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Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Recipe from Cornucopia Dublin Chef, James Burke
Here is a delicious summer vegan recipe that I have created. There is nothing more summery than strawberries, with their inviting red colour. Strawberries, rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate and antioxidants, may be the most loved of all Irish fruit.
Shortcake base:
170g (¾ cup) ground almonds
75g (½ cup) rice flour
50g (¼ cup) sugar
50g (¼ cup) sunflower margarine
Filling:
200g (1 block) creamed coconut (1 cup when chopped)
150g (¾ cup) sugar
100ml (½ cup) soya milk
2 tbsps agar flakes
600g strawberries
Juice of one lemon
For decoration:
8 halved strawberries
30ml (2 tbsps) agave syrup
Method:
For the shortbread base:
Preheat oven to 180°c/ 350°f. Prepare a 20cm (8”) cheesecake tin to bake the base in. Line the bottom with non-stick baking paper.
Measure 150g of almonds, then the rice flour and sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add the sunflower margarine into the bowl and lightly mix together until it becomes like moist breadcrumbs. Press this into the lined cheesecake tin firmly and evenly to cover the bottom. Bake at 180°c (350°f) for 15 minutes, until the edges have browned and it is baked through. Remove from oven to cool. The base will shrink away slightly from the sides of the tin as it cooks, so sprinkle the remaining 20g of ground almonds over to patch up any holes. Set aside.
For the filling:
As the shortbread is baking in the oven, use this time to prepare the filling by roughly chopping the creamed coconut, then placing it into a saucepan along with the sugar over a very low heat to slowly melt. This will take about 15 minutes.
Now, remove the green tops of the strawberries, halve the strawberries and place in a bowl. Pour the lemon juice over the berries and set aside in a fridge to chill.
Pour the soya milk into another small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Once warmed, add the agar flakes and whisk to melt. Stir until it comes to a rolling boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer, gently stirring for two more minutes. Set aside.
By this time, the base should be baked and cooling. The coconut cream and sugar in the saucepan will be melted enough to pour the soya milk/agar mixture over, then stir it with a spatula to incorporate. Add these to a blender and pulse. Add the chilled strawberries to the mix in the blender and puree until smooth and silky. Pour this into the tin over the cooled shortbread, and place in the fridge for 8 hours (or overnight) to set.
Gently take the cake from the fridge, remove the sides from the tin and cut the cake into 8 slices. Place the halved strawberries over each slice, brush them with agave syrup and serve.
Broccoli, pea shoot, toasted almonds and ruby chard dressed in basil and lemon
Serves 4
This is a light and refreshing salad, full of summer flavours to savour on a warm sunny Irish day!
This salad can be easily adapted to suit a raw food diet. Simply replace the toasted almonds with dehydrated seeds and use marinated broccoli instead of the blanched, listed below.
Broccoli can be marinated by chopping the florets very finely and placing in a bowl along with a little squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. Rub the juice and salt into the broccoli to coat each piece and then set aside to soften for a few hours.
For the salad:
750g (5 cups) broccoli chopped into bite-sized pieces
100g (3/4 cup) toasted flaked almonds
100g (4 cups) pea shoots
100g (4 cups) ruby chard
1 tbsp lemon zest
For the dressing:
25g (1 cup) basil leaves
60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
45ml (3 tbsps) agave syrup
¼ tsp sea salt
60ml (4 tbsps) olive oil
Method:
Prepare the broccoli by removing the stems, then gently chop into bite-sized florets. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes, then drain and chill in iced water. Drain the broccoli well and place in a medium salad bowl. Toast the flaked almonds, allow to cool and add to the broccoli. Wash and dry the pea shoots and cut into short lengths if they are a little stringy. Prepare the leaves by washing, draining them well and adding to the other ingredients. Add the lemon zest and toss lightly to combine.
For the salad dressing:
Place the basil leaves, lemon juice, agave syrup and sea salt into a jug. Pulse with a stick blender and then slowly add the olive oil until the dressing has emulsified. Pour it over the salad and mix until all the ingredients are smothered in the dressing.
