Every Culture has their “drink” – their signature beverage. From wine in France , to Tequila in Mexico or Vodka in Russia- wine and spirits often offer unique insight to a culture or a region’s identity. For most people Pisco falls some where in between.

You’ve probably heard of Pisco, but may or may not know where it comes from or what it is made of. Pisco is at the heart of a cultural battle of sorts. Two countries lay claim to this clear grape-based liquor, and the cocktail that it is most renown for, the Pisco Sour. These two countries are Peru and Chile. Their product is by no means identical. Chilean Pisco is slightly sweeter and of lower proof, where as Peruvian Pisco has more of a bite. This, in my opinion. makes for a better Pisco Sour.

You can find plenty of information on the two and fro as to who can actually lay claim to Pisco and the Pisco sour. But I won’t give you a research paper on the history behind this debate, because I may cause another one. I will only speak from my own experience and how, on a recent trip to Peru, I saw first-hand that Peruvians take pride in their Pisco. At first, I thought that the Pisco Sour might be a cliché, a tourist gimmick, and was a little leery of ordering it on my first lunch- but the more I looked around, the more I saw – Peruvians drink Pisco Sours before lunch, with lunch, after lunch, and with dinner. Excellent! Now, I could too- because clearly, I was not a tourist. So I did.

The Pisco Sour is a simply delicious cocktail. Not too fussy, complicated, or confusing- and it won’t knock you out before dinner. Usually served in small old-fashioned glass, it is the perfect aperitif to commence a meal. Made well, they are slightly sour, slightly sweet, and have just enough bite to get your taste buds in gear for a delicate meal of ceviche, tiraditos, and causas. The Pisco is traditionally made with a type of small Peruvian lemon that has a similar flavor to a key lime. This is also the same acid that has been historically used in making ceviche, which is why the flavors compliment each other so well. The balance of the slightly salty fish, with the sweet tang of the cocktail, and the slight creaminess that comes from the egg white to compliment the texture of the fish – it truly is pairing perfection.

And now…. I’m thirsty- so let’s make one.

• 1 egg white
• 2 ½ ounces Pisco (Peruvian)
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice or key lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• Angostura Bitters

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine egg white, Pisco, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Cover, and shake vigorously and strain into six ounce cocktail glass. Top with a splash of bitters.

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2. White Corn Tamale
3. Spicy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Tamarind Fondue

Meredith invented the definitive chocolate cake for our upcoming book, Everyday Raw Desserts.  She and her friend Simone prepared it this weekend for the birthday dinner of my partner, Dara Prentice, which was held on the patio of 105degrees.

Triple Layer Cacao Cake

Wet Ingredients

• 3 C Date Paste
• ½ C Almond Milk
• ½ C Maple Syrup or Agave
• 5 tbsp Vanilla
• ½ C Coconut Oil, melted

Dry Ingredients

• 4 C Almond flour
• 4 C Hazelnut flour
• 1 C Coconut Powder
• 1 C Cacao Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• *¼ C Irish Moss Paste can be used with wet ingredients or ¼ C flax meal with the dry.
  This is optional and creates a fluffier mixture.

Wet Ingredients

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined.

To Make Cake Batter

In a mixer or food processor mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients. It is better to use a standing mixture as this will keep the mixture lighter and more fluffy, but if you do not have a standing mixer it can be done in the food processor if you lightly pulse the wet ingredients in. You do not want a dense heavily blended mixture.

Fudge Frosting

• 2 C soaked Cashews
• 2 C Almond Milk
• ½ Maple Syrup
• 4 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 C Cacao Powder
• ¼ tsp Salt
• ¾ C Coconut Butter, melted
• Cacao Shell*

Frosting

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for 30 min to an hour until slightly firm, but still able to be easily spread.

Assembly
Divide cake batter into thirds. Press one layer of batter in a 9 inch spring form pan and alternate with frosting. Refrigerate just before serving and glaze with Cacao shell.

Makes one 9 inch cake

Related posts:

1. White Corn Tamale
2. Raw Mochi
3. Chocolate Chapter

White Corn Filling

• 12 corn husks
• 5 cups white corn kernels
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced
• ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1¼ cups pine nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
• 1¼ cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
• 1teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 2 tbs. minced red onion
• 2 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2cup lime juice

Place 3 cups of the corn, the tomatoes and the red bell pepper in a bowl; set aside. In a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until very smooth. Pour into bowl with other ingredients and mix well with hands.

