Crudessence, Tiramisu and French Lesson #1.

My version of raw Tiramisu from Crudessence.
I discovered CRUDESSENCE, the Montreal based raw food restaurant about two years ago; love at first sight... I have discovered their amazing Tiramisu a couple of months ago... I will be sharing the recipe with you so read on.  Crudessence Academy (yes, there is an academy as well) offers interesting courses and I will be taking some in the near future. Yep, that's wright! I love everything about them.
If you are my client you already know that I wholeheartedly believe beauty does not come from a tube of the latest skin care product. In my opinion food we eat forms the base for a healthy body and healthy skin. I am always eager to broaden my nutritional knowledge for my own good but also so I can be a better support to you...
Now, back to Tiramisu; a lot of people expressed they would like the recipe and I myself wanted it badly. This is what happened...
Crudessence has a 'cookbook' and the Tiramisu recipe is in it. Naturally I got the book. Here is the trick, the book is in French and I do not know how to speak the 'language of love'. So with this book I am not only learning how to make Tiramisu but also I am getting a French lesson.
I have learned English by listening to the lyrics of songs. It looks like I will be learning French from a 'cookbook'. I am totally up for it... Thus French lesson #1...
A little note about the book; it is beautiful with lots of delicious recipes and wonderful photography.
It is a fresh and vibrant invitation to raw food exploration:)) Just as a book about live food ought to be. If you can, get it!

 
The famous Tiramisu by Crudessence.




OK, lets get to work...
 
You will need:
Almonds, cashews, espresso coffee, dates, agave nectar, cocoa powder, coconut oil, soy lecithin, vanilla extract(without alcohol), agar, sea salt, water.
The recipe is given in stages and in each stage the amount of ingredients is specified.
I have used my food processor for all the mixing. It worked great.


Tiramisu by Crudessence - the recipe.
Night before
Soak ½ cup of almonds for 8 hours.
In another container, infuse 1tsp ground espresso in ¼ cup of water for 8 hours.
The day of
Soak ½ cup of cashews in a fridge for 4 hours.
Rinse the cashews and almonds very well and pour out the water from the soak.
Filter the coffee / keep the infusion and discard the grinds.
Make almond milk with the soaked almonds and 2 cups of water.
How to make almond milk for this recipe?
Place the 1/2 cup of soaked and drained almonds and 2 cups of purified water in a blender. Blend for couple of minutes. Strain through nut milk bag or cheesecloth.
The cake
In a bowl mix: 1 ¼ cup of ground almonds, 1/3 cup of date paste, 1tsp of vanilla extract (without alcohol),  1/8tsp of sea salt, 2Tbsp of coconut oil and 2Tbsp of almond milk. Mix well. Distribute the mixture at the bottom of a cake pan (8 inch in diameter).  Put in the freezer while you are preparing the Mocha layer.
How to make a date paste?
2 ½ cups of dates and 1½ cups of water.  Make sure dates are covered with water and soak for 2 hours. Put the dates and water in a food processor and blend.
*This is way too much for our recipe, you will need only a bit. However it will keep good in the fridge for a long time so you may use the rest in other recipes.
Mocha layer
Mix the following ingredients with a mixer: 1 1/2Tbsp of date paste, 2Tbsp of agave nectar, 1½ Tbsp of cacao powder, 2¼ tsp vanilla extract (without alcohol), 1/8tsp sea salt, 2Tbsp of coconut oil, 1 ½ tsp of soya lecithin.
Next add coffee and ½ cup of almond milk to these ingredients and mix well.
In a pan mix 2Tbsp of water with ¾tsp Agar. Bring to simmer stirring frequently. In the meantime take the cake out of the fridge. Once agar/water is brought to simmer remove from the stove and wait 2 min. After 2 min. blend the agar/water mixture with the mocha layer (turn few times). Immediately pour the mocha layer onto the cake and place it back in the freezer.
Top layer
Rinse the cashews and pour out the water.
With a mixer blend the following: ½ cup of cashews, 1/3 cup of coconut oil, ½ cup of water, 2Tbsp agave nectar, ½tsp vanilla extract (without alcohol), 1/8tsp of sea salt, 2 ¼tsp soy lecithin add 1 cup of almond milk and mix until creamy.
Take the cake out of the freezer and make sure that the mocha layer has solidified before putting the icing on top. 
Place back in the freezer for 2 more hours.
Dust with cacao powder before serving.
Voila, enjoy:))


Dessert does not have to be a guilt ridden pleasure. This one is delicious and full of precious nutrients. Do not eat the whole thing in one sitting though. I know, it is going to be very tempting... .


Tiramisu will keep in a fridge for 10 days and for 4 months in your freezer in a sealed container.

The recipe is easy to make but requires good organizing like it is with many raw food dishes. Definitely worth your time...





Thank you CRUDESSENCE! I can not wait to try more of your awesome recipes. My family and I will keep on translating your beautiful book but I do hope one day you will come out with an English version:)) Merci Beaucoup,

Magdalena