Plating Palate: Strawberry-Cashew Raw Cheesecake

Recipe

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Cashew Cheesecake:

• 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup warmed coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon strawberry extrac
• t 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, ground
• Pinch of sea salt

For the Strawberry Sauce:

• 1 package (about 14 oz.) frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1/2 cup maple syrup For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
• 1 (14 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk, chilled upside-down overnight
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped For the Garnishes:
• 1 handful edible flowers
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries, ground
• Dehydrated lemon slices
• 1 handful small basil leaves
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced.

Directions

To make strawberry cashew cheesecake:

1. Drain and rinse soaked cashews.
2. In a high speed blender, combine cashews, water, maple syrup, coconut oil, extracts, lemon juice, freeze dried strawberries and sea salt.
3. Blend until smooth and thick.
4. Pour into a shallow 12x12 pan.
5. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 1 hour. 
6. Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cheesecake circles.

To make strawberry sauce:

1. In a high speed blender, blend strawberries and maple syrup until smooth.
2. If a thicker consistency is desired, reduce sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.

To make whipped coconut cream:

1. Remove layer of cream from coconut milk can, leaving the water behind.
2. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Fold in the scraped vanilla bean and chill until ready to use. 

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.