Serrano Spiced Portobello

• 4 Portobello mushrooms, cut in half and into 8 slices per side.
• 1 Serrano Chili, Seeded and minced
• 3 tbs. olive oil
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Toss mushrooms with olive oil, Serrano and salt then spread on Teflex sheets to dehydrate for 12 hours. Mix corn filling with Portobello.

Raw Cacao Mole

• 6 dried ancho/chipotle chilies, soaked 2-3 hours and drained
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbs. sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
• ½ cup almond butter
• ½ cup raisins, soaked 20-30 minutes
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbs. agave
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp.cayenne
• 1 cup cacao powder

Blend all ingredients in vita-mix until smooth.

To Prepare Corn Husks

Soak corn husks in warm water for 1 to 2 hours. Dry carefully. To assemble, lay the corn husks flat and place about 1/2 cup of the corn mixture onto the center of each. Fold the bottom up over the filling and then fold the sides over. Using the husk strips tie the tops of each tamale. Place the tamales in the dehydrator for 2 hours.

Guacamole

• 3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 large handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 scallion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red chili finely minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash well with a fork.

Assembly

• Cacao Powder for garnish
• Cilantro Leaves

Spoon a generous amount of mole sauce on each plate, and set two tamales on sauce. Spoon Guacamole on top and garnish with cacao powder and cilantro leaves.

Recipe excerpted from Entertaining in the Raw, published by Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2009. Click here to purchase online.

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Belgium is well known for its food, although not for its Belgium is well known for its food, although not for its ‘health’ food. We typically associate the national cuisine with waffles, chocolate, mussels, beer and fries. Most of my own experiences with these foods have been in New York, and all were abundant, satisfying and unpretentious. Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised when I began reading about a new restaurant concept from Belgium that opened on the Upper East Side called Rouge Tomate, whose premise is nutritional value and respect for the environment.

As far as restaurants go, I’m a creature of habit but also very curious, so my dining choices usually reflect a balance between experiment and comfort. January, being a cold and heavy month, is a time I really appreciate my favorite restaurants, where I know staff and don’t need to read a menu. Elio’s, on the far Upper East Side, was warm, cozy and straightforward as always, with a menu that has no apparent changes since I first dined there 21 years ago. It’s also just as full, with its own brand of electricity and straightforward Northern Italian menu. Milo’s, in West Midtown, is perhaps known for having some of the freshest fish in New York, and I go there specifically for the best version of a Greek Salad better than any I’ve tried in Greece. Along with these two, Esca, which is run by David Pasternak, was impeccable on two recent occasions, and serves as tremendous example of how a restaurant should be run for longevity. I can’t say that I’ve ever been in a restaurant that felt more comfortable with itself than Esca. Others don’t age as gracefully as these, which are why I take them out of my rotation and head off in search of new classics.

Rouge Tomate’s philosophy would be easy to make fun of – it seems a bit too self aware and so meticulously thought out that it leads you to wonder if there would be any room left for spontaneity and magic in the food, or if the laboratory-like analysis would drain the product of its soul. There is no question that the concept, with its original location in Brussels, has been analyzed and sculpted into what we now have in New York. The guiding charter of Rouge Tomate is based on the principles of S.P.E, a series of guidelines developed by chefs and nutritionists, which reflect a “genuine respect for ingredients and balanced dishes”. The 3 main elements of S.P.E. are the sourcing of local and seasonal high quality ingredients, preparation that preserves the integrity of ingredients and nutritional value of foods, and enhancement, in which nutritional value is increased with unique ingredient combinations.

All of New York’s food critics have now weighed in on Rouge Tomate, with mixed results. The general consensus among them seems to be that the restaurant is vast, expensively done, beautiful, and pristine. The food has garnered very good reviews for its quality and execution, but not ultimately for the end result. It is sometimes characterized as precious, fussy and, occasionally, as somewhat bland. My own skepticism about the New York City critics, many whom tend to favor salty, porky, meat-centric preparations and who often seem so out of touch with their own bodies that they probably wouldn’t like what I would anyway, led me to Rouge Tomate with no preconceived expectations. And yet, they were spot on. Most of what I tried and saw at this new restaurant was vibrant, leading me to trust the kitchen’s standards, never leaving a doubt about their commitment to freshness and quality. However, could not help but imagine a board room full of analysts reviewing each and every dish on the menu. It somehow feels like many interior designs do, when the architect spends most of his or her time reviwing plans from a computer screen as opposed to being in the space, feeling its energy and light. Rather than repeat what the critics have written, and what I surprisingly agree with, I’m more interested in the S.P.E. and how it has impacted this concept.

