When most folks think of uncooked dessert, their coworker Pam and her moist-at-the-middle pound cake or cousin Bill’s infamous underdone brownies come to mind. But in the world of living foods, raw confections never hit temperatures above 118 degrees (for some, 110 degrees is the limit), yet still maintain the mouth-watering goodness of their cooked counterparts.
This past Saturday marked the culmination of Cru restaurant’s 40 Days Raw series. For the finale, chef Kristan Andrews treated the class to decadent desserts ranging from chocolate pudding and coconut lemon bars to fruity layer cake and date ice cream. Participants were clapping and happy dancing in chairs when the menu was announced. Not that the series’ offerings thus far hadn’t been delectable, but it was clear the creative nut-based edibles affirmed a basic human desire — even in raw and raw-friendly folks — satiety of the sweet tooth!
Since reconnecting with living foods six weeks ago, I’ve cut high fructose corn syrup and its ilk out of my diet. With the exception of naturally occurring sugar found in my breakfast of gala apples or grapefruit, none of the sweet stuff, a mainstay of the Standard American Diet, has passed my lips. Most raw desserts use honey, stevia or agave nectar as a sweetener. Agave, made from the sap of the Mexican Blue Agave (the plant that also produces tequila), is reported to be well tolerated by diabetics for its low glycemic load. One thing I’ve discovered with raw desserts, on those rare occasions that I treat myself (because I may or may not be battling candida, but have been too lazy or in denial to get tested) is that when I down some gooey goodness of the uncooked variety, I don’t get a high and then crash immediately afterwards as I did with processed cookies and candies.
After class, I decided to ride the tasty treat train to Juliano’s in Santa Monica. Book in tow, I settled down at my table with a slice of chocolate cheesecake. Made with honey, cashew cream and cacao with a goji berry emulsion circling the plate, this scrumptious dessert seduces my sweet tooth like Tita de la Garza’s magical meals in Like Water for Chocolate. As I make my rounds on the raw circuit, I’m pleased to note more people of color embracing the living foods movement. I was happy to see several brown faces partaking of plant-based sushi and lasagna amidst the hanging ferns and Zen-inspired environment that is Juliano’s.
To complete my weekend of indulgence, I returned to Cru on Sunday night for a slice of chocolate truffle cake. I don’t recommend sugar sprees, even of the raw variety, but since I had successfully maintained a 100 percent living foods diet for the past six weeks, was feeling good about my health, weight loss, renewed energy and mental clarity, a celebration was in order. Dessert can factor into a fit lifestyle, but balance is key.
As I sat at a candle-lit table reading a book for grad school and nibbling on forkfuls of rich almond-based cacao-coated lusciousness, I struck up a convo with the folks at a neighboring table. Though not raw foodists, as they explained, the chocolate mint cake and chocolate brownie a la mode that sat before them had my fellow diners reconsidering the uncooked vegan lifestyle.
Can dessert really be decadent yet good for you? I think that question was answered quite sweetly on my weekend raw carnival of culinary delight.
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