Raspberry Sorbet, with Mango Cheesecake, Chambord Coulis, & Brûléed Mango

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Prep Time:  1 hour    Cook Time:  45 mins    Serves 2

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After an all too brief summer vacation it’s nice to come back to something sweet.  The creamy texture in this mango cheesecake and the vibrancy of the raspberry sorbet create a perfect summer dessert  and look beautiful on a plate together.  It is important to use fresh fruit for these recipes.  While frozen or canned substitutes would work, there is no replacing the intensity and depth of flavor you get when using fresh product.  And since it’s summer and both fresh mangoes and raspberries are readily available, you really have no excuse not to use fresh ingredients.  

There are a few different parts to this recipe.  However, since all the components require time to set in the fridge, you have the ability to focus on one task at a time.  Although  you could start early enough to get everything ready for dinner, I would suggest letting both the sorbet and cheesecake set over night in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

Sorbet

• 4 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries
• ½ cup honey
• 4 cups water; divided
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup

Mango Cheesecake 

• Filling-
  • 3 large ripe mangoes; peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
  • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese; room temperature
  • 1¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
• Crust-
  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup slivered blanched almonds
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter; cut into pieces
  • ¾ tsp almond extract
  • 2 tbsp ice water
• Mango Topping-
  • 1 cup mango puree
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp gelatin
  • 2 tbsp warm water

Chambord Coulis

• 1 cup Chambord
• ½ cup fresh raspberries

Mango Brûlée

• ½ ripe mango; cut into thin slices
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup ground cinnamon

METHOD:

Place raspberries in a food processor and process until smooth. Press the raspberry  puree through a fine sieve to remove any seeds. Next, whisk together pureed raspberries and honey in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine three cups of water, sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the sugar is fully dissolved, approximately two minutes; do not stir. Stir the sugar mixture and the remaining one cup of water into the reserved raspberry puree.

Make an ice bath by filling a very large bowl with water and ice. Set the bowl of raspberry puree in the ice bath and whisk until cool. Pour the cooled puree into a 9”x 13” baking dish and cover by pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the puree.  Freeze overnight until solid.

For the cheesecake; Blend flour, almonds, sugar and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add in butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in almond extract and enough water to form moist clumps. Knead dough briefly on work surface to combine before flattening into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm before rolling; at least two hours.

Once the dough has cooled and set, preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter 9” diameter spring form pan with high sides. Press almond dough firmly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake until the crust is set, about 12 minutes. Cool completely while maintaining the oven temperature.

Puree mangoes in a food processor until smooth, yielding approximately three cups. Set aside two cups mango puree (reserve remaining puree for the topping). Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add two cups mango puree and beat until well blended. Pour filling over crust in pan.

Bake cake and setting the spring form pan into a larger baking dish filled with water.  It’s important the water level in the larger pan is filled to the same level as the cheesecake filling to ensure proper baking.  Bake until  set and the cake is puffed and golden around the edges (center may move very slightly when pan is gently shaken), about an hour and 25 minutes. Cool cake one hour.

Mix together together the tablespoon of gelatin and two tablespoons of warm water and stir to combine.  Whisk gelatin mixture into your reserved cup of mango puree along with a tablespoon of granulated sugar.  Place mango topping in fridge to cool and set at least one hour before pouring onto cheesecake and refrigerate uncovered overnight.

With the coulis simply combine the Chambord liqueur and fresh raspberries in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Ignite the Chambord to burn off the alcohol and allow to simmer until reduced by at least half.  You are looking for a thin syrup-like consistency that should easily coat a spoon.  Remove the mixture from the heat and puree in a food processor until smooth.  Pass the puree through a mesh sieve to remove any seeds and cool.  

Finally, the for the brûléed mango topping, sprinkle the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon heavily over the reserved mango slices.  Using a food torch, caramelize the sugar and cinnamon mixture on the mango slices.  Allow the slices to cool completely before slicing into strips and using to top cheesecake slices.

Balsamic Macerated Strawberry Shortcake, with Thai Basil

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Prep time:  40 mins    Cook time:  20 mins    Serves:  8

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Using both sweetened and raw strawberries gives this classic dessert great flavor without being too sweet.  Maceration is a technique to sweeten  and soften fruit, as well as add flavor, without using heat.  This preserves flavor, and allows for greater expression of the ingredients.  Traditionally this technique is done by just letting the fruit sit in sugar, but by adding a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and some chopped Thai basil, other flavors can be introduced to the fruit.

When making the biscuits, work the dough by hand.  As any self respecting southerner will tell you, overworking biscuit batter will make them tougher.  The more you work the batter, the glutens will develop, and the worse off you’ll be.  Finish the batter on a cutting board and fold until the ingredients just come together.  

Thai basil has a slightly sweeter profile, which is why I chose it over traditional basil.  If you can’t find it, regular basil would suffice, as would mint.  I would also recommend whipping the cream by hand for improved texture.  If you aren't in the mood for the arm workout though, and electric mixer will do fine, just avoid the stuff in a can.  

INGREDIENTS:

Biscuits

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 6 tbsp (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

Berries & Whipped Cream

• 1 lb fresh strawberries; hulled and quartered
• ½ lb fresh strawberries; rough chopped
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp sugar; divided
• ¼ cup thai basil; chopped and divided
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk sugar, baking powder, salt, and two cups of flour.  Using your fingers, work in the butter until the the batter becomes the texture of coarse meal with a few small pieces of butter remaining. Add in the cream and mix until the dough just comes together.  At this point, the dough will be sticky.

Turn out your dough onto a lightly floured cutting board or surface and pat into a 12x4” rectangle about ¾” thick. Cut out rounds with a 2½” biscuit cutter, re-rolling the scraps as needed to make 8 rounds. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until tops are golden brown and shortcakes are cooked through about 15–20 minutes.

While your shortcakes are cooking, take 1lb of  your strawberries and add to a mixing bowl with 2 tbsp of sugar and balsamic vinegar.  Toss strawberries,  vinegar,  and sugar together, then add in half of your chopped basil and let sit 20-30 minutes.  

Whisk heavy cream, reserved sugar and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl by hand until peaks form.   Set whipped cream aside.

Peel layers of biscuits apart and layer macerated strawberries and whipped cream.  Top with more whipped cream and garnish with fresh rough chopped berries and reserved basil.

Lemon Panna Cotta, with Lemon Rosemary Marmalade, & Pistachio Crumble

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Prep Time:  15 minutes    Cook Time:  30 minutes    Serves:  8

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Panna Cotta is Italian for “cooked cream”,  and is a traditional northern Italian dessert that is sweetened and thickened with gelatin.  Panna cotta is an easy and approachable dessert for beginners, but can be a beautiful showcase for fresh ingredients and subtle flavors.

This recipe makes several servings and will hold for a couple of days in the fridge, so it’s great as a make-ahead dessert for a dinner party.  To remove the panna cotta from the ramekins and serve, run a knife along the edge of the ramekin.  Place a small plate over the top of the ramekin and flip, so the ramekin is on top of the plate and the panna cotta comes out.  Serve with the marmalade and crumble and fresh lemon zest.  

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ingredients:

Marmalade

• Peel from 3 lemons
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh rosemary; finely chopped
• ¼ cup water
• ¾ cup sugar

Panna Cotta

• 1 cup whole milk; divided
• 2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Peel from 1 lemon

Pistachio Crumble

• ¼ cup pistachios; shelled
• 6 tbsp butter
• ½ cup flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt

method:

Place a large saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add lemon peel and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, then repeat another two times. Let the lemon peel cool then slice into a thin julienne; then once more in half.

Place a small heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in sugar, lemon juice, and water until sugar dissolves. Add in lemon peel and bring to a simmer.  Cook until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup and an instant-read thermometer reads 225°.  Cover and chill.

Pour a ½  cup milk into a medium bowl and sprinkle in gelatin. Let the milk and gelatin sit until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, and remaining ½ cup milk in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Remove mixture from heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.

Bring cream mixture back to a simmer.  Add gelatin mixture and stir until completely dissolved, then strain. Divide mix among eight ¾  cup ramekins. Chill uncovered until panna cotta is set, at least 6 hours. Cover and keep chilled.

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios a few times until roughly chopped. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and pulse until the ingredients are just combined. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.

Transfer the crumbs to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until crumble starts to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and using a flat spatula, flip the crumble over, piece by piece, so that the browned side is now on the bottom. The pieces will break apart; this is O.K. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crumble is golden-brown and very crisp. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before breaking apart into crumbs.

Poached Pears, Lavender Earl Grey Mascarpone, Honey Graham 'Earth', & Candied Honey Chip

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Prep Time:  20 min    Cook Time:  1 hour    Serves:  2

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This is a perfect dessert for a winter dinner party, elegant but not too rich.  Early grey tea, honey, and lavender marry together well and play off the tanginess of the mascarpone, which  adds a luxurious texture.  The prep and assembly for this is also refreshingly simple, and the components can be made a day ahead of time to give you one less thing to worry about when entertaining guests. The only thing to watch for when making this is the honey chip.  Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking tray and monitor closely to ensure you don’t burn the sugar.  

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ripe (but still firm) bosc pears; peeled, halved, and cored
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup strong earl grey tea
• 6 tbsp honey
• 4 sprigs fresh lavender
• ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp blackstrap rum
• 4 honey graham crackers

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak pears in water and 1 tsp of lemon juice to keep from browning.  Combine white wine, tea, honey, vanilla extract, lavender, and remaining tsp of lemon juice in a medium sauce pot over medium heat.  Stir mixture until the honey dissolves and gently add pears to poaching liquid cut side down.  Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until pears become very tender; about 30 minutes. Flip the pears over about halfway through to ensure they poach evenly.

Meanwhile, put the graham crackers in a food processor and run until they become powdered, set aside for later.  

Once the pears have finished remove from the poaching liquid and drain on a wire rack.  Cool the pears in the fridge.  Bring the poaching liquid back up to a low boil and reduce to about ¾ cup.  Reserve ¼ cup of the syrup.  Drizzle a small amount of the syrup onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking tray and place in the oven.  Monitor the syrup in the oven closely, once it begins to bubble and brown slightly at the edges, remove the tray from the oven and place to the side to cool.  

Add the mascarpone, sugar, and rum to a large bowl of a stand mixer and whisk.  Add in the reserved ¼ cup syrup and whisk on high until peaks form.  Place the mascarpone in the fridge to set.  Reserve the remaining syrup to drizzle over the pears once you are ready to serve.