The room is pristine, warm and much akin to what a 20,000 or so square food jewel box might look like. In the space previously occupied by the retail fashion shop and restaurant of Nicole Fahri, the décor is at once open and warm, yet slightly uncomfortable for an undefined reason. Perhaps it is the scale of the place. The night previous, at Elio’s, 100 or so seats are jammed into a room 3 times as loud and 8 times as dense, with less than a couple inches between guest’s chairs and conversations melting their way into neighbors tables. This is grand dining, on a scale like many of Sir Terrance Conran’s restaurants in London, but without the heightened sense of tension. The upper level is a large café and bar, all decorated in “rouge” and earth tones, the red being much more subtle and tasteful than one might expect. Downstairs is even more luxurious, but not in a 4 star dining way. restaurant is a bit hard to define. It is not trendy, and not necessarily fine dining. Yet, its not a bistro, bar, brasserie or trattoria. Perhaps it feels corporate.

Sourcing of quality local and seasonal ingredients is a favorite pastime of New York chefs these days, myself included. In reality, its not an easy feat, despite how many great products and suppliers there are in the city. We are in the Northeast, which doesn’t produce everything one might wish for in the winter, and in the busiest city in the country, so there are several factors making this a challenge. It is competitive, costly and challenging to source well, but it does appear that Rouge Tomate is making a very respectable effort. Bread is one thing New York does well – a bit more “S” could be allocated toward the bread purchasing or making effort. It was rather dry, rather white and devoid of a meaningful character. Small, pickled vegetables garnishing a hummus appetizer show off a bit of the boutique shopping element, although the slightly dry hummus, packed into a tiny ramekin, oppresses the general character of the dish. A chickpea panisse, cut into a baton like a thick, creamy fry, was a perfectly executed garnish.

It is not entirely clear what it is about the preparation at Rouge Tomate that preserves integrity more than it might at, say, Esca or any other restaurant that greatly respects the products it handles. Dishes to appear to be carefully cooked, with minimum impact and although not raw, they come to the table appearing somewhat like what they are – in color least. Many are molded, wrapped, chopped, diced and pureed into unrecognizable geometrical positions, so that your imagination does consider that there is a pretty decent amount of effort going into this food. If integrity is based on not losing the taste of an ingredient, and keeping its natural pigment, then I’d say Rouge Tomate does an admirable job. However, if the press release gives you visions of eating from a garden, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Enhancement is an interesting choice of words to describe food combining in a natural way, but I do see what the goal of Rouge Tomate’s menu is. They serve an excellent balance of protein, grains and plant based foods on many dishes. That said, the menu heavily relies on seafood and animal based ingredients, which they they build around. For a restaurant that prides itself on this factor, I was a bit surprised that of only a couple main course dishes that are vegetarian, all are reliant on heavier starchy productions and none are vegan. I also found it odd that anyone studying food combining would recommend the use of chicken stock as a base for a carefully cooked black bass.

There are a number of esoteric culinary styles that are not only fascinating, but delicious. Often, however, overly thought out foods can come across less sensual than cerebral and rather than being enhanced by the process, they are marginalized. I believe there is a balance of uber creativity and good down to earth cooking – one of my favorite examples was at the former restaurant of Lydia Shire in Boston, Biba. The dishes on the menu were so wildly described, it seems that it would be impossible for them to be given a title until they were tested, eaten and savored. I don’t know if this is true, but I always imagined she and her chefs preparing these delicious meals and taking poetic justice in describing them. It worked brilliantly. Other times, form trumps function. Its something I always try to balance in working with raw food, which requires a tremendous amount of thought, so I realize how challenging it can be.

For that reason, I believe that Rouge Tomate, if New York allows it room and time to grow, will blossom into its own over time, and perhaps in the very near future. It still has that room to overcome, but if the quality of execution reaches the quality of intention, they will have a good future.

Related posts:

1. Raw Smores
2. The Pisco Sour
3. Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

Spring Rolls, so named because they are typically eaten during Chinese Festivals in the Spring, are normally filled with crispy vegetables and sometimes cabbage or mushrooms.  They are not always vegetarian, but quite often are.  The wrapper in this recipe makes use of one of my favorite techniques and embraces, rather than overpowers, the filling.

