistachio dust and a few slivered almonds. Add a few raspberry seeds for an extra pop of color.
3. Chill in refrigerator 4 hours or until set and slightly firm. These are great made the night before.

Recipe Notes

You can give your arms a workout by cracking your own young coconuts and scraping out the meat, or you can buy frozen organic young coconut meat and water. This will cut your prep time in half!

What is raw food?
A raw food diet is predominately vegan and never heated above a temperature of 118 degrees. It isn’t grilled, steamed, or cooked in any way that might damage the delicate nutrients and enzymes contained within. Raw foods contain living cells and are thus still “alive” when you eat them. In this dessert, I use maple syrup and flavor extracts, which are not technically “raw” but widely accepted and used in raw food recipes.

About Scout Box
Scout Box is a travel and lifestyle subscription box that combines our deep love of design and our yearning to travel. We are hitting the road searching small towns and cities across America with the goal of providing you with unique, handmade modern home goods. In the process we will be helping support local artisans, and in turn their local economy and communities. In recent years there has been growing concern from people about how and where their products are made. Scout Box was created in the hopes of returning to the days when you could feel good about the things you purchased and brought into your home. We feel that surrounding yourself with beautiful things gives you a sense of warmth, pleasure and inspiration. It is often said that your home is a true reflection of self; in essence it tells your story through design. Scout Box would like to be part of your story.

In addition to curating subscription boxes, we’ll be posting to our blog twice weekly with topics that range from home decorating ideas, travel guides, original plant-based recipes, restaurant recommendations, and DIY projects.

We are taking orders for our holiday box until December 15th at midnight PST  Type in code: WELOVEFRAN to receive $5.00 off your first order.

Laurel Anderson is a gourmet raw chef with an intense passion for all things healthy, sustainable, and delicious. A former professional dancer of ten years, she has always been driven to create art, and her decade-long career in raw cuisine is no exception.

Laurel recently released her first recipe book, Wild Plate; a passionately researched, meticulously compiled, and gorgeously photographed book of original raw dishes. With Wild plate; Laurel seeks to bring modern living cuisine to the masses with recipes anyone can enjoy.

Laurel has a signed copy of her book Wild Plate for one lucky winner. Follow the instructions below to enter. U.S. residents only, please Contest ends at midnight on December 20th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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