The Food Diaries

The Beach House punch

Bring 750ml water to a boil. Steep with bourbon vanilla red tea (or use a combo of rooibos and vanilla-scented tea). Add 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 250ml freshly squeezed orange juice, 125ml passion fruit jam*, and 250ml Maker’s Mark bourbon. Sweeten to taste with agave nectar. Chill and then serve in tumblers filled with ice. Top with soda to taste.

Serves 10.

* Scoop out the pulp of around 10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey).

The Glitterati: chocolate & passion fruit tarts with silver and gold leaf sprinkles

I make no apologies for the multiple variations on the dark chocolate/passion fruit combo that appear in my diaries - it is just an irresistible combination. This recipe is also perked up with a little sparkle, a good match to the end-of-year party season.

First make your passion fruit jam. Scoop out the pulp of around 10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time.

Next up make the chocolate ganache. Heat 200ml double cream to just boiling. Pour the cream over 200g dark chocolate, which have been broken up into pieces in a bowl. Stir around till the chocolate has blended smoothly into the cream.

To assemble: spread the passion fruit jam along the bottom of 8 individual pre-baked all-butter short crust tarts. Pour the chocolate sauce (make sure it is still quite well melted) over the jam till the tarts are nearly full. Once set sprinkle with silver and gold leaf sprinkles.

Serves 8.

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RASPBERRY & YOGURT PASSION FRUIT CUPS >

Raspberry & passion fruit yogurt cups

This recipe is per serving: In a small glass place two crushed amaretti biscuits and drizzle with some Amaretto. Pour in some Greek yogurt which has first been mixed with some shredded coconut, 3/4 of the way up the glass. Drizzle liberally with passion fruit jam*. Carefully place a layer of 5-6 raspberries on top and chill briefly before serving.

* Passion fruit jam: Scoop out the pulp of around

10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time.

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STRAWBERRY BITES >

PASSION FRUIT TRUFFLE CUPS >

Strawberry and passion fruit curd tarts

Fill pre-baked mini shortcrust pastry tart shells in the following order: a dollop of passion fruit jam* to coat the bottom, some good quality, passion fruit or lemon curd (store-bought or try making your own if you have some time), piped over-top using a pastry bag, a dollop of whipped cream, a couple thin slices of strawberries and then drizzled with more passion fruit jam.

These will explode with flavour in your mouth!

* Passion fruit jam:

Scoop out the pulp of around

10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time and can be used to drizzle on cakes, meringues, etc.

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Red and yellow cherry tomato mini-bruschetta

I can’t get enough of a tomato bruschetta. So fresh, so easy to make, really healthy, and oh so pretty. Have some for a quick lunch on Saturday, serve them as an appetizer for friends, bring them along to a picnic.

Rub a cut clove of garlic on some toasted rye deli bread slices (or little rye rounds). Spread on some soft goats cheese (or the milder cheese curd or cream cheese). Add a dollop of black tapenade. Mound chopped red and yellow cherry tomatoes. Add a good sprinkling of freshly ground sea salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and some torn basil leaves.

There you have it - a perfectly formed

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Passionista Cocktail

In a tumbler place the pulp of 1/2 a passion fruit, 1/2 a lime cut into quarters, 4 large mint leaves, and 1 heaped tbs cane or brown sugar. Using a muddler pound together well. Now fill the glass with ice cubes (or crushed ice). Pour 50ml Bison Grass Vodka, and then top with cloudy apple juice. Stir well with a cocktail spoon and garnish with a lime sliver.

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Gold Rush Cocktail >

Lost in Translation cocktail - vodka-based with an Asian twist

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice vigorously shake together 20ml Sake, 30ml Vodka, 25ml lychee puree (canned fruit works really well), 1 and 1/2 fresh passion fruit pulp , 1tbs agave syrup (found in all health food shops these days). Strain into a tumbler filled with ice. Garnish with a 1/2 passion fruit.

Milk chocolate and passion fruit truffle cups

I managed to track down Pierre Herme’s sumptuous milk chocolate + passion fruit combo which he uses in his macaroons.

Place a bowl over a pan off hot water and add 40ml passion fruit pulp (about 4 passion fruits, sieved to remove the seeds), 1 tbs heavy cream and 1 tsp honey till bubbling. Add 100g milk chocolate (Lindt), broken into pieces and stir till melted and smooth. Off the heat stir in 1 tbs butter. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to cool. Using a spatula, drop the mixture into the corner of a small plastic bag (to form a cone). Snip off the end of the bag with scissors and pipe into pre-made chocolate cups, or mini pre-baked tartlets also work well (I can find both at Marks & Spencers). Garnish with coconut flakes and passion fruit jam (or some apricots cut super finely also can work well).

Note: You could also ditch the chocolate cups and roll the cold ganache in cocoa powder to make truffles.

Frank and Ava in Havana (a passion fruit cocktail)

Am a little addicted to my passion fruit jam and I love the sharpness of the flavours when cut with alcohol, so I came up with this little new number. I named it after Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner who spent time at the Hotel Nacional in Havana at the height of the glamorous 50’s (and were the topic of a notorious affair at the time):

- 25ml rum (I like 5 year old Ron Varadero)

- 15ml cashaca (Sagatiba or other)

- 15ml Cointreau

- juice of 1/2 lime

- 2 tsp. passion fruit jam

Shake all the above over ice in a cocktail shaker quite vigorously, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass (I prefer to let most of the seeds slip through and settled at the bottom of the glass) and garnish with a half passion fruit.

Passion fruit jam (with lemon curd tarts):

Scoop out the pulp of around 10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time and can be used to drizzle on cakes, meringues, etc.

How I served it:

At Ottolenghi (where this recipe comes from) they serve it drizzled on lemon curd meringue tarts. Here’s my easy at-home recipe for last minute desserts.

Fill mini butter pastry cases with lemon curd (I bought both ready-made at M & S). Place a dollup of passion fruit jam on top and serve.