Macadamia Creme with Black and Red Seedless Grapes and Fresh Mint

It took three experiments with this recipe before it resembled something I was willing to call my own. Truthfully, this can’t be called a healthy recipe. However, if you have a need for sweets – this recipe is a good option if you want or need to stay away from dairy cream or eggs.

Raw macadamias can be hard to find. I was hoping to pick some up on my trip to Hawaii early this month, but they seemed easier to find in Denver than they were in Honolulu. If you find dry roasted, try it out and let me know how the recipe goes.

I served this at a wine and food charity event this past weekend with strawberries and a Shiraz Port. Later I paired it with the leftover grapes from the Rose and it was fabulous. Then I tried it with the leftover Vegan Chocolate Truffles from the Cabernet Sauvignon and it was divine. My roommate and best friend recommended an entire chapter devoted to breakfast foods that contain it – blintzes, waffles, pastries, you name it. I’m looking forward to the experimenting for that one. Let us know about your favorite exploits.

What you’ll need

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts toasted in a 350 degree oven, constantly and lovingly turned to a golden brown perfection (or buy dry roasted to start with if that sounds dauting to you)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (I make my own – it’s incredibly easy and you’ll save money) or buy your favorite dairy alternative
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup canola oil

How to make it

First, grind the macadamia nuts to a fine powder or paste  – I use a coffee grinder. Or try a spice mill or food processor. After having tried this a few times and getting it wrong, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this step before combining the nuts with any other ingredients. Having a fine nut powder creates a fine paste which will create an exceptionally creamy sauce.

Combine the nut powder with your milk alternative and blend for a couple minutes. I used a food processor and scraped the sides multiple times during blending to get the smoothest creme possible.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and continue to blend and scrape. Feel free to substitue whatever spices or flavors sound good to you at this step depending on what you’ll be serving with the creme.

Add the coconut oil and canola oil and continue to blend. If you don’t want a coconut flavor, use canola oil or other oil of your choice.

When finished blending, pour the mixture into an air-tight container and refridgerate for at least a few hours – preferably overnight.

Serve with fruit, pancakes, chocolate pudding or other sweet delights. Let me know about your experiments!

Happy eating in b-e-d…

Tags: non-dairy, vegan