Passion Fruit Hearts Recipes

PASSION FRUIT HEARTS

Steps:

• Halve the passion fruit, discard the seeds and scoop the pulp into asmall bowl and set aside.
• Combine the jelly, lemon juice, 6 tablespoons water and sugar in amedium-size saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Reducethe heat and simmer five minutes. Add the passion fruit and poach fiveminutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the gelatinwith 1/4 cup warm water and the vermouth in a medium-size bowl and setaside 5 minutes to soften.
• Pour the hot passion fruit mixture through a sieve into the softenedgelatin. Use the back of a woodenspoon to press as much as possible ofthe jell-like substance from the passion fruit. Stir until dissolved, then empty into a food processor or blender.
• Add the ricotta cheese to the fruit mixture and puree until smooth. Pour into four lightly greased, 4-ounce heart-shaped molds, loosely cover with plastic and refrigerate 4 hours to set completely.
• To unmold the hearts, run a sharp knife around the inside edges of each mold. Immerse the molds in warm water for a few seconds, dry them and invert onto a serving platter; angle the point of each heart toward the center of the platter. Remove the molds, scatter strawberriesaround them and serve.

PASSION FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• For the filling: In the top of a double boiler, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, and passion fruit juice until the mixture is thick and will hold a line, about 12 minutes. Transfer the double-boiler insert to a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water, and stir occasionally until cool. The mixture will be quite thick.
• For the crust: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the salt, lard, and butter and rub together with the tips of your fingertips until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour and bring together into a rough mass. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time and press into the mixture with a fork or your fingertips just until the mixture adheres into a dough. You may not need all the ice water. Press the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• To assemble the tarts: Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick and, using a small plate or a cardboard template, cut the dough into six 4 1/2-inch diameter rounds. Transfer the rounds to 2 baking sheets, prick all over with a fork, and freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425.
• Bake the tart bases for 12 to 15 minutes, until slightly golden. Using a large heavy spatula, transfer them to a rack (they crumble easily) and, when cool, spread with a nice thick layer of the passionfruit curd almost out to the edges of the pastry. Scatter the pistachio nuts around the very edges of the tarts and serve.

HEARTS OF PASSION

Steps:

• Using a ladle, fill the mold with milk chocolate. When it is full, empty the excess chocolate back into the bowl. The inside of the molds should be evenly coated. Wipe the lip of the mold clean and place it upside down on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, use a wide pastry scraper to clean the edges of each cavity clean. (When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks). You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Place the cream, corn syrup and passion fruit juice in a pan and scald the mixture. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and blend until smooth with an immersion hand blender. Add the passion fruit liqueur and the butter and blend until smooth with an immersion hand blender. Allow the mixture to come to 85 degrees F. Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe it into the chocolate filled molds. Let set overnight. Apply milk chocolate the bottoms of each cavity with an offset spatula in order to seal them. Scrape clean and allow to set. When the chocolate has set, invert the mold over a clean dry surface. It may be necessary to rap the mold against the counter to encourage the chocolates to release.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres): Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper. One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer. Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk. The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess. A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.