The inspiration for these pretty little things came to me after I made this Caramelized Pear, Chocolate and Goat Cheese Smoothie not so long ago.
The flavor combination was just sooooo amazing, I just HAD to make it into an actual decadent dessert.
Conveniently, I had also had the MOST decadent Caramelized Pear and Chocolate Pie EVER at my aunt’s place on New Year’s Eve.
I had decided that very same night, right then and there, that my life would never be complete unless I found a way to recreate that über delicious pie, using nothing but healthy ingredients, of course.
After I made the smoothie, the vision sort of became clear in my mind as to what direction I wanted to take tastewise.
What I really wasn’t certain about, however, was how I would get this super chocolaty, creamy yet super thick and unbelievably rich filling that I was after.
After all, coming up with a healthy ganache is no small task! How does one turn chocolate, cream and butter into something healthy?
I was almost there, in my thought process, that is, but still… something was missing.
Then I came up with this super duper Decadent Chocolate Cake. It was just what I needed to finally get the EUREKA I’d been waiting for. I was finally good and ready to go ahead and attempt recreating my aunt’s incredible pie.
You know what, guys?
I think I succeeded. With my very first try.
This, in my opinion, is one dessert that is soooo good, so tasty, so rich, creamy, chocolaty and sweet, you will never believe that it’s actually good for you.
To be honest, I even find them to be a tad too sweet… but that’s just my taste and I’m a little insane in the membrane, you know. I actually enjoy cocoa powder in its pure, unsweetened state.
So I guess I’m not really a reference…
Still, I think that the honey and the date paste confer a very ample amount of sweetness to the dark chocolate “ganache” and the caramelized pears really help freshen up and cleanse the palate, thus making the whole thing a tad “lighter” to eat.
Don’t get me wrong, though. This is one seriously rich and decadent dessert.
I doubt you’ll want to go for seconds. Then again… I may be wrong.
I can’t say I haven’t considered!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups almond pulp (leftover from milk)
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts, crushed
- 1/3 unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup extra dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup date paste
- ¼ cup unpasteurized liquid honey
- ½ cup unripened goat cheese
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 3 bosc pears
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- sprinkle cardamome
- sprinkle ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut 2 of the pears into ½" cubes and slice the remaining one into ¼" thick slices. (Note that the slices will be used solely as garnish, making them totally optional)
- Lay the pears onto the prepared baking sheet, drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with cardamom and cinnamon.
- Place under the broiler and cook until they start to take a nice golden color. Flip the slices over and toss the dices around. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil and dust once again with cardamom and cinnamon.
- Return to the oven and cook until this side also turns a nice, slightly golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Set your oven to 375F
- Add all the ingredients to your food processor and process on pulse until well incorporated.
- Divide this mixture between 8 removable bottom individual non-stick 4" pie dishes and press it down to the bottom and sides to form the crust.
- Place the empty shells in the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until nice and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
- While the shells are cooling, add all the ingredients of the filling to the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth and well incorporated, about 3-4 minutes.
- Try not to eat it all right then and there!
- Cover the bottom of each empty pie shell with dices of caramelized pear. Spoon a few tablespoons of chocolate filling on top and spread to smooth as best as you possibly can.
- Dust the tartlets with dark cocoa powder and decorate with half slices of caramelized pears, if desired.
- Refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.
- These tartlets will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Grain Free, Gluten Free
OK, sorry for the millions of pictures, guys… I just couldn’t make up my mind!
Yummy looking, I am defintly going to make these as a healthy treat for my mum and brother when i next see them. Is the taste of goats cheese or dates really strong? When you go on your home page, why can you only see todays recipes? How do I see lasts weeks?
I know, Abi!!!! I’m not pleased with this, trust me. No idea what is happening, I’m hoping the situation will be resolved soon. A new website launch always has its share of little hiccups along the way. Home page SHOULD give you access to previous posts, as well as a sidebar where you can find more stuff, you know. In the meantime, you can always use the recipe index… Trust me, I am incredibly sorry about this!
As for your question with regards to the date paste and goat cheese, well, no, you can’t taste them all that much. They are very subtle and basically just add depth, a new dimension to the chocolate filling. The goat cheese sort of adds a little bit of a tang, but I wanted more of the taste, so that’s why I decided to add a few crumbles on top of mine when serving it, as well as a drizzle of honey.
I’m really hoping that you will like them. Make sure you let me know how they turned out if you give them a try!
These look so good. I always love your desserts as while still looking very good they make me feel less bad about indulging!
Thanks Simone! Glad you like! Say, how’s the new healthy lifestyle treating you so far? Are you having fun yet?
Chocolate with goat’s cheese! That’s gotta be a winner. I also love the idea of using date paste….you’re super creative.
Thanks Amrita! I appreciate the compliment!
These are wonderful flavors. I love unique desserts like this. Thanks for posting!
Another excellent recipe. Eating it right now! Yum. Instead of 8 small ones I made a huge one and also I mixed pears with rhubarb – love its sour taste.
AWESOME! So happy to hear! Thank you very much for sharing your impressions, I truly appreciate that! I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of rhubarb, but somehow, I think it must work really well with this pie! I might be tempted to give it a try myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
Those tarts are looking so good!
Hi! I just found your website and I have to say I think its the most wonderful food blog I’ve ever seen! You cook the way I want to and your photos are beautiful! I was wanting to try out this tart and a couple of other things, and was wondering if I could just substitute the almond pulp with ground almonds. It seems like they are the same thing or very similar. Thank you!
Oh my, thank you so much Lisa, I am flushed! You’re too kind, really!
As for the almond pulp, it has been successfully substituted with almond meal or flour in other recipes, and I can’t see this one as being an exception. So I think I can safely say yes, go ahead. If you do find that you need a little bit more moisture, just add a little bit of egg white and it should do the trick!
Let me know how you like ‘em if you give them a try! Those tarts were one of my all time favorite desserts, for real! Hope you like ‘em as much as I did!