Chocolate Coffee No Bake Vegan Pie Tart

On entertaining--I really stress out when folks come to my house. I mean--it is a sweat-on-the-brow, OMG, what will I make, is the house clean, is there toilet paper in the bathroom, are the dogs brushed, is my garden neat, is the deck swept, grass cut, shrubs tidy. . . kind of moment. It could only be one guest--I'm stressed--and yes, same list over again. And with family, it's even more terrifying. Once I've gotten through with the trauma, the meal being consumed, bellies full, relaxation finally sets in, well, a chocolate coma doesn't hurt. Today we had guests--my mother and father in-law (no stress in that, right?!) They are lovely people, and are so happy to visit, I don't know where the stress comes from, really. While they were here, we sat on the porch, had tea and we enjoyed the rain, the wind and the cool temperatures! My father-in-law said, Look, it's raining in the valley, but not raining up here. Sure enough, there was a rain storm down in the valley--100 feet away, while where we sat, there was no rain--Missouri weather. It was a beautiful, cloudy day. So, on the menu today I made a yummy roasted vegetable lasagna with an artichoke heart salad. I am sharing the most important part of the meal first: dessert. This tart is inspired by The Joy of Vegan Baking by Collen Patrick-Goudreau. I added the chips and a bit of instant coffee to give it that extra little kick we know we all need after having cooked all day.

The tart was made the night before--it uses agar flakes (seaweed--the miracle binder that allows us vegans to indulge in those fond desserts like lemon bars and this little delight), so if you don't have any, you may need to make a quick run to Whole Foods to get some.

Make the Crust

*You can substitute a chocolate graham cracker crust--but honestly, this works pretty well.

1/2 cup unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 sugar or Florida Crystals

3 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 canola oil

1/4 maple syrup

2 1/2 tablespoons soy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 8 or 9 inch pie pan or tart pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and chocolate, set aside. Whisk the oil, syrup, milk and vanilla and salt. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix well with a spoon. You may see the specks of sugar in the mix, that is okay. Spread this in the pie pan. It won't fit up the sides, it just needs to cover the bottom.

Bake for about 12 minutes. Insert the tip of a knife in the middle to be sure it's done. Let this cool before adding the filling.

The Chocolate Coffee Filling

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup coffee

1 tablespoon agar flakes

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 cups regular chocolate chips plus 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

12 ounces firm tofu (use the boxed, vacuum packed kind if you can--I've used soft tofu in the box, it works fine, but firm is better)

3/4 cup Florida Crystals or plain sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

In a saucepan, combine the water, coffee and agar flakes and cocoa. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Stir for five minutes. Then add the sugar, stir for five minutes more--you want to have those agar flakes dissolved (but trust me, they will not all dissolve, but this will not affect the tart one bit). Then turn off the heat. Add the chocolate chips. Mix until they have melted. In a food processor, blend the tofu and vanilla--until it reaches a creamy consistency. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the tofu and give it another minute of mixing--be sure this is completely combined. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Then, before serving, sprinkle the 1/3 mini chocolate chips on top. Sort of press them down to make them stay. Slice, serve and listen to the ooohhhhhs and ahhhhhhs! And don't send this home with folks, you'll want some later in the evening when you are in your jammies reflecting on the foodness.