Cardamom and Sea Salt Ganache Tart

If I'm to be honest, I often dread birthday celebrations. It seems like an excuse  to cram as much sugar into yourself as possible, hang the consequences. 

Now, I'm not saying sweet stuff is bad. At all. Sweet stuff tastes amazing! Sweet stuff like fruits, veggies, some nuts...yum! Full of fibre, vitamins and packed with flavour. I'm juts keen to reduce my addiction to processed foods with loads and loads of hidden, added sugar. It's amazing to discover that when you do reduce sugar consumption- you can actually taste food again. It's like the overcoat sugar put over your tongue is gone! Crazy but true.

So, when my eldest daughter requested I make her birthday cake, and gave me a list of 4 healthier options to choose from, I was delighted.

This dessert is very, very rich. That's a bonus, as you don't want to eat too much of it. 

I love experimenting. Regular readers will also know I rarely stick to a recipe. This is no exception. 

Thanks to Sarah Wilson's IQS inspired recipe for this baby...

CARDAMOM & SEA SALT GANACHE TART

ingredients:

FILLING:
270 mls coconut cream
2 tbs cardamom pods, lightly crushed with a flat blade until pods open
1/2 ts vanilla
120 g 80-90% chocolate (I love Lindt for this)
Pinch of sea salt
Shredded coconut to garnish
1 punnet blueberries
1/4 cup rice malt syrup

CRUST:
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
2 cups shredded coconut
1 tbs raw cocao or cocoa powder

method:

• preheat oven 180 degrees C.
• for crust, melt coconut oil and rice malt in a pan.
• remove from heat and stir in coconut and cocoa.
• press mixture into the base and up the sides of a quiche tart. I used a small, spring-form cake tin lined with baking paper.
• bake for 15-20 mins.
• remove and let it cool down and firm up.
• Next, heat coconut cream, cardamom pods, rice malt and vanilla in a saucepan.
• bring to a simmer, turn off, cover with a lid, leave for 10 mins.
• Strain mixture.
• Discard pods.
• Add chocolate and sea salt to coconut mixture. Whisk until silky.
• Pour into tart shell. Immediately top with blueberries and shredded coconut.
• Bung it into the fridge for 2 hrs.
• Enjoy!

And here we have it, the finished tart. Pretty and delish.

The crunchy, chocolaty, coco-nutty crust lends perfectly to the sharp, semi sweet filling with divine blueberries on top. 

The cooking process was actually ridiculously easy. The cardamom in coconut milk smelt a little like a yummy batch of chai tea underway :)

Chocolate ganache in the tart. Notice my mobile phone reflection- it's a glossy mixture!

The perfect, sweet, salty, tart treat. 

I love complex flavours, and this didn't disappoint.

Impress your friends with this one dinner party! It is sure to be a hit.