Mallomars deconstructed

I just adore deconstructed fashion, whether it be from a hot new designer like Jay McCarroll (winner of the first season of Project Runway), me taking apart a garment to create a pattern or incorporate it into a new design, or a sexy chef like Sarma, who has had rave reviews of her raw mallomars.

These divine bites of heaven are sinfully good, according to just about anyone who has been lucky enough to have sampled them (Just check out some of the reviews on Give It To Me Raw). They are definitely in fashion at the moment, and I don't see them going out of style any time soon.

Unfortunately, I haven't been hip enough to taste these chic treats, but I'm not about to let that fact keep me out of the loop. Thanks to Raw B's thorough description of these trendy bites, I've deconstructed them down to a simple at home recipe.

Now, I'm not sure this recipe is anywhere near accurate, but I did what any home "uncook" would do to recreate the experience. I did my research.

It is not uncommon to use similar techniques throughout various recipes, which you may have noticed in my own ("if it ain't broke don't fix it"). It is also true for many raw chefs, and can even be seen in the Raw Food Real World book I used for a reference (It is the book from the restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, where the mallomars are made/served).

Combining both the sensory-charged descriptions and the already published Raw Food Real World recipes, I went straight to my kitchen laboratory (affectionately referred to that way by Raw B) and resulted in this fashionable knockoff.

I started first with a cookie inspired by one of the crust recipes in the book. I made the dough in my food processor, rolled it out on a Silpat and cut it into round cookie shapes, which I "baked" in my dehydrator until crisp.

In the meantime, I soaked some cashews and cracked open two young Thai coconuts (always pick up more than one 'cause "like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get"). This was the first time my husband witnessed one of my coconut massacres; I'll be surprised if he ever knowingly lets me do it again.

I used the cashews and the coconut to whip up the vanilla cream from the book. I then chilled it overnight to set.

Today, I topped the cookies with dollops of firm cream, and drizzled them with a ganache sauce (a very messy, but fun step; I'm still licking the chocolate off me. Where's my husband when I need him?). I used the unchilled version of the Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart filling, also from the book. Then, I popped them in the fridge until ready to serve.

I can't tell you how amazing these turned out. If you don't have the book already, this combination is definitely worth the price, not to mention the fact that you can get an autographed copy on Sarma's website.

Thanks Raw B. I owe you one. This copycat is for you :-)

Sarma, I hope you don't mind that I posted this. I still plan on making it to your restaurant one day to try the real deal, as well as encourage others to do the same.