Vegetarian and vegan Easter feasts: Part Three: Desserts

And now, just in time for you to cook something sweet up on Sunday, here’s Part Three of the Vegetarian and vegan seasonal Easter feasts menu – desserts. See Part One for starters and Part Two for main courses (if you looked at Part Two yesterday, I forgot to put the other suggestions in, but have now added them, so do take a look).

Again, I’ve combined some elements to make it easier to make a full meal for both vegans and vegetarians. Of course, you can also choose to do one or the other.

Ginger, rhubarb and lemon mini cheesecakes with strawberries

Ginger, rhubarb and lemon mini cheesecake with strawberries

Ingredients

Ginger biscuit base

Rhubarb purée

Zest of two lemons

250g mascarpone

100ml whipped cream

30g icing sugar

Strawberries to decorate

Method

Push the biscuit base into silicone muffin trays (probably about 5mm depth).

Add a layer or rhubarb purée on top.

Mix together the lemon zest, mascarpone, whipped cream and icing sugar, until smooth.

Add on top of the biscuit and rhubarb purée.

Chill for at least an hour, then gently press out from the muffin cases.

Top with slices of strawberries and put some on the side of the plate, too, to decorate.

Adaptations

You can use a plain digestive base, rather than ginger. You could use a strawberry purée instead of rhubarb, or no purée at all. You could also use small dices of rhubarb instead of a purée. And it would probably taste nice and look good with a chocolate sauce drizzled around the cheesecake. As an alternative to mini cheesecakes, you could make a single one and cut into slices, instead.

Ginger and chocolate tartlets with strawberries

Ginger and chocolate tartlet with strawberries

Ingredients

Ginger biscuit base

Rhubarb purée

2 avocados

30g cocoa

30g icing sugar

Strawberries for decorating

Method

Push the biscuit base into silicone muffin trays (probably about 5mm depth).

Add a layer or rhubarb purée on top.

Peel and stone the avocado then whizz it up in a food processor until it’s as smooth as you can get it. Gradually add in the cocoa and icing sugar until you’ve got a reasonably thick paste (mine was a little too soggy, so I’ve increased the quantities here, but you might need to increase them more).

Fill the muffin cases up with the chocolate and avocado mixture.

Chill for at least an hour, then gently press out from the muffin cases.

Top with slices of strawberries and put some on the side of the plate, too, to decorate.

Adaptations

You can use a plain digestive base, rather than ginger. You could use a strawberry purée instead of rhubarb, or no purée at all. You could also use small dices of rhubarb instead of a purée. And it would probably taste nice and look good with a strawberry sauce drizzled around the tartlets. As an alternative to tartlets, you could make a single one and cut into slices, instead.

 

Components for the desserts:

Ginger biscuit base

I had quite a lot of pastry left over from my main courses, so I used that and made my own ginger biscuit base. You could also just use some crunched up ginger biscuits – make sure they’re vegan if you’re doing the vegan dessert, of course.

Ingredients

About 150g pastry

Large piece of ginger, peeled

4 tbsp sugar (I used normal white caster sugar, but Demerara would work well, too – a crunchy sugar works best, though)

50g vegan margarine (or butter, if you’re not making the vegan dessert)

Method

Roll the pastry out and place on a greased baking tray (or in a silicon baking dish) (it doesn’t matter if it’s all in one piece or lots of pieces, as you’re going to break it up into bits later)

Grate over the ginger

Sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of the sugar

Bake for about 10 minutes at about 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Allow to cool.

Bash with a rolling pin to break it up into little pieces (roughly breadcrumb size). (Note, if you’re using shop-bought biscuits, this is where you start.)

Melt the margarine or butter in a saucepan.

Add the biscuit crumbs and the sugar.

Stir for a few minutes, until well combined.

Rhubarb purée

Ingredients

4 large sticks of rhubarb, washed and chopped into large chunks

Juice of 1 lemon (use one of the ones you’re zesting for the vegetarian dessert, if you’re making it)

1 tbsp sugar

Method

Cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes.

Push through a sieve, or whizz up with a hand processor.

 

Other vegetarian and vegan Easter dessert suggestions

Vegetarian

Pancakes filled with strawberries and chocolate and served with whipped cream

Strawberry sponge topped with rhubarb and drizzled with chocolate sauce

Strawberry and rhubarb custard tartlets

Vegan

Rhubarb crumble

Strawberry and rhubarb towers filled with chocolate ganache (thin slices of lightly steamed rhubarb and raw strawberry layered with the chocolate and avocado mixture like in the tartlets)

Blinis with strawberries and chocolate sauce

 

Don’t forget to look at the starters and main courses, too.