My Thanksgiving Gift to You - Passionfruit with Spiced Pumpkin

For Thanksgiving week I've prepared this special dessert and am sharing the recipe here for you to make at home. Its not as complicated as it may look so give it a try.

For gluten-free-ers, this should be on your menu because the base is a dacquoise - a meringue based nut cake. Start by deciding how you want to present the dessert. You might want to try a 9x13 for your final shape, or you could do this in a wine glass - or a highball glass would make a fun presentation. If you are going to put it in a glass, then simply bake the dacquoise as suggested and cut the final shape needed to be fitted into your glass.

Dacquoise
70 g Hazelnuts, ground
100 g Powdered sugar
90 g (3) Egg whites
3 T Sugar
1 C Hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Sift ground hazelnuts & powdered sugar together & set aside. In a bowl whisk egg whites until foamy then gradually add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. Fold hazelnut mixture into the whites then spread mixture evenly onto a 9x13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Scatter hazelnut halves on top then press down slightly. Bake in a preheated oven of 330ºF for 25-30 mins or until browned. leave to cool. If you are going to make the final dessert in the 9x13, then remove the dacquoise so you can slip off the parchment and return to the pan. If you're going to use glasses, then remove the dacquoise and cut into shape placing in the bottom of the glasses.

Ganache
75 g Cream
100 g Chocolate (I used 65%)

Heat cream in glass measuring cup in microwave until just boiling, set on counter and add chocolate, letting rest about one minute. Stir until glossy and smooth. Spread the ganache on the dacqoise.

Passionfruit Curd
250 ml Passionfruit juice or purée
112 g Butter
3Yolks
3 Eggs
150 g Sugar
2 Sheets gelatin (silver) (or 1 T powdered gelatin softened in 4 T warm water)

Combine juice and butter in saucepan and heat until simmer. In mixing bowl, combine yolks, eggs and sugar and whisk until just combined. Temper egg mixture with hot juice and return all to stove cooking until thickened. Remove from heat and add softened gelatin and strain. Pour onto ganache.

Spiced Pumpkin Mousse
1 Large can of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
30 ml Lemon juice
90 ml Root liqueur or spiced rum
7 Sheets gelatin (or 4 T powdered in 16 T water)
180 g (6) Egg whites
198 g Sugar
103 ml Corn syrup or glucose
517 ml Cream whipped to stiff peaks

In saucepan warm pumpkin and then add lemon juice and liqueur. Soften gelatin and add to purée stirring to combine thoroughly. Let rest to cool.

In mixer, whisk egg whites until frothy. While whisking bring sugar and syrup to boil cooking to 248º F (120ºC). Slowly pour the boiled sugar into the whites and beat until stiff peaks are formed and mixture has cooled.

Fold pumpkin into whipped cream and then egg whites into the final mixture. Spread into 9x13 or glasses.

Passionfruit Gelée
150 g Passionfruit juice or purée
350 g Mango juice or purée
25 g Glucose or corn syrup
1 T Vanilla (I like to use vanilla paste for this recipe)
25 g Sugar
5 Sheets gelatin

Warm the two purées and corn syrup. Add vanilla, sugar and softened gelatin, gently stirring until the gelatin in melted. Remove from heat and bring to room temp. Pour over the top of the dessert, chill until you're ready to serve.

I hope all of you have a nice Thanksgiving (for my US readers) and a nice holiday season for all!