Raw Little Lemon Tart with Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Ice Cream

For as long as I can remember I have loved anything tart lemon.  I remember my Mother and I used to buy these lemon meringue pie truffles at a local store when I was little and we just loved them. One day the sales lady told us "some people think those are too tart." Not us, we loved the tart lemon flavor. One of my favorite lemon sweets has always been lemon curd.  My favorite way of using it was in a tart with a crunchy sweet cookie crust.  I used to make it quite often, and I even created a vegan version, but had not yet attempted raw.
I admit the idea of creating a raw curd that would stand up in a tart intimidated me a bit.  I did not want to use nuts in it, I wanted it to be silky yet still light like the real thing.  I wanted there to be plenty of lemon tartness and flavor, so I used both juice and zest.  I also used coconut butter and oil for richness and it did a wonderful job!
I often used to serve my lemon tarts with whipped cream, but I decided instead to serve it this time with a lemon almond poppy seed ice cream instead.  It was wonderful together! The tart lemon curd, the sweet crunchy tart crust and the sweet ice cream...pure heaven!  I shared some with my Mother and she loved it as well, I think I got my taste for lemon from her.

Raw Little Lemon Tart with Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Ice Cream
Makes 2

2 4 inch removable bottom tart pans

crusts:
2/3 cup finely shredded dried coconut
1/3 cup sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat (or additional coconut)
1 cup almond meal or pulp (dehydrated)
6-8 medjool dates, pitted
1/4 tsp sea salt

lemon curd:
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp very hot filtered water
1 Tbsp flaked agar agar
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of one organic lemon
2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp raw coconut butter
1 Tbsp raw coconut oil
lemon slices

Raw Lemon Almond Poppyseed Ice Cream (recipe follows)

To make the crust, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped and starting to hold together.  Press the mixture into 2 4 inch removanle bottom tart pans sprayed with non-stick spray. Place in the freezer while you prepare the curd.
For the curd, place the agar in the hot water in a bowl, and stir to dissolve.  Once dissolved, let cool to room temperature and add other ingredients.  Pour into a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into the prepared crusts and place in the fridge for about 4-6 hours or until set and chilled.  Once chilled, garnish with a lemon slice, and serve with raw lemon almond poppyseed ice cream.

Raw Lemon Almond Poppyseed Ice Cream
Makes about 4 cups

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp organic lemon zest
2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
2 cups young coconut meat, chopped
1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
seeds of one vanilla bean
1 tsp pure almond extract
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
2 Tbsp black poppyseeds

Add lemon  juice and almond milk to a food processor, along with zest, cashews, coconut meat, coconut nectar, vanilla, almond extract, and sea salt. Process until smooth, then with the processor running, add the coconut oil slowly and process until well incorporated, about a minute. Pour the mixture through a fine meshed strainer and press through until you have removed any coconut bits (you can skip this step, but it makes for a smoother ice cream). Stir in poppy seeds, and pour the strained mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to directions. Remove from ice cream maker, and pour into a freezer safe container. Let chill in the freezer for a few hours until a little more firm before scooping.

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