Fabulous Fig Parfaits

Preparation Place the dates in a small bowl, cover with the water, and soak for about 1 hour, or until soft. Drain, reserving the liquid. To make the nut kreme, place the soaked nuts and half of the dates in a blender and blend slowly, adding up to 1/4 cup of the reserved soaking liquid, until the mixture is smooth yet thick. To make the raspberry sauce, blend the remaining half of the dates, the raspberries, and the remaining 1/4 cup of the reserved (soaking) liquid until smooth. The sauce should have a thin consistency; if needed, add additional filtered water. To prepare the parfaits, starting from the top, cut the figs lengthwise into quarters (leaving the bottoms intact) and gently press open. Spoon some of the nut kreme into the middle of each fig. Arrange the parfaits on a platter and drizzle raspberry sauce over the top of each parfait. Garnish with the fresh mint leaves or shredded coconut. Reprinted with permission from The Raw Truth: Recipes and Resources for the Living Foods Lifestyle by Jeremy A. Safron. Copyright © 2003, 2011 by Jeremy A. Safron; interior photographs copyright © 2011 by Eniko Perhacs; front cover photograph copyright © 2011 by Leo Gong. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Jeremy Safron is the founder of Loving Foods, a raw foods educational resource company. He opened and operated one of the earliest living foods restaurants, The Raw Experience, on Maui from 1996—1999. Safron works as a consultant and adviser to several raw restaurants around the United States.

Preparation Place the dates in a small bowl, cover with the water, and soak for about 1 hour, or until soft. Drain, reserving the liquid. To make the nut kreme, place the soaked nuts and half of the dates in a blender and blend slowly, adding up to 1/4 cup of the reserved soaking liquid, until the mixture is smooth yet thick. To make the raspberry sauce, blend the remaining half of the dates, the raspberries, and the remaining 1/4 cup of the reserved (soaking) liquid until smooth. The sauce should have a thin consistency; if needed, add additional filtered water. To prepare the parfaits, starting from the top, cut the figs lengthwise into quarters (leaving the bottoms intact) and gently press open. Spoon some of the nut kreme into the middle of each fig. Arrange the parfaits on a platter and drizzle raspberry sauce over the top of each parfait. Garnish with the fresh mint leaves or shredded coconut. Reprinted with permission from The Raw Truth: Recipes and Resources for the Living Foods Lifestyle by Jeremy A. Safron. Copyright © 2003, 2011 by Jeremy A. Safron; interior photographs copyright © 2011 by Eniko Perhacs; front cover photograph copyright © 2011 by Leo Gong. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Jeremy Safron is the founder of Loving Foods, a raw foods educational resource company. He opened and operated one of the earliest living foods restaurants, The Raw Experience, on Maui from 1996—1999. Safron works as a consultant and adviser to several raw restaurants around the United States.