INGREDIENTS

Wrappers

• 2 Cups flax meal
• 2 Cups yellow squash
• 1 Cup chopped Thai coconut meat
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 4 Cups water
• 1/4 Cup agave
• 1 Tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tsp. ground coriander
• 1 Tsp. ground cumin
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Filling

• 1 Cup julienned carrots
• 1/4 Cup sliced scallions
• 1 Cup shredded napa cabbage
• 1 1/2 Cups dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 1 hour and dehydrated for 2 hours
• 1/2 Tsp. sea salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/4 Cup olive oil

Tofu

• 1 Cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
• 1/2 Cup fresh young Thai coconut meat
• 1/2 Cup raw carrageenan
• 1/4 Cup water
• 1/4 Tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 1/4 Tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 Cup cilantro

Chile Sauce

• 3/4 Tsp. chipotle chile powder
• 2 Cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
• 1/4 Tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 Cup nama shoyu
• 1/4 Cup plus 1 Tbs. water
• Sweet Tamarind Sauce
• 1 Cup dried tamarind paste
• 1/2 Cup raw agave
• 3 Tbs. lime juice
• 1/4 Cup coconut water
• 2 Tbs. water
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• Garnish Cilantro leaves

METHOD

Wrappers

Blend all ingredients except scallions in a Vita-Mix until smooth; stir in scallions. Spread thinly into 6-7 inch rounds on dehydrator teflex sheets. Dehydrate 5-6 hours until very dry but very pliable.

Filling

Fold all ingredients together.

Tofu

Line the bottom and sides of a small pan or square container with plastic wrap. Blend all ingredients except cilantro in Vita-Mix until completely smooth; stir in cilantro. Pour into lined pan (tofu should be about 1 1/2 inches thick): cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Remove tofu from container by lifting plastic wrap out of pan and gently transferring to a cutting board. Cut tofu into 2-inch squares with a butter knife.

Chile Sauce

Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth.

Sweet Tamarind Fondue

Blend all ingredients well in Vita-Mix. Strain though a chinois.

ASSEMBLY

Fold the chile sauce into spring roll filling, add tofu and adjust seasoning. Place a large tablespoon of filling on each spring roll wrapper and spread it out in a row. Fold wrappers tightly. To serve, cut each wrapper on a bias lengthwise, lean one against the other, and garnish with Sweet Tamarind Fondue and cilantro leaves.

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2. White Corn Tamale
3. Raw Mochi

Mochi means “rice cake”, and they are a traditional Japanese New Years food due to their resemblance of the mirror decorating the Shinto Shrine.  The origin of the name has three translated meanings, including “Full Moon”, “From God” and “Stickiness”.  With our upcoming New Year, I could not think of a more appropriate recipe to offer.  It is a long process, fit for a holiday.

Mochi

1 cup cashews

? cup young Thai coconut meat

? cup raw agave

? cup extra virgin coconut oil

Pinch sea salt

? tsp. vanilla extract

Few drops non-alcohol almond extract

? cup oat flour *

? cup coconut flour **

• Oat flour is made by grinding whole raw oat groats in a high speed blender or coffee or spice grinder, until very fine flour is achieved.
• Coconut flour is made by grinding dried coconut flakes in a high speed blender or a coffee or spice grinder, until fine flour is achieved. Do not over process or the oils in the coconut will cause the coconut to cake together.

Mochi Process

Blend first 7 ingredients in a Vita-Mix until very smooth and creamy.  Transfer mixture to a medium-size bowl and stir in flours until it is very well combined and lumps are smoothed out.  Line a 9X13 inch pan and spread very thin, approximately ? inch thick.  Place in freezer until firm.

Goji Berry Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1 ? cups water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup soaked goji berries, blended and strained through a fine sieve

Goji Berry Ice Cream Process

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth.  Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions; or freeze base in a square pan, cut, and run through a masticating juicer (such as the Champion or Greenstar).  Freeze overnight.  Scoop 2 large rounded scoops of “ice cream” into a pan or plate: freeze until very firm.

Vanilla Lemongrass Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1 ? cups water

 2 tsp. vanilla extract

? vanilla bean, flesh scraped

? cup lemongrass juice

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Vanilla Lemongrass Ice Cream Process

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth.  Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions; or freeze base in square pan, cut and run through masticating juicers (such as the Champion or Greenstar).  Freeze overnight. Scoop 2 large rounded scoops of “ice cream” into a pan or plate: freeze until very firm.

Green Tea Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young Thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1? cups water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ? tbs. green tea powder

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Green Tea Ice Cream Instructions

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth.  Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions; or freeze base in square pan, cut and run through masticating juicers (such as the Champion or Greenstar).  Freeze overnight. Scoop 2 large rounded scoops of “ice cream” into a pan or plate: freeze until very firm.

Cacao Syrup

1? cups agave nectar

? cup raw cacao powder

2 tbs. raw carob powder

? tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Cacao Syrup Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Keep in a warm area until ready to serve.

