Puddin' on the Ritz: Purple Sticky Rice Tart

This weekend's kitchen adventures were plentiful and quite varied. Take this vegan purple sticky rice tart, for example. In honor of National Pie Day (Saturday), I thought I'd make something with a crust . . . but I didn't quite feel like making a full-fledged pie. And I also knew I wanted to explore the Private Collection some more. (If you haven't already, check out last week's Richard Simmons-related post: Pie in the Sky: Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie.)

Richard doesn't say much about his recipe for Snow White Coconut Rice Pudding. There isn't some hilarious story about its origin . . . nor some wildly embellished description of its flavor.

This pudding is so pure, so white. About halfway through the classic movie, there's a scene where Snow White is making lunch for the Seven Dwarfs. Look carefully-you'll see the pudding on the table. (pg. 132)

But his version -- a Snow White pudding -- looked too, well, vanilla for my tastes. And pudding alone doesn't totally satisfy me . . . so I decided to add a tart crust made with a very special ingredient, something I've never baked or cooked with before: lavender! I think you'll agree, this tart topped with frozen raspberries does Richard's recipe justice . . . while also kicking it up a notch -- 2010-style.





What you'll need . . . (for the crust)

• 1/3 cup raw cashews (or walnuts, pecans, or any other soft nut)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup date sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (or margarine)
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt (pinch)
• 1/2 teaspoon lavender
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil (or margarine). If you're using coconut oil, you don't need a ton of heat before it melts. So go relatively low.
3. Add the vanilla and date sugar (or brown sugar); mix well.
4. Simmer over a medium-low heat and allow to simmer for 2 -3 minutes. (I had to mix continually.)
5. In a food processor, combine the cashews and half of the oats, until well ground. Add the remaining oats, lavender, and salt; pulsing to combine.
6. Empty the dry mixture into a medium sized bowl and pour the hot syrup over it.
7. Once the crust mixture is well combined, transfer to an 8 inch tart pan.
8. Spread out and evenly press the mixture along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (I found it was helpful to press with a piece of plastic wrap so it didn't stick to my hands.)
9. Bake for 5 minutes. Then put in the refrigerator to set, about 20 minutes or just while you prepare the filling.

What you'll need . . . (for the rice pudding filling)

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked purple rice (or black rice or regular rice, if you can't find any)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 (14-ounce) can regular coconut milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Method . . .

1. Pour water into medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Add the rice and cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 35 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well to combine, and continue to cook the mixture over low heat until all of the liquid has been absorbed (about 15 to 20 minutes).
4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and place the pudding in the refrigerator to chill.
5. When chilled (but not SUPER chilled or it'll be hard to pour), gently pour into your pie crust. Top with frozen raspberries (or mango, I just didn't have any) and sesame seeds.

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