//movers and shakers
Napier’s Hap¯ı Clean Kai Co-op has a reputation for offering delicious and innovative organic food.
One of its most popular treats is a vegan Tiramasu Cheescake, which Stuff endeavoured to get the recipe for in response to reader requests.
But while Hap¯ı’s Gretta Carney admitted that wasn’t possible (‘‘because we swear there is no recipe and only one person actually knows how to make it’’), she did offer up the secrets to their Hap¯ı’s vegan mascarpone cheese, which is used in all of the fresh fruit tarts and could be used as a base for a dairy-free tiramisu.
‘‘It’s totally delicious, super simple and very useful if you want to cater for dairy intolerance,’’ she says. 235g organic, fair-trade cashews 1 cup filtered water
125ml organic brown rice syrup (you could substitute other liquid sweeteners)
70ml lemon juice
21⁄2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
100ml melted coconut oil 150ml melted cacao butter
Put the cashews and water in a highspeed blender jug. Blend slowly, increasing speed until you have a smooth paste. Make sure you wipe down the walls of the jug with a spatula to get all the ingredients well blended.
Add the rice syrup, lemon juice, rum, vanilla, and salt, and blend again until well combined.
Add the oil and butter and pulse for five seconds, until just combined. Overblending at this point will wreck your mascarpone, as the large quantity of fats can’t cope with the high speeds.
Pour into a one-litre container, or straight into prepared tart bases and store in the fridge for at least 24 hours to cure.
When ready, the mascarpone will be firm. Makes one litre. Will keep well in the fridge for four weeks.
If using in a traditional tiramisu, bring the ‘‘cheese’’ to room temperature and, if required, melt a small portion in a double boiler and mix the remainder in to get a workable consistency.
Hap¯ı Clean Kai Co-op, 89 Hastings St, Napier. Open 7am-4pm daily.
Want the secret behind your favourite restaurant or cafe dish? Email life. style@stuff.co.nz with From the Menu in the subject line and we’ll do our best to track it down.