Vegan White Chocolate Nectarine Tart with Califia Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

As much as I love pretty much all summer fruits, I have never been a fan of white flesh nectarines. They seem to have a strange perfumed flavour that I am unsure about. It just so happens that I ended up with quite a few white nectarines that were given to us by family. I’m not really one to enjoy eating them as is so I decided to do what I do best and turn them into a dessert! I am so glad I did because this dessert has turned out to be one of my most favourite desserts for the year. It has a subtle nectarine aroma (although yellow flesh nectarines will also work, for this recipe I think white gives a better flavour) that pairs incredibly well with beautiful vanilla flavour coming from Califia Farms Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk. This was actually the first time I have tried a vanilla plant milk. I fell in love as soon as I opened the bottle and could smell the vanilla. I can’t wait to use it for more recipes and drinks now (excited about the hot chocolate I am planning to relax with tonight). I’ve always loved Califia for the amazing texture, but now I love the vanilla unsweetened because of the endless ideas I have in using it for recipes. The thick and creamy texture makes it perfect for vegan desserts like this (as well as with anything) because it isn’t watery and can act as a good substitute for coconut-based products. Although it doesn’t firm up the same, the texture always comes out beautifully. I have to stress that the Califia Farms Vanilla almond milk played a really vital role in the flavour of the filling. I don’t think you can get the same flavour by adding some vanilla extract or using a different milk. I can’t guarantee the same taste without Califia. You can find Califia Farms Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk in the fridge section at Woolworths.

I used my favourite “biscuit-like” recipe for the tart crust. Its a mixture of almond meal, oats, maple syrup, and grapeseed oil but when baked I think it has a really similar flavour and texture to a normal biscuit base. I prefer this recipe over crushing down actual biscuits to make a crust because I can’t find any commercial biscuits in my area that have ingredients I am happy with. Plus you can whip it up in a bowl and avoid using a food processor which is always a bonus, especially when it comes to clean up! It makes quite a lot of crust so make sure you use a larger tart tin if you can. In my opinion, it is always better to have more crust then too little because you can just make the crust thicker. I struggle to make thin tart crusts because I’m not a very neat or precise cook, but if you prefer your crust bases thin, you can always half the recipe and make it work for you. The filling is made similar to how you would make a typical vegan cheesecake filling except for this recipe I didn’t see the need to set it in the freezer. I just placed it in the fridge for a few hours. It has a lovely soft consistency. I decided to keep the skins of the nectarines on for this recipe because I know skin contains a lot of nutrients and helps to impart more flavour (use organic when possible) but this meant that there are tiny small bits of cut-up nectarine skin in the filling that makes it look a little speckled. I don’t mind this at all but if you prefer a smoother consistency than you can try peel your nectarines before adding them to the blender. As always make sure to have the cashews well soaked before blending and to add the liquid ingredients for the filling in the blender first to help the blender do a better job.

This recipe is vegan/plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free.