Last week, I had the pleasure of photographing one of Minneapolis’ top chefs while he taught a cooking class. Vincent Francoual, of Vincent, A Restaurant amazed and amused his class with the most tantalizing recipes ever, and his charming personality.
One of his creations for the evening was a Earl Grey Chocolate Terrine. I will admit to having a taste and immediately having to retrieve my eyeballs from the back of my head. But with 1 quart of cream, 9 egg yolks, 2 lbs of chocolate, plus sugar, the recipe doesn’t fit my healthy requirements. I decided to make a raw food recipe for the terrine.
Vincent infused the cream with Earl Gray tea which is a black tea with a citrus bergamot flavor. Think of orange and chocolate only more delicate, more perfumed, and more complex. Heaven. I asked Vincent if he minded if I took a stab at a healthy, raw version of this terrine. I am quite pleased with the results.
With a base of cashews and cacao, this dessert provides you with anti-oxidants, fiber, heart healthy monounsaturated fats, copper, and magnesium.
Earl Grey Chocolate Terrine
- 3 tablespoons Earl Grey Tea
- 1 1/2 cups very hot water
- 1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked and drained
- 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- 6 ounces raw cacao butter, melted*
1. Add tea to hot water. Let steep for 5 minutes, drain and cool.
2. Place tea and cashews in high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add agave and cacao powder, blend until well combined.
4. Slowly pour in melted cacao butter. Blend until well combined.
5. Pour into any rectangular container that will un-mold easily. I used a silicone mold that is 8 x 3 x 2 deep.
6. Freeze until solid. Dip mold briefly in hot water, un-mold. Slice into 1/2″ pieces to serve. You can let this warm, it will hold it’s form.
*You can melt the cacao butter over hot water or in the dehydrator.
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
I would love to make this for a brunch with my girlfriends. What an amazing recipe.
Thank you.
You are so brave to recreate a recipe like that. It looks amazing.
It was a really fun challenge. I had to really think about this one!
omg! that looks Divine! And what an interesting flavour combo….
I might try this for my birthday next week. Hm.
Wow, it’s on my list for the Thanksgiving holiday. Forget the usual chocolate cream pie…I”m makming this for ME!
Yum! I love this. Perfect for the holidays.
Perfect! In time for the upcoming holidays. Thanks!!! Earl Grey is my favorite tea and together with the chocolate – WOW!
You are the Goddess of Raw Desserts!
Yum squared.
This looks great. I hope you let Vincent see this. I’m sure he will be very pleased, and flattered, to see this.
I love the simplicity of the recipe along with the photography and healthy benefits such as anti-oxidants, fiber, heart healthy monounsaturated fats, copper, and magnesium. I can’t wait to make this desssert. It looks soooooo yummy.
Amazing how you pull things out of your hat!! Looks so simple and yummy!! Will add it to my other “testing” recipes. Can you explain the word “terrine” for me, please?
The use of “Terrine” in this recipe refers to the shape of the cooking vessel used. It is a long rectangular and has vertical sides.
Mmmmm sound lovely! I am bookmarking this and will make it right when I get cacao butter in my hands.
Wow.
I haven’t sent it to him yet but I did do this all with his blessing.
Thank you for sharing this amazing looking dessert – WOW! Can not wait to try it!
Lois
wow Susan, I love that you take gourmet recipes and turn them into raw gourmet recipes. Since I grew up with Julia Child-ophile parents and loved to cook from about age 9…
Here’s one for you , a great cake recipe in the Julia Child book…it’s the last one in the book, it’s called ‘Marquis’ or ‘Marquis au Chocolat’……..I’ve made it a bunch of times and it’s amazing..
It’s a dense chocolate sponge cake, one layer, that is split into 2 thin layers. then you make a creme anglaise/pastry cream type filling with about 80 % butter and flavor it with Cointreau or Grand Marnier, and ice the whole thing with that. Then you cover all of that with a chocolate/coffee icing. EEk! thinking about it, it might be tough to do that even just vegan since the butter is a big part of the flavor of the filling… I’m surprised though that I don’t see it in more bakeries around…I did see something like it, but with 2 layers, at Birchwood the other day…it’s like a giant petit four… if you could do that raw , I’d be very happy!
oooo Faith, my brain is already engaged! I can do this….
Great!
Hi Susan,
I am 100% raw and I do not eat cashews, agave or cacao. So I want to try this recipe with carob, macadamia nuts, honey or dates and coconut oil. Do you think it will work?
Thanks!
I wouldn’t even know where to start with those ingredients. It is dependent on the raw cacao butter for structure, I worry that the macadamia nuts would over power the flavor and be too oily. Coconut oil is very different in taste and texture than cacao butter. You can get raw cashews, cacao powder and cacao butter…
roughly how long did it take to freeze?
It sets up in about 3-4 hours but then after you slice it you can let it warm. It shouldn’t be served frozen.
Oh Em Gee!! You are amazing!
S
I made this today but had to use coconut oil as both the grocery stores I went to did
not carry cacao butter- I just tried some (even though it’s supposed to be setting up in the freezer) and it’s sooooo yummy. I really need to stay out of it so it can set up- which I hope works but even if it does not, it tastes soooooo GOOD!!
This looks good, I’m going to try it this weekend. Can I puree cacao beans to get the cacao powder.
Thanks,
I wouldn’t suggest it. Cacao beans are very different than cacao powder…they have a different taste, and also much more fat than the powder. It is also hard to get them to a very powdery consistency which would make your dessert gritty.
Just had a thought about this recipe Susan. What do you think about using Chai tea in place of earl grey? I love, love, love the taste of chai ….
S
You certainly could….Just think if you would want a chia-cacao drink as you are combining flavors.
Susan, Viewing your site is pure joy. I love what you do, beautiful, delicious, healthy. I am just into raw and have been able to remake some old recipes too. It is such a thrill when it works out. It just makes so much sense. I made your fall slaw last night and took it to school and everyone wanted some. I also made a tapioca pudding raw version using only: chia seeds, nut milk, vanila, and agave…so simple, so good. Next I thought, to make it chocolate just add cacao, then how about strawberry, lemon, banana, blueberry…finally I realized I could never eat all the ideas I get in a week. I need a website of ideas and maybe other people can make them and try them. WE don’t have to give up anything, we just have to be creative. Keep up the good work. A kindred spirit. I’d love to meet you one day. Ame
I am so impressed with this recipe and all your recipes. I ordered and just received the Rawmazing calendars…one for me and one for my daughter. Very beautiful and I’ve already made two of the recipes. I hope I can wait until Christmas to give my daughter hers. Do you have a good online source for the cacao butter?
I tried it and it is so good ! Kept in in the fridge so we can have a slice at every meal. Everybody loved it, friends I had for diner and even my kids ! We had it frozen, just out of the freezer and more soft (but still holding itself very weel), out of the fridge, both ways were good.
I’m really impressed with what you manage to do, taste and texture, with raw ingredients.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Hi Susan,
How do you make the orange peel shavings? What can you use to do this?
Gloria
I use a zester. But you can carefully cut them, too.
I made this this morning! Wow!
Thank you for sharing an awesome recipe is delicious and so easy to make.
It says add tea, steep, then drain. Are you draining the water and saving the tea leaves? That’s what I’ll assume!
No…you are using the tea, not the leaves.