Assembly

Oat Flour

Mint or Basil Sprigs

Dust a dry cutting board with oat flour.  Turn out frozen mochi onto a cutting board and peel off plastic.  Cut six 4X4 pieces.  With floured hands, flatten each piece until very thin.  Place 1 scoop of ice cream in the center of each mochi sheet and mold mochi around ice cream until ice cream is completely covered; smooth ridges with fingers.

Place mocha-covered ice cream in freezer immediately and freeze 8-10 hours until completely frozen.  To serve, slice ends off each mocha ice cream ball and cut into 2 uniform pieces.  Place a slice of each flavor on serving plates and garnish with mint or basil sprigs and cacao syrup.  Serves 4

Related posts:

1. Raw Smores
2. Triple Layer Chocolate Cake
3. Spicy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Tamarind Fondue

Although we only recently eased into fall, the adjustment to this season is often the most dramatic, as it reminds us of what is to come. The sudden cool weather and shorter days will make some of us nostalgic for the sunny summer days that are just behind us. Enjoying the cuisine of warmer climates is one way to ease the transition. In my next book, Entertaining in the Raw, I have devoted an entire chapter to “Radiance”, which celebrates the cuisines of the sun. This recipe, inspired by my travels to Turkey, is one from that chapter, and one that may help you stay warm until you’re ready for the snow to arrive.

INGREDIENTS

Soup

• 1 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup coconut meat
• 3 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper spice
• 2 cups red bell pepper pieces, dehydrated 2 hours
• Wrappers
• 2 cups coconut meat
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon water
• Pinch salt

Filling

• 2 cups roughly chopped portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped red onions
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Yogurt

• 1 3/4 cups hazelnuts, soaked 1–2 hours
• 1/2 cup coconut meat
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD

Soup

Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth. Before serving, warm in a dehydrator.

Wrappers

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Using and offset spatula spread the mixture thinly on dehydrator teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 3-4 hours, or until the surface is dry. Carefully flip over and remove from teflex. Wrappers should be pliable and completely dry. On a flat surface, trim the edges and cut into 9 equal squares.

Filling

Toss Portobello mushrooms and onions with olive oil (just to coat), salt, and pepper. Dehydrate 30-40 minutes. Pulse in a food processor with cashews and thyme to chop into small pieces and set aside.

Yogurt

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until smooth and creamy. Place 1 ? teaspoons of manti filling in center of each wrapper. Moisten edges. Gently fold four corners to meet in the center and lightly press.

ASSEMBLY

Divde soup among 4 bowls and gently place 2 dumplings in each. Garnish with chervil and spoon a generous amount of yogurt into soup. Serves 4-6

Chocolate has also always been at the top of my list, in any of its various forms.  Althouh smores were not part of my childhood sweets rotation, they are a favorite of many people and something that nearly everyone loves.

This raw version is from my upcoming book, Entertaining in the Raw.  I’ve been working on a slightly varied version this week, for the opening of Cafe 118 in Winter Park, Florida. 

Its really not necessary to assemble the dish – the components are fine on their own or simple in the hands of guests who can add whatever quanities they like to create their own balance. 

RAW SMORES

Serves 4–6

Graham Cookie

5 cups cashew flour

2 1/2 cups oat flour

3/4 cup water

1 3/4 cups maple syrup

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cookie Instructions

Mix ingredients in medium size bowl by hand. Spread flat on dehydrator screens, about 1/8″ thick. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4 hours.  Make an incision with the back of a knife  for six rectangles.  Dehydrate another 6 hours and separate the pieces.  Keep well sealed, at room temperature until ready to serve.

marshmallow crème

2 cups cashews, soaked

1 cup coconut meat

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup agave

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 small bottle Lorann Marshmallow Concentrated Oil 

Instructions for Creme

Blend until smooth in Vita-Mix. Pour into plastic lined half sheet pan; refrigerate overnight or freeze if prepared 1–2 hours prior to serving.

Dark Chocolate Butter

4 cups maple syrup

2 1/2 cups cocoa powder

2 cups coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Butter Instructins

Whisk all ingredients in large bowl. Blend in batches in Vita-mix. Pour into half sheet pan and store in freezer.

ASSEMBLY

2 tbs. cinnamon

Bring Crème to room temperature at least 20 minutes prior to serving.  Warm chocolate and grahams slightly in dehydrator.

Lie one graham on a plate.  Carefully spread a generous amount of marshmallow crème on top and pour an even more generous amount of chocolate over that, allowing it to slightly run off onto the plate.  Set another graham on top, but off center, exposing the crème and chocolate.  Sprinkle the plate with cinnamon powder.

Related posts:

1. Raw Mochi
2. White Corn Tamale
3. Triple Layer Chocolate Cake