Maple Balsamic Summer Fruits with Cashew Cream, Pine Nuts and Basil

During the warmer months, I find myself baking comfort foods a lot less. Dessert in the summer is fresh seasonal fruit from the market, frozen fruit (pineapple is my go-to right now), and a simple piece of dark chocolate. I realized however that my guests might not want simple strawberries for dessert. So, to highlight the natural deliciousness of the summer cherries and amazing bite-sized strawberries I whipped up a heightened and dairy-free version of strawberries and ‘cream’.

This is a perfect dessert the those crazy so-called ‘non dessert people.’It plays more to the savoury side of dessert, making it light and not overly sweet.Feel free to swap out the cherries or strawberries with some of your other favourite fruits like pineapple, raspberries and blackberries. The cashew cream is an amazing alternative to whipped cream or yogurt. If you have a nut allergy, try whipping up coconut cream and sugar as a substitute. Works wonderfully as well! Hope you love it.

Cashew Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• good pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strawberries (halved)
• 1 cup cherries (pitted and halved)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Soak cashews overnight. Drain and rinse.

2. Add all cashew cream ingredients to a high power blender like a Vitamix or into a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a bowl or jar and set aside.

3. In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup on medium heat. Allow to heat for about 5 minutes or until it reduces by half. You should have a thick syrupy balsamic. Set aside.

4. Toast your pinenuts in a dry sauce pan on medium heat for about 3 minutes. When they start to release oil thats when you want to take them off the pan. Otherwise they will burn quite quickly.

5. Wash and chop your fruits and basil.

6. I like to serve each element separately and allow your guests to make their own combination. Bon appetit!