Makes 6 tarts
Total time: 2 hours || Active time: 1 hour
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so why not go all out? Sure, if you’re in love then a pint of ice cream in your pjs might do the trick. But why not take this day to test the limits, bake dangerously and see what your love is made of? I mean, working with agar agar is really the pastry equivalent of slaying a dragon for the object of your affection. But that’s not vegan.
This tart is actually easier than I’m making it out to be, but I can see how it would be intimidating if you’ve never worked with these ingredients and methods before. The tart shell is made with pantry staples, including olive oil, which actually gives it a bit of buttery mystery. In order to achieve a soft, shortbread-like texture, the olive oil is partially frozen before being cut into the flour.
The filling is rich and creamy, with the help of coconut milk and cashew cream. It’s sweet and tangy and luscious and magenta and perfectly valentine-y. Plus, you’ll feel so smart and food-sciency working with starch and agar agar, and as you know, smart is sexy.
And that fancy swirl on the top isn’t even an extra step, it’s just some of the reserved berries and stuff that you cook down. But read the recipe and you’ll see what I mean! One thing though, I haven’t tried this in a regular tart pan, so you’ll have to procure some tart pans or improvise in some other way. But there’s enough time to order them, so do it! For the mixed berries, I used Trader Joes brand, which has blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. I think straight-up raspberry would be a great (and pretty) alternative, though.
A few notes to help you manage your time: About an hour before beginning the recipe, place the olive oil in a plastic receptacle of some sort and freeze until it’s congealed, but still somewhat liquidy. If it’s over-frozen, that’s ok, just let it thaw a bit so that you can work with it. Also, soak the cashews in water at least an hour before prepping everything else.
For the tart shell:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil, partially frozen (see note)
3 to 4 tablespoons almond milk
Cooking spray
For the filling:
1 cup cashews, soaked (see recipe notes)
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon powdered agar agar
8 oz frozen berries (about 1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
To make the dough, sift the flour, cocoa and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Don’t skip this step, you really need to break up the clumps. Rub the salt between your fingers to grind it down a little more, and add to the mixture.
Add the olive oil to the flour mixture in spoonfuls. Use about 1/4 cup at first, and cut it into the flour using either your fingers or a pastry cutter (I prefer to use my hands.) Add the rest and keep cutting it in until dough appears moist, clumpy and crumbly. Drizzle in the almond milk (start with 3 tablespoons) and mix until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers.
Lightly spray 6 four-inch mini-tart pans with cooking spray.
Distribute handfuls of dough equally amongst the tart pans, leaving a small amount in the mixing bowl (1/4 cup or so) in case you need to patch spot. Now one by one, firmly press the dough into the sides and bottom of the tart pan.
Now poke the shells all over with a fork (like so), and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove tarts from freezer and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool enough to touch begin the filling.
For the filling:
Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor or Vita-Mix type thing. Blend them with the coconut milk until totally smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. This can take up to 5 minutes.
In the meantime, measure out the almond milk and vigorously mix in the cornstarch until dissolved. Stir together the the milk, agar agar, frozen berries and sugar in a small (2 quart) sauce pot.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring pretty consistently. Once boiling, lower the heat so that you’re just getting small bubbles. Mix for about 10 more minutes, it should thicken up and become a loose gel. Let cool for 5 minutes or so (keep stirring, even though it’s cooling.)
Pour 1 3/4 cups of the berry mixture into the cashew mixture in the food processor. (Reserve the remaining berry mixture for drizzling.) Puree until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and puree to blend.
Now assemble:
Pour the puree into the baked tart shells, being careful not to overfill. If there’s a little extra filling left over then just place it alone in a cup and save it for a rainy day. Now, take the reserve berry mixture and use a spoon to drizzle it over the filled tarts in a spiral fashion, or however you like. A few splatters of berry only make it cuter.
Place tarts in the fridge to set, it should take about an hour. I have an enclosed porch that I let mine set on (because it was like 4 degrees outside) and they were ready in 30 minutes, but be patient, it may even take 2 or 3 hours for you depending on how cold your fridge is.
Once set, top with a few thawed berries and serve. I was thinking these would be even more amazing with a chocolate drizzle as well, so try that if you like!
yum x 1000
holy crow. so beautiful.
xo
kittee
wow… and i have everything needed to make them… i know what i’m doing tonight!
The picture looks mouth-watering!
Stunning! If my sweetie’s lucky I’ll attempt a batch of these next week…
The tarts look gorgeous and sooo delicious!
Isa, this is frickin gorgeous!
WTF! Shrazy. My boyfriend better be good.
how possible is it to make tiny versions in cupcake pans/liners? I don’t make tarts very often and don’t feel like I can justify spending $15 on the tins right now :/ sigh, the life of a “poor college student”. thanks for this recipe and ALL your recipes! you rock!
super beautiful eeesh.
off to buy a tart pan as soon as i can make it out of the drive way…
These look awesome, but I live overseas and I don’t have access to almond milk. Would soy milk work?
Yep it sure would!
