RAW PISTACHIO & PEACH TARTS WITH TIPPU CHAI

Eating something that is so very now is heartachingly satisfying, is it not? Mixing the now with memories of far flung past adventures is other level. This crazy peach pistachio cream tarts were something of a riff on a vegan, raw, sumptous desert I whipped up last summer, on a gut feeling that all nature's bounty can cooperate and groove and taste like a dream.

The Tippu Chai Tea was a chance encounter with the greatness of South India. Being a chai purest (and snob), I rather avoided this Tippu Chai for awhile (silly girl). The packaging tells of a grandmother's technique and all natural, organic ingredients. So I took a chance. And I've fallen in love with the aromatic spices, perfectly blended -- taking me right back to the streets of Southern India, sipping chai from a make-shift, blue plastic-roofed stand on the edge of a dirt road, elephants clad in bells and colorful decorations, school kids with flowers in their hair, tut tuts incessantly tooting their horns -- the cacophony of life going by . . . chatting with the chai dudes, getting lessons on how to tie a turban on my head ("mandia style" in Hampi) or sharing my drawings of the local temple tucked in my pocket on a scratch paper awaiting my journal.

Like that! With just one sip, I was transported. No cloying artificial milks or strange additives, just properly proportioned spices, black tea, and sugar to mix in with fresh whole milk and some boiling water.

I cannot recommend Tippu Chai enough. For the real deal South Indian style brew.

I knew a piping hot, rich and righteous tea needs not much else to make it sing, but these little pistachio/peach flavor bombs did just that. The cardamom and pistachio dance creamy on the tongue, enveloping the palate with dreamsicle-like cool sweet and the glory of a perfect peach topping needs no explanation. After a summer meal of a giant salad or bounty from the soil, this dessert elevates eaters to some minty green cloud of vegan, raw nirvana.

Try the two treats together and prepare your tastebuds to do the happiest of dances.

Pistachio & Peach Dream Tarts

makes 4-6 mini individual tarts or 1 large tart

adapted from Roost

for the crust:

6 dates, roughly chopped (and pits removed)

2 cups walnuts

generous pinch of salt

coconut oil for greasing

for the filling:

Grease a spring form pan or 4-6 muffin top forms (I have this cool muffin-top pan) with coconut oil. place dates, walnuts and salt in a blender and pulse until a uniform, large pea-size texture is achieved. It doesn't take long. press the crusty mixture into greased pan and refrigerate. for the filling:

2 cups raw pistachios

1 cup raw cashews

3/4 cup raw agave syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cardomom

2 or 3 peaches, sliced into 1/2 moons

Soak nuts for 15 minutes to 4 hours in cool water. Place soaked nuts into a blender (love my vitamix for this) with the remainder ingredients and puree until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour mixture into prepared crusts and freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, pull out of freezer for 15 minutes to soften slightly, top with fresh peaches, garnish with a little extra pistachio.

Tippu Chai is available to order, I tried the original flavor. Awesome stuff.