Vegan Lacto-Fermented Cherry Tartlets
Author: 
Serves: 24 tartlets
 
Ingredients
Lacto-Fermented Cherries
  • 2 cups cherries, pitted
  • ¼ tsp orange or meyer lemon zest
  • 2 Tbs whey, kombucha, or water kefir
  • ¼ cup filtered water
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbs raw honey, optional
Raw Nut Crust
  • ½ cup pistachios, shelled
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ¼ cup macadamia nuts
  • 4 dates, pitted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp sea salt
Meyer Lemon Cashew Cream Filling
  • 2 cup cashews, soaked
  • 2 Tbs coconut butter
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Lacto-Fermented Cherries
  1. Combine cherries with zest and place in a wide-mouth pint jar. Pour desired starter—whey, kombucha, or water kefir—over the cherries. Press down gently with your fist to pack cherries tightly into the jar.
  2. Heat filtered water enough to dissolve the sea salt and raw honey. If using a starter that contains sugar, omit the honey. Pour water over cherries to cover, leaving about an inch of headspace in the jar. Press down again to ensure all air pockets are filled with liquid.
  3. Place a fermentation weight in the jar to keep the cherries submerged completely. This could be as simple as a smaller jar filled with rocks. Cover with fermentation lid or a thin dish towel and rubber band.
  4. Allow cherries to ferment at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 2–3 days, or until bubbles appear in the jar. If left too long, the mixture will turn to alcohol, which is not the desired result here. The cherries will taste tart and slightly effervescent when ready.
Raw Nut Crust
  1. Chop pistachios in a food processor until the largest piece is less than ¼-inch. Remove from food processor and set aside.
  2. Pulse dates in food processor until broken up. Add chopped pistachios and remaining ingredients and process until the mixture holds together when pressed between your fingers. Be careful not to over-process, as this will lead to a sticky and oily crust.
Meyer Lemon Cashew Cream Filling
  1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt, maple syrup, and/or lemon juice as needed.
Assemble the Tartlets
  1. Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners and press about 1 Tbs of crust into each liner. It should be about ¼-inch thick.
  2. Pour filling into each cup, leaving space at the top for the cherries. Place in the freezer until set, about 30–45 minutes. Meanwhile, chop fermented cherries.
  3. Top each tartlet with fermented cherries, cover, and return to freezer for at least 1 hour to set completely. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Allergens:
nuts
dairy (if whey is used)
Recipe by Bauman College at https://baumancollege.org/student-spotlight-recipe-jessica-coulombe/