Guava and Manchego Phyllo Pouches with Passion Fruit Syrup

1 cup 1/4- to 1/3-inch cubes guava paste* (about 7 ounces)
1 cup 1/4- to 1/3-inch cubes Manchego cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9 12x8-inch sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Passion Fruit Syrup
Preparation
Toss first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to combine. Cover filling and chill until ready to use, up to 1 day.
Stir sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in small bowl. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface; keep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and damp towel to prevent drying. Brush phyllo with butter and sprinkle with 11/2 teaspoons sugar mixture. Repeat 2 more times to make 3 layers. Cut rectangle in half crosswise, making two 6x8-inch stacks. Place scant 1/3 cup guava filling in center of each stack. Gather sheets around filling to form pouch. Brush pouches with butter. Transfer to small baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 6 pouches total. Sprinkle with some of remaining sugar mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic and refrigerate.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake phyllo pouches uncovered until golden brown and filling is heated through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to plates. Spoon syrup alongside; serve phyllo pouches warm.
*A firm block of concentrated fruit available at some supermarkets, at Latin markets, and at cafecubano.com.

Passion fruit and raspberry Mousse

The blend of passion fruit and raspberry is exotic and perfumy, and a perfect foil for the bittersweet chocolate wrapping.

Ingredients
Tuiles
1/2 cup(1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cupconfectioners' sugar
1 cupflour
3 eggwhites
2 ouncesbittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 chocolate ribbon
10 ouncesbittersweet chocolate, chopped

Mousse
2 poundspassion fruit, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cupssugar
2 cupswater
1 packetgelatin
1/4 cupwater
1 poundfresh raspberries
1 tablespoonsugar
1 pintheavy (whipping) cream

Garnish
1 cupheavy (whipping) cream
1 tablespoonsugar
1 cupblackberries
1 pintstrawberries
2 mangoes, pitted and julienned

Instructions
To make the tuiles: Cut a 6-inch circle in a piece of cardboard or stiff plastic to create a stencil. In the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites one at a time. Fold in the flour. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the 2 ounces of chocolate. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the stencil on the prepared baking sheet and fill evenly with batter, spreading thin with the back of a spoon. Lift the stencil and repeat. Put the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle or a plastic bag. Drizzle the tuiles with the melted chocolate and bake 2 to 3 minutes; do not let them become brown. Remove and immediately shape into cones. Let cool. If the tuiles become too stiff to mold, place them in the warm oven for a moment to reheat them.
To make the chocolate ribbon molds: Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Lay 8 heavy flexible 2-1/2-inch-by-15-inch plastic strips on a work surface. Spread chocolate 1/8-inch thick on a plastic strip, let cool until the sheen disappears, then lift both ends of the strip and bring them together at one end, chocolate-to-chocolate, forming a teardrop shape. Hold the ends together with a paper clip. Repeat with the remaining strips. Stand on the prepared baking sheet and put in the refrigerator.
To make the mousse: Put the passion fruit pulp, sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a fine-meshed sieve, and place in a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice. Dissolve the gelatin in the water. Reserve 1/2 cup of raspberries for garnish. Purée the remaining raspberries with the tablespoon of sugar and press the pulp through a fine-meshed sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside 1/2 cup of each purée in separate containers for use as garnish.
Add the raspberry purée to the passion fruit purée and gently whisk the dissolved gelatin into the purée mixture. In a deep heavy bowl, beat the cream at high speed until firm peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the purée mixture. Fill the chocolate molds with the mousse and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
To serve: Beat the whipping cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Place it in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Place one chocolate-wrapped mousse off-center on each dessert plate. Spoon one strip of mango purée, one strip of heavy cream, and one strip of raspberry purée side-by-side near the large end of the mousse. Pull across the sauces with the point of a sharp knife or toothpick, alternating directions, to create a design. Place a dot of raspberry purée at the thin end of the mousse and pull through it to form a star design. Pipe whipped cream into the tuile cones and place one on each plate.