So beautiful and not difficult either! Perfect 🙂
Do you think this would be alright attempted in a single 9″ tart pan? Then I could share it out to more people, less a personal romantic gesture & more of an ORGY of vegan valentines ;P
I think it would, please if you try it, report back! I’m sure other would like to know as well.
Maybe if I leave this window open, someone will make it for me. This looks amazing!
What adjustments would need to be made for using agar flakes instead of agar powder? It’s all I can find around here.
Thanks! Looks AMAZING.
Mmm, mmm, mmm. i think I might need to do a “run-through” before actual Valentine’s day 🙂 Thank goodness for SNOW DAYS today!!! Thanks for the beautiful recipe.
omg, these not only sound good, but they look amazing. I LOVE olive oil in baking. I think it lends a buttery taste.
Is there a nut-free substitute for cashews? I know they’re used all the time in vegan cooking for sauces and the like, but my boyfriend is allergic to nuts. Would something like tahini or soynut butter work?
I would probably just do coconut creme. Not sure the amount. Hmm, maybe 1 cup plus 1/2 cup more cocounut milk? Pretty fatty but I bet delicious. Up the agar by 1/2 teaspoon too cause agar likes to fight with fat.
Those look great. I might even think about making a bunch of smaller ones. What do you think?
These look amazing. I am going to have to make them for my hubby and kids. Happy Valentines!
These look like another great vegan meal. Can’t wait to try.
Yum. How perfect for a vegan chocoholic like myself:)
i HAVE to make these; they are so splendid looking. however, I don’t have a vitamix or a food processor and have been unsuccessful making cashew creme with my blender. can i sub cashew butter for the cashew puree?
This photo is stunning and these tarts are quite honestly one of THE most fabulous looking things I’ve seen in the blogworld as of late, I want one NOW!
Also, please know that I’ve had your cookbook on hold at my library FOREVER, it is ALWAYS checked out 🙂
i also have nut allergies – would would seeds be an appropriate alternative? i’m also allergic to sunflower seeds so hemp seeds would be my first choice.
would rice milk be a good sub for almond milk?
thx.
Tarts are by far my favorite dessert. I love since I was a kid. I like the mix between the hard tart shell and the creamy filling. I am sure this recipe is delicious.
Wow – never have I had such a desire to purchase tart pans! Looks great.
Do you know how you would adjust in order to use agar flakes instead of powder? Flakes are all that’s available around here….
Thank you! Looks amazing!!
One tablespoon flakes = 1 teaspoon powder, but soak the flakes beforehand or they won’t dissolve properly.
Those tarts look amazing!
Isa, I think that I will surround the bathtub with these pieces of art and pretend they are candles. Too good lookin’! Shebang!!!!! Happy Valentines Day…..
Delicious! I made this into one large tart rather than six small ones, which also worked really well. Your photographs of your food are always excellent. 🙂
That’s great to know, thanks!
This recipe looks amazing! But, is there a nut I could substitute for the cashews? Cashews are the -only- nut I am allergic to. On top of that, they are just the least healthy of all the nuts.
Great look for that tarts!! Lovely!!but there’s a way to do the filling without using agar-agar? It’s very hard to find it here…
Thank’s for all of your recepies!!
greetings from Italy!!!!
I’ve tried similar tarts with 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted into the filling and one tablespoon extra cornstarch. It’s still creamy but not quite as firm, but you might want to play around with that method.
i made one large 10″ tart instead of multiple smalls and it worked out great!
the only changes i would make are to strain out the seeds from the fruit and to reduce the amount of sugar in the filling to let the fruity sweetness stand out a little bit more. but those are both personal preference.
Ooh I’m very excited about trying these! I actually have a massive phobia of margarine – would this olive oil trick work in other recipes instead of the dreaded marge??
It works for me in most cases, but sometimes tweeking is necessary, mostly with the flour to oil ratio.
Oh, yes. Thank you, may I have another? 🙂
So beautiful! I will definitely be making these for my husband and my son! Any recommendations for a gulten-free flour sub? I would love to share one with someone I know who is celiac.
This looks gorgeous! Is it this too sweet? I’m kind of in a strict diet right now but, man I can’t fight my sweet tooth and I wanna bite this right away!
can the shells be made in advance???
I would also love to know if the shells can be made in advance, and whether or not they need to set in the tart pans. Thanks!
What about using arrowroot instead of cornstarch as a substitute for agar agar powder? I can’t find it locally at all. Or something like Cleargel or Suregel?
Would this work with any other gluten free flour, do you think?
(Haven’t read the rest of the comments to see if someone already asked.
I don’t see why not!
Would small foil pans of the same size work? I am also quite poor and not convinced I will be tarting it up all that often.
This looks amazing. It is my first time visiting your site, and I am inspired! Can’t wait to check out the rest of your site. Thanks! Looking forward to making these.
I made these in muffin tins and made them way to thick so the excess berry mix went into espresso cups. It worked out so well and they were super cute. I also learned that I needed to make about 20 mini muffin tarts instead of 10 because they were too thick. For my Bachelorette party I’m going to make little chocolate cups with the berry mousse for little finger dessert treats!