Tropical Fruit Brulee Recipes

SUMMER FRUIT BRULEE

Steps:

• First, pick over the fruit and place it in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole. Sprinkle it with the caster sugar and then put the pan over a gentle heat for 3-5 minutes, only until the sugar melts and the juices begin to run. Do not over-stir or the fruit will break down to a mush. Now place the fruit in the serving dish and allow it to get quite cold. After that whip the cream till thick and then fold it in to the yoghurt and spread this mixture all over the fruit, taking it right up to the edges of the dish to seal the fruit underneath. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. About 2 hours before you want to serve it, spread the surface thickly and evenly with the demerara sugar then spray the surface very lightly with water (this helps melt the sugar, speeding up the caramelising process). Use a blow torch to caramelise the sugar on top. To do this hold the ignited blow torch over the sugar aiming the tip of the flame at the sugar - the sugar will immediately begin to bubble and melt. You will soon see the sugar turn to a golden-brown caramel. As soon as the sugar has reached a dark golden-brown colour, move the blow torch and continue to caramelise the sugar all over the top. It will take about 10 minutes to caramelise all the sugar. Now leave to cool and pop it back in the refrigerator where the sugar will form a crusty surface - wonderful! Watch how to make more brulee recipes in our Cookery School Video on this page.

TROPICAL FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Mix flour, powdered sugar, ground ginger and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 1 yolk and water in small bowl to blend. Add to processor by tablespoonful and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Add ginger. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 30 minutes. Strain and return to same saucepan. Bring to simmer. Whisk 3 yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return mixture to same saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Boil 1 minute. Pour pastry cream into clean bowl. Press plastic onto surface and refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14 inch round. Transfer to 11inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with foil, parchment or coffee filters; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides of crust are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely.
• Combine preserves and Cognac in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until preserves melt. Transfer to processor; puree until smooth. Brush half of syrup over bottom of crust. Spread pastry cream evenly over. Arrange fruit over pastry cream. Rewarm preserve mixture. Brush over fruit.

TROPICAL FRUIT TRIFLE

Steps:

• Make the trifle in a 9-inch round trifle bowl.
• Cut each pound cake round in half, horizontally into layers, so that you have 4 thin slices. Begin with by putting a slice of cake at the bottom of the glass. Spritz or drizzle the cake with a little peach liqueur.
• Fill a pastry bag with the Passion Fruit Pastry Cream and pipe it on top of the cake.
• Then add about 2 cups of the Macerated Tropical Fruit. Repeat this layering until you reach the top of the glass, finishing with a slice of cake.
• Top with the Chantilly Cream and garnish with candied ginger.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the extract and zest. Fold the dry ingredients by hand. Divide the batter into 2 greased 8-inch rounds, lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Mix the flour and the sugar together. In a heavy bottom saucepan start heating 3 cups of the milk and the vanilla bean over medium heat. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of milk with the egg yolks, then add the flour and the sugar and whisk until smooth.
• As soon as the milk comes to a boil, pour about a third of the milk mixture into the eggs. Stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then add the mixture back into the pot. Stirring constantly until the custard thickens.
• As the custard starts to bubble, you should stir more vigorously to take out any lumps that form. Boil the custard for about 1 minute to allow the flour to cook out. Remove pasty cream from the heat into a clean bowl, and fold in the butter and the passion fruit puree. Put a piece of plastic wrap right on the top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
• Whip all ingredients together until soft peaks form.
• Toss cut fruit with sugar and set aside for 30 minutes.

TROPICAL FRUIT CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Select a wide 2 to 2 1/2-quart baking dish or casserole, large enough to hold 8 cups of fruit and 1 to 2 inches of crumble, and set aside.
• Prepare the topping: in a large bowl combine the sugars and stir with a fork to break up any lumps of demerara. Blend in the flour. With a pastry blender or by rubbing the mixture roughly between your fingers, cut in the butter until the crumble begins to lump together. (The crumble may also be prepared up to this point in a food processor fitted with a steel blade: whir the sugars together to break them up, then add the flour and whir just to mix. Add the diced butter and use quick pulses to reduce the mixture to a lumpy crumble. Transfer the crumble to a bowl and proceed with the rest of the recipe by hand.) Add the coconut and the macadamias and work these by hand, kneading the mixture until evenly moist and crumbly, then set aside.
• Prepare the fruit: cut the pineapple, papaya, and mango flesh into roughly 1-inch chunks and combine in large, non-reactive bowl. Peel and slice the banana, then add to bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with lime juice and toss gently to coat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and tapioca, then toss with the fruit. Don't forget to taste! If not sweet enough for your liking, add another few tablespoons of sugar. If the sweetness is more that you care for, add another squeeze of lime.
• Spoon the fruit into the baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Be generous! I like to have every bit of fruit covered with a good inch or so of sweet crunchy topping. Set the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is a rich golden brown in spots and the juices from the fruit are visibly bubbling up through the crumble. Remove from the oven and cool at least 20 minutes before serving. (The crumble may be baked up to 2 days ahead and reheated in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes before serving.) Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of thick yogurt, lightly sweetened with flavorful honey.

SUMMER BERRY BRULéE

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to pack instructions. Drain and cool. Divide the fruit between 6 x 150ml ramekin dishes, drizzle the cassis over and set to one side.
• Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and put in a pan with the cream and the empty pod. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave for 5 mins. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
• Stir the cream into the egg. Return to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
• Stir the cooked rice into the custard mixture. Ladle into the ramekins and leave in the fridge for 6 hrs.
• Sprinkle sugar over the tops and caramelise with a blow torch or under a very hot grill until it turns dark brown. Let it cool and harden before serving.

GINGER AND VANILLA BEAN CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place three 4-inch-diameter fluted flan dishes* in each of two 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pans or place six 3/4-cup ramekins in 1 pan. Mix cream, sugar and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain into large measuring cup.
• Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. Carefully transfer pans to oven.
• Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 30 minutes for fluted flan dishes and 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• Make Crème Brûlée:
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold blowtorch** so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.
• Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn't soften. Garnish crème brûlées with fruit.
• *Four-inch-diameter fluted clear glass flan dishes are available at cookware stores and many hardware stores. They are about 2/3 inch deep and hold about 1/2 cup liquid.
• **Available at some cookware stores.