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Chef Barry Horton
The Ravens Restaurant at Stanford Inn
MENDOCINO, CA
(Serves 6)
Chocolate Walnut Crust
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup brown or cane sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix together – one at a time - chopped walnuts, canola oil, sugar, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Blend with hands until uniform in color and texture.
3. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 10-inch tart pan and then add crust, pressing firmly into pan. Bake for 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust.
Vegan Chocolate Ganache Filling
1 1⁄4 pounds organic silken tofu (1 plus 2/3 boxes)
1 1⁄4 cups of water
2 vanilla beans scraped, or 1 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3⁄4 cup evaporated cane juice or sugar
Pinch of salt
1⁄2 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1. Combine tofu, water, vanilla, sugar, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot, breaking apart tofu with a whisk. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until liquid reduces and tofu turns a light golden color, approximately 45 minutes (to be done before we start to make the crust).
2. Chop the bittersweet chocolate and melt it over a double broiler (we’re going to put it right over the pot the tofu is in).
3. In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, blend warm tofu mixture with melted chocolate until smooth.
4. Pour into pre-baked chocolate walnut crusts and chill thoroughly until firm.