I dedicate this recipe to my mum. Every time we meet she insists on gifting me things and I was able to make this dish thanks to her legendary sour cherry jam that I have had in my cupboard for a while. Everybody in my family adores my mum’s cherry jam. It contains obscene amounts of juicy sour cherries and strikes just the right balance between sweet and tangy. These days I don’t eat that much bread and jam and I was really worried that it will go to waste, so I was very happy to be able to put it to such a delicious use, especially that fresh sour cherries are not easy to find in the UK. I only wish I was able to bake this tart for my mum too.
My mum is one of the kindest and most giving people I know. Sometimes that’s a problem as she is so used to giving that she often does that at her own expense. We’ve been talking on the phone a lot lately and I encourage her to put herself first sometimes, to fight for her needs, wants and dreams and not always let someone else’s take priority. Encouraged by my own success with daily meditation practice, she decided to give it a go too and the change in her has been noticeable – she is much more relaxed, cheerful and positive than ever and seems to be enjoying the experience too. We often joke that we are both becoming a bit woowoo in our old age… I used to be a meditation sceptic but having experienced the benefits of it first hand, I am a convert now. I don’t get out of bed before I do an obligatory 10-20 minutes of it every morning and I can really feel the difference on the rare days when I skip it. So going back to the recipe, I’m incredibly excited to share this one with you. It my vegan take on an Italian classic, poetically called ‘crostata di ricotta e visciole’ or vegan crostata with ricotta and sour cherries for the English speakers amongst you. Crostata is a mandatory dessert on any self-respecting trattoria’s menu and this two-tone version is especially popular in Rome. We were meant to go on holiday to Italy this spring but as it fell through, we will have to comfort ourselves with a slice (or two) of this delicious tart in my sunny (and still unkempt although Duncan is tackling this weedfest as I write this) garden with our cat splayed out on the cold ground nearby – something she used to do a lot in Greece when the temperatures soared. I hope I can encourage you to do the same! Enjoy!
135 ml / ½ cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup 200 g / 1½ cups raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes 150 g / 5¼ oz firm silken tofu (I used Clearspring) 90 ml / 6 tbsp juice + zest 1½ lemons 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp tapioca starch
CHERRY FILLING
420 g / 1½ cups sour cherry jam / preserve*
