Happy Valentine’s Day y’all! I thought a chocolate Paleo treat would be perfect for today. You can make this Paleo Chocolate Pear Tart tonight, over the weekend or just pin it for another time.
Jeff & I decided to “celebrate” Valentine’s day early. I say “celebrate” because we don’t typically do much for regular holidays, let alone Hallmark ones. ;) But, we found some great places that made up for our recent paella dinner.
We stopped at Aroma Espresso Bar and absolutely loved it! Jeff ordered a black coffee and I had an iced Aroma (they’re take on what would be a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino, just better). Then we spent some time reading in South Pointe Park, the very farthest point you can go on Miami Beach.
For dinner we went with a personal recommendation and ate at Joe’s Stone Crab. We called ahead to find out what time would be best to arrive, since online reviews say the line to get in can last for hours (with no reservations allowed) and we got there as soon as they opened for dinner at 5pm. Early I know, but totally worth it!
Joe’s is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and we absolutely recommend going there if you’re in Miami. It’s family owned and they bring in fresh local stone crab daily. I ordered the cold fish platter (stone crab, half a lobster, shrimp and clams) and Jeff had the sea bass plus we shared an order of brussels sprouts and we splurged on dessert and shared a piece of their amazing key-lime pie. Did I mention we started off with some butter and warm garlic rolls? And the pie, totally not Paleo either, and I’m alright with that. We definitely don’t eat 100% Paleo all the time, especially when going out, but this dinner was the first time I strayed since we’ve been in Miami. :)
Whether you are celebrating Valentine’s day or not, have an amazing Thursday! Feel free to give this Paleo Chocolate Pear Tart a try. It’ll work well for any special occasion, holiday or just, you know, a delicious end to a hectic Thursday. :)
Paleo Chocolate Pear Tart Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients
- 10 pitted medjool dates
- 8 tablespoons Kerrygold grass-fed butter, unsalted (room temperature)
- 1 cup whole blanched almonds
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 3 firm Bartlett pears
- 1/2 lemon
Directions Makes 8 servings
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a food processor, combine almonds and dates and process until finely ground.
- Add butter, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, salt and almond extract to food processer and mix until combined.
- Spread mixture evenly into a 9-inch (removable-bottom) tart pan.
- Peel, halve and core pears. Cut lenthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rubbing them with the lemon as you work to prevent discoloration. Arrange slices on chocolage mixture, slightly overlapping, without pressing in.
- Place pan on a baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes or until the top is puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.
- Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold the next day.
- Enjoy! :)