By Ricki Heller

Chocolate Orange Silk Tart

SERVES 6 TO 8

The luxurious, satiny filling in this tart imparts a delicious hint of orange, the perfect complement to the shortcake crust. For a spectacular presentation, top with a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream and a sprinkling of orange zest. This tart will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Chocolate Shortcake Crust

⅓ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup Ricki’s All-Purpose Flour Blend or flour blend of choice
3 tablespoons brown rice flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon stevia powder

Orange Chocolate Ganache Filling

5 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
⅔ cup coconut sugar
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
20*-30 drops plain or vanilla-flavor stevia liquid, to taste
-Pinch fine sea salt

1. Grease an 8-inch tart pan or springform pan or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. To make Crust, place coconut sugar, coconut nectar and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor and process until coconut sugar begins to dissolve, about 30 seconds. Add coconut oil and process to blend. Add remaining ingredients and process just to combine. Dough should form a ball.

3. Pat dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of prepared 8-inch tart pan or about ¾ inch up the sides of prepared springform pan. (If dough is too soft to stay on the sides of the pan, refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes and then proceed.) Refrigerate crust until completely firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5. Prick crust several times across the bottom with a fork. Place in preheated oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until it just begins to brown on the edges and is puffed and dry in the middle. Allow to cool completely before filling.

6. To make Filling, place ingredients in a medium, heavy-bottom pot over lowest possible heat. Stir constantly until chocolate melts and mixture is silky-smooth.

7. Pour mixture over cooled crust and allow to cool to room temperature.

8. Chill at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Each serving contains 407 calories, 24g total fat, 18g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 51g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 5g protein.

*TIP If you choose to use less stevia, increase coconut sugar to ¾ cup. Filling will be slightly softer but will hold its shape when well chilled.

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Ricki's All-Purpose Flour Blend

MAKES 4 CUPS

Use this blend for all your baking needs. To make your own millet flour, process whole-grain dry millet into a powder in a blender or coffee grinder.

2 cups millet flour
⅔ cup garfava bean flour
⅔ cup potato starch (not potato flour)
⅔ cup arrowroot starch/powder or tapioca starch/flour or cornstarch

1. Blend ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks until used.

Canadian Ricki Heller is a holistic nutritionist and author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love Without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar.