A taste of the tropics
Indulge yourself and guests with these rich cheesecake pots and light and tasty meringue roll.
What wild and stormy weather we experienced around the country in February.
Before we bid farewell to summer all together (and start talking crumble and steamed pudding), I thought I would give tropical summer flavours one last whirl.
First we have a classic meringue roulade filled with whipped cream, lime and pineapple and topped with toasted coconut – these are my suggestions, but really once you have the basic roulade nailed (and it is easier than it sounds), you can play with myriad flavour and texture combinations.
It is also fabulous filled with chocolate cream, toasted chopped hazelnuts and black doris plums, or lemon curd and cream topped with toasted almonds, even a banoffee twist with banana and a little salted caramel drizzle. Take the base recipe then feel free to make it your own.
The cheesecake pots are not for the faint-hearted.
It’s a super-indulgent dessert so I would recommend small portion sizes enjoyed on special occasions only – and don’t forget the fresh fruit to garnish. FOOD
Again, there are loads of ways to be creative – try using only cream (no coconut cream) and switching dark chocolate for white and coffee for the pineapple juice, for a totally different dessert.
There are also many more options for serving – try them with stone fruit, fresh mandarin, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries or even kiwifruit.
4 egg whites teaspoon salt cup caster sugar 1 teaspoon cornflour
teaspoon white vinegar
Filling:
200ml cream 2 tablespoons icing sugar Finely grated zest of 1 lime
225g crushed pineapple or finely chopped fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons lightly toasted desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons lightly toasted thread coconut
1 mango, halved and cut into slices to serve
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius, and line a 36cm x 25cm baking dish with baking paper, making sure the paper goes up the sides of the tin.
Beat the egg whites and salt together in a mixer until soft peaks, then add the caster sugar, cornflour and white vinegar, and whisk to firm, glossy peaks (for about five minutes).
Spread the meringue into the prepared tin and smooth out with a flat knife or spatula. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Place another layer of baking paper on top and tip the meringue out so that it is now sandwiched between the paper.
Cool for another five minutes then remove the top sheet of baking paper.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Whip the cream to soft peaks then gently whisk in one tablespoon of icing sugar and the lime zest and fold through pineapple.
Once the meringue is cool, spread the filling over of the surface and from a long side roll into a long sausage.
Chill, seam-side down for 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before serving, dusted with one tablespoon of the icing sugar and the toasted desiccated and coconut thread with sliced mango on the side.
200ml cream
200ml coconut cream
Finely grated zest of 2 limes 350g white chocolate, chopped 21⁄ sheets Equagold gold grade gelatin
100ml pineapple juice
150g cream cheese (at room temperature) chopped
3 rounds pineapple, crushed mango, sliced cup toasted coconut flakes
Heat the creams and lime zest together in a small saucepan until simmering.
Drop in the chocolate and leave to sit for five minutes then whisk until smooth.
If necessary, return the pot to a gentle heat for a few minutes to ensure all of the chocolate is melted.
Pour into a food processor and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Add the cream cheese and crushed pineapple to the mixture and whiz to combine.
Put the gelatin sheets in cold water to soak for five minutes.
Heat the pineapple juice in the microwave or a small pot until just simmering.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatin sheets and whisk into hot pineapple juice.
Add the gelatin mixture to the cheesecake mixture and pulse until smooth. Divide the mixture between 6-8 serving glasses and chill in the fridge for at least four hours.
Remove from the fridge five minutes before serving, topped with chopped fresh pineapple and mango and a few toasted coconut flakes.
Recipes, food styling and photography by Sarah Tuck