Hazelnut Cream Slice with Mesquite

A nice change from caramel slice

On a recent trip to the Eagle Farm markets, I met the lovely Yasmin from Yorganics Health Food Store who sells a fabulous selection of pesticide free products from Australia including nuts, seeds, cacao and healthy pantry staples.

She also makes some very yummy raw food treats including a cracker & granola range which are a labour of love for her.

Yasmin educated me about mesquite powder which is a new ingredient for me. Mesquite is an extremely hardy, drought-tolerant (legume) plant. It is native to South America and the southern US states. Mesquite powder is a traditional Native American food that is made by grinding ripened seed pods of the mesquite tree into a fine powder or meal.

Mesquite powder is full of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc and is also rich in the amino acid lysine, which is helpful if you are a cold-sore sufferer. It has traditionally been used as a flour or low GI sweetener and can be blended into smoothies, used in baking or sprinkled onto your cereal. It has a nutty flavour with a strong hint of caramel. It is sweet, but not sweet enough to use as a sweetener on its own, I used it to enhance a hazelnut slice without turning my recipe into a caramel slice. I think it worked well.

Base

100g blanched almonds or macadamias

70g coconut

1 tab mesquite powder

1 teas cacao powder

1 tab psyllium husks

1 tab chia seeds

40g dates or dried figs

1 teas coconut oil

pinch salt

 

Add all of the ingredients to the TM and grind on SP 8 for 5 – 10 seconds. It will become floury then come together as wet crumbs that press together in a ball when pressed. Add a tablespoon water if it’s too dry.

Press this mix into a square tin and put in the freezer while you make the filling.

 

Filling

120g hazelnuts (toasted and skinned)

100g cacao butter

60g coconut sugar (I used Natvia)

30g dates

1 teas mesquite powder

120g coconut cream

40g butter

1/2 teas gelatine

1 teas vanilla extract

 

Grind the cacao butter, sugar, dates and nuts in the TM for 5 seconds, SP 8. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on SP 4 at 70°C for 5 minutes. Blend on SP 8 for 20 seconds to ensure it is smooth and pour over the base. Refrigerate until firm – about 2 hours. 

 

Chocolate Topping

80g chocolate of your choice

20g coconut oil

 

Melt the chocolate and oil together on SP 3 at 50°C for 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour over chilled slice and leave to set. Cut with a warm knife to prevent the chocolate from cracking.