Garnish the plate with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

Fruit fool with raspberries and passion fruit

Fruit fool with raspberries and passion fruit
Enjoy this creamy, healthy desert while raspberries are at their plentiful best.
Ingredients
1 small passion fruit
300g raspberries, reserving a few for decoration, washed
1 tbsp lemon juice
175g golden caster sugar
2 large egg whites
2 x 200ml tubs Président Crème Fraîche Extra Light
150g pot Waitrose Natural Fat Free Bio Live Yogurt

Serves 6

Timing
Preparation time: 20 mins plus 2 hours chilling time


Instructions
Halve the passion fruit and scoop the pulp into a medium-sized bowl. Add the raspberries and lemon juice with 25g caster sugar. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon, crushing the fruit just enough to release some of their juices, but still keeping the raspberries whole. Set aside for 10 minutes.
While the fruit is soaking, whisk the egg whites, using an electric or balloon whisk, until stiff peaks form. Gradually whisk in 100g caster sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until thick and glossy.
Spoon the crème fraîche and yogurt into the fruit. Then, using a metal spoon, fold in the egg whites leaving the mixture roughly marbled. Divide between six serving glasses and chill until firm, for up to 2 hours.
To make the caramel decoration, preheat the grill to high. Cover a baking sheet with lightly-oiled foil and sprinkle the remaining sugar over in an even layer. Place under the grill for 1-2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Remove from the grill. The sugar will cool to form a sheet of wafer-thin caramel. Break the caramel into shards and use to decorate the top of the chilled fools. Add the extra berries and serve immediately.

From Waitrose Ltd.

Raspberry and passionfruit cake

Ingredients
1/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup ground almonds
185g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup fresh passionfruit pulp
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 cup raspberries

Here's how

1. Preheat the oven to moderate (180C). Brush a 20cm baba or ring tin with melted butter or oil. Combine the plain and self-raising flours with the ground almonds in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.2. Place the butter, sugar, pulp and vanilla essence in a pan. Stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.3. Whisk the butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tin. Drop the raspberries on top, pushing them just below the surface. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre. Set aside for at least 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar, to serve.
Source: Quick Mix Cakes (Murdoch Books)

Passion fruit and raspberry pearl with caramel sauce

Ingredients
Crispy meringue:

40 g Water
128 g Caster sugar
50 g Egg white
125 g White almond powder
125 g Egg white
SQ Red food colorant

Passion fruit cream:

150 g Bairon passion fruit purée
50 g Caster sugar
20 g Liquid glucose
80 g Elle & Vire whipped cream
3 ea. Gelatin leaves

Caramel sauce:
150 g Caster sugar
50 g Water
100 g Cream

100 g Raspberries
1 p Red rose petal
50 g Isomalt sugar

How to make Passion fruit and raspberry pearl with caramel sauce
Method for Crispy meringues: Heat water and sugar to 118°C/244-245°F. Pour in the 50g of whipped egg whites, foaming. Leave to cool down with the mixer. Sift almond powdered icing sugar and add the meringue step by step. Mix and add the 40g of liquid egg whites. Mix well. Make big round macaroon shape with piping bag and put aside until it forms a kind of "skin". Bake at 170°C/338°F for 8 to 10 min. Passion fruit cream: Cook passion fruit puree, sugar and glucose slowly. Leave to melt all the ingredients together. Add melted gelatin to the previous hot mixture. Leave to cool down, then mix with whipped cream. Caramel Sauce: Pour the sugar into the center of a saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the sugar, trying not to splash any sugar onto the sides of the pan. Do not stir; gently draw your finger through the center of the sugar to moisten it. Over medium heat, bring to a boil without stirring. Cook until light caramel in color and immediately remove from the heat. Carefully (it will bubble up and may splash) stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until smooth. To assemble: Take two big pieces of meringue and place onto round or square plate. Place the two tablespoons of caramel sauce in center, then one piece of meringue, nice and round, topped with cream and fresh raspberries and then a little more cream. Place another round meringue on top, upside down. Garnish with rose petal, fresh raspberry and Isomalt sugar spiral.