Raw Custard and Fruit Tart
I've been drooling over cashew-based raw foods for years, my favorite being the raw vegan "cheesecake" at places like Ecopolitan in Minneapolis and Cafe Gratitude in California. I imagined that these foods involved more magic than I could muster, and so I never attempted to make them myself. Last week, as always, my mother was making the ever-popular Yule Log (or Bûche de Noël for you francophiles) for her annual pre-Christmas family dinner. I have been making an additional dessert for some years now, usually an apple or pecan pie. This year I wanted to do something different that utilized the fresh, local fruit that I crave whenever I visit California. I decided to make a fruit tart with a custard filling much like a vegan cheesecake. It turns out there is no magic, just a little preparation and some trial and error. I'll do my best to reproduce the recipe here, but since it's a result of a lot of eyeballing and taste-testing, you may want to...