Raw Nectarine Tarts for Father's Day

When I was in kindergarten, I came home from school one day in tears.  My parents were very concerned and tried to comfort me, asking what had happened.  I told them that one of the girls in my class was very mean to the other children and it made me sad.  "Why do you think she acts this way?", my mom asked.  In between sobs, I cried, "Because she doesn't have a daddy."

Now, of course I'm not insinuating that every child growing up without a father has anger issues.  My point is this: Even at a very young age, I was very aware of how important my father's love and presence was in my life.

I never had any doubt how much my dad loved and cherished me.  In fact, he would tell me just about every day.  He always treated me as an equal, and spoke to me like an adult.  If my dad had a hard day or was upset about something, he wouldn't hesitate to talk to me about it.  Because of this, my dad and I understand each other in a way that oftentimes others don't.  When I think back to the hardest times in my life, it was my dad I turned to, to understand and offer comfort.  Without fail, he would always make me feel better.

How do I repay the man that has always told me that the sky is the limit.  That I have the intelligence and talent to be whoever I want to be.  That I'm the most beautiful girl in the whole world and that no one deserves me(he loves Dayv, though).

Well, I can't.  The only thing I can do is continue to be the best person I can be and continue to make him proud.  And tell him every time I see him how much I love and appreciate him.

One of the things that my dad most often compliments me on is how much he loves the food I make.  Any cake, cupcake, granola bar, or candy I create is the best thing he's ever eaten(according to him).  I really wanted to make him a dessert for Father's Day, but I didn't want it to be unhealthy(regardless of how healthy a vegan baked good is in comparison to a standard baked good).  I decided that I wanted to make him a raw dessert, something that's full of only good-for-you ingredients.  And so I made him these raw nectarine tarts and brought them over to him yesterday.  Of course, he loved them, as he told me repeatedly while he was eating one.  I was a happy daughter ;)

Raw Nectarine Tarts

makes 4-6 4" tarts(depending on thickness of crust)

for cream:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight

3/4 cup nectarine, peeled, pitted, and chopped into small pieces

for crust:

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raw cashews

3/4 cup prunes

for garnish:

thinly sliced nectarine

First make crust:

Using a food processor, process walnuts and cashews into a fine meal.  Add prunes and continue to process until prunes are finely chopped and integrated with the nuts.  Make sure not to over process, or the nuts will begin to release their oils and become nut butter.  Press into mini tart pans and chill in freezer.

Once chilled, remove crusts from tart pans(optional) and return to freezer.

Make cream(make sure you clean your food processor!):

Add soaked cashews to your food processor, and process until a smooth cream is created.  Scrape down the sides of the processor as necessary.  Add nectarines and continue to process until completely smooth.  

Assemble:

Equally divide cream among the tart shells.  Add nectarine slices to the tops and return to freezer to set.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to eat(you can see in the photo above that the nectarine is still frozen!).  Enjoy ;)