5th December 2014     By Trinity Bourne     Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

I love dispelling the myth that healthy food can’t be absolutely delicious.
There’s something really satiating about eating a dessert that not only tastes scrumptious, but is also full of healthy ingredients.
My ‘Fig-a-licious Vegan Tart’ is free from diary, egg, wheat, gluten, refined sugar and it STILL tastes delectable. We absolutely love this one here, so I felt to share it for anyone else looking for a tasty, gluten-free, vegan treat.

Serves: 4 – 6

Baking: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

– 250g (9 oz) figs, plus water to soak
– 1 heaped teaspoon of orange or lemon rind
– 75g (2½ oz) rice flour (brown or white)
– 75g (2½ oz) tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch)
– 1 heaped tablespoon ground flax seed
– 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil
– 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
– Extra dash of oil (to oil the tin)
– Extra rice flour (for rolling on)

You will also need:

• A round baking tin with pop out bottom (12cm/8 inches in diameter) or something similar (The pop out bottom is not essential, although it will help you get the tart out when it has baked)
• A fine grater (for orange/lemon rind)
• Blender
• Rolling pin
• Sharp knife to cut the top pastry layer

 

Directions

1. Soak figs in water overnight (or at least 3 hours) to soften for blending.
2. Finely grate orange peel (or lemon rind).
3. Drain figs and blend together with the grated orange peel. Put this to the side whilst you prepare the gluten-free pastry.
4. Briefly mix rice flour, tapioca flour, ground flax seed together in a mixing bowl.
5. Mix in coconut oil, rice syrup and vanilla essence with a spoon. Once it has started to combine together nicely, use the back of your spoon to ‘press’ it all together until you have one large ball of pastry.
6. Lightly oil the cake tin.
7. Take about half of the pastry ball/lump, place it in the middle of the tin and press downward in all directions until it is evenly spread all over. This should create a layer about ½ cm (¼ inch) thick. If it’s a bit too thick in one place and lacking in another, then just press & push (a bit like being a pastry massage therapist) until it’s sort of even. Doesn’t have to be perfect.
8. Create a fig layer on top of the pastry by spreading your blended fig mixture evenly all over. Spoon it on and then spread with a blunt knife.
9. Take the remaining pastry from the mixing bowl and roll into a thick cylindrical shape (doesn’t have to be perfect). Lightly flour your kitchen counter top and begin to roll until the pastry is approximately ¼ cm (⅛ inch) thick. This can be a little fiddly, but get’s much easier with practice.
10. Use a sharp knife to cut your rolled pastry into strips of approximately 1cm width (½ inch) wide. Carefully lift strips (using a cake slice/spatula if you have one) and form a lattice pattern on top. There is a bit of an art to creating a lattice pattern and, honestly, the best way to learn is just to make it up as you go a long. If you don’t want to create a lattice then use your creativity to  do what ever you feel like on top instead.
11. Bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6 (200˚C/400˚F) for approximately 25 minutes or until the pastry begins to tan on top.
12. Serve warm, right away or allow to cool. They should keep nicely for a few days in a sealed container.