Food is politics. More than ever. So, imagine my surprise when I found this comment the other day, right here on my little ol’ blog saying:
“I love your recipe blog, but really don’t agree with your political views or comments. Try to stay more focused on the food instead of politics. You may keep more friends that way.”
I’d never thought of being less than genuine and hiding my views as way to gain friends. Call me naive, that’s one strategy I haven’t tried. In terms of what I write on this site, I share my personal (which are of course political) philosophies and also enjoy hearing other people’s views, whether they agree with me or not.
So everyone, I want to thank you for your comments and all of the diverse perspectives. I appreciate hearing your views, even if we don’t always exactly see eye to eye.
In terms of my opinions, I hope you all enjoy what I write and totally understand if you don’t. Of course, if you are a big fan of Sara Palin then this site might not be the most comfortable place for you to hang out, given that I am pretty much a bleeding heart liberal. And then some. That’s not something I ever have or ever will try to hide.
Here’s yet another delicious gluten-free kosher for Passover recipe; it is based on a recipe I found on epicurean.com. My husband was very enthusiastic about this dessert, eating the crumbs off of the serving plate. Just a word of caution, this moist tart can be a bit crumbly this is normal and does not mean you’ve done anything wrong.
Chocolate Walnut Torte
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 cups walnuts
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the chocolate until it becomes a coarse mixture, the consistency of gravel
- Pulse in the walnuts, briefly, until they are coarsely chopped -bigger chunks than the chocolate
- In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale in color, then gradually beat in the agave
- In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then beat in the salt
- Fold the chocolate-walnut mixture into the egg yolk mixture
- Then fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture
- Place in a well greased 9 inch springform pan
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave in for 10 more minutes, until firm to the touch and golden around the edges
- Cool in the pan, then serve
This gluten-free flourless torte is another less expensive way to make higher-protein, lower glycemic desserts, without the expense of almond flour. Not that I don’t love almond flour, it’s still my favorite ingredient!
I’m not sure if this torte would work with yacon, though it might be a worthy experiment. It might also be worthwhile to experiment with other nuts, if walnuts aren’t your thing.
AnnaBella says
Hi Elana, lucky for me, a Palin fan, bleeding heart liberals like you have such wonderful recipes! Thanks for doing what you do: you make my life better, one meal at a time.
Annette says
Hi! Just wanted to say I made this… and I probably shouldn’t have used the 70 per cent dark chocolate I did, this cake packed a punch in terms of flavour! Loved the texture though, and enjoyed it with tofu cream and some dulce de leche sauce to temper the intense bitterness of the chocolate :) Thanks for sharing!
Karl MacPhee says
thanks so much for sharing this one…I used maple syrup, dark chocolate squares and added coconut flakes for a wonderful treat.
Janis S, says
Thanks for all the Jewish holiday recipes! Passover can be especially hard because all the traditional recipes use matza meal. My son is not gluten-free, but has a problem with matza. Do you have a good recipe for rolls so I can pack him lunch for school during Passover? Thanks again.
cecile says
yummygood!!!!!!
Rachel says
I have been waiting for ages to make this, but I finally got my hands on a food processor. This was amazing! I baked it this afternoon, and now it is GONE. Everyone loved it, and they couldn’t believe it was flourless.
Some tips/comments about making it:
-The first thing I did was separate the eggs. The egg whites get a chance to warm up, which makes them easier to whip. I would also forget to do it later…so if you’re like me, do it now!
-I pulsed the chips until it looked like very coarse chocolate dirt. Pulsing the walnuts took literally 5 pulses. (I used KitchenAid)
-The yolks did not turn pale when I beat it, and I beat it for quite a while with an electric hand mixer. I forgot to *gradually* stir in the agave as well, but it didn’t ruin the end product. I also used a bit less than 1/2 cup because my chocolate chips were 65% cacao.
-It was my first time whipping egg whites (yay!) but I beat it to stiff peaks and it was kind of annoying trying to fold in evenly. There were still clumps of egg white in the end mixture. Might be better to beat it to soft peaks instead.
-I did not have a springform pan, so I used a round ceramic Corningware thing. I oiled it before pouring the mixture in, but it still stuck. I also baked it at 325F for 25 minutes because ceramics have much lower heat conductivities than metals. After turning the oven off, I left it in for another 15 minutes. Even though my torte turned out really well, it did not come out easily. It did not come out at all, actually! My advice is to choose a square metal pan over a round ceramic/pyrex pan. Shape is less of a priority when a sticky pan is gonna mess up the shape anyway. If it does happen to get stuck, the best thing you can do is cut it in the pan and carefully scrape the slices out.
-It rose quite a lot (and unevenly because I suck at folding), and had much more height than shown in this photo. Maybe I beat the eggs too much? Still delicious, and made for a fluffier torte.
-I let it cool on the counter AND chill in the fridge before serving. When it just came out of the oven it was like a squishy marshmallow cake thing. It turned out MUCH better after letting it sit in the fridge.
After all this, my fluffy chocolate walnut torte came out looking very much like this photo in color and texture, though mine was probably less dense. I would definitely make it again. And it’s only 5 ingredients! Thanks, Elana!
Dr Bob Jackson says
Happy to discover you are a liberal and don’t hold back. I recommend your website to all my patients and friends. Keep up the good work!!
Barbara says
I made this torte a couple of days ago and love it. I gave some to my friend, who is not on a gluten free diet and she also raved about it. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Phred says
Your site, your rules… if they don’t like what you write they can GTFO!
As you can see I’m not really afraid to speak my mind either so I’m with you!
That and you make mega awesome recipes! :)
Elissa says
I am so glad i found this – just when I was beginning to panic about what to make for Passover this year! My niece is coming to stay – her first Passover since we were kids – and, like me she’s gluten free. She’s also vegan, which is slightly awkward around Passover, having no bread in the house (we always make eggs – what to do!?) your blog = a lifesaver. And entertainment. Thanks again