Guava Mousse in a Tropical Fruit Soup with Mascarpone Ice Cream

To make the ice cream: In a heavy two-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, water, vanilla beans, lemon juice, and zest. Bring to a boil. Beat together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt. When the sugar-water mixture comes to a boil, gradually add a little of the hot syrup to the eggs, beating continuously to keep from cooking the eggs. Add the tempered eggs back to the saucepan, stirring to blend, and cook the mixture until just thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the mascarpone. Strain into a large bowl and mix in the buttermilk. Place in the container of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

To make the biscuit: Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and half the confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining confectioner’s sugar until still peaks form. Sift the flour over the beaten egg whites and gently fold together. Fold the egg white and flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Spread evenly onto the parchment-covered sheet pan. Bake for 8 minutes, or until set and beginning to brown around the edges. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Cut into twelve 2-1/2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter. Set aside six of the rounds for use; the remaining 6 can be wrapped and frozen.the rounds for use; the remaining 6 can be wrapped and frozen.

To make the mousse: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the gelatin into the water and let soften. Combine 1/2 cup of the guava puree, sugar, and lime juice in a two quart saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture (do not add the gelatin until the mixture has stopped boiling). Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining puree. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. While the mixture is chilling, place one dobos biscuit in the bottom of a 2-1/2-inch ring mold and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl using a whisk or an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream to soft peaks. Remove the guava mixture from the refrigerator and quickly stir half of the whipped cream into the mousse. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Put in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe into the molds, or spoon the mousse into the molds and smooth off the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 4 hours.

To make the soup: Reserve 2 guavas and 1 mango for garnish. Peel and puree the remaining guavas and mangos and the passion fruit separately, and press the purees through a fine-meshed sieve. Peel and core the pineapple and remove the eyes. Cut the pineapple into medium dice and reserve 1 cup for garnish. Puree the remaining pineapple and pass through a fine-meshed sieve. Combine the fruit purees with the spices and vanilla in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and steep for two hours, then strain and cool. Refrigerate until serving time.

To make the tuiles: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar. Add corn syrup and mix well. Combine the flour and salt and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lightly draw 3-inch circles on the paper and spread the batter as thinly as possible within the area of each circle, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and remove a tuile cookie with a spatula, pressing the cookie over the bottom of an inverted small bowl or custard cup. Repeat with remaining tuiles; if they become brittle, place them back in the oven for a moment to rewarm them. Let cool. Set aside.

To serve: Cut the reserved fruit in 1/4-inch dice. Remove molded mousse from the freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Unmold and place a mousse in the center of each chilled shallow soup bowl. Spoon chilled soup around the mousse and garnish with the diced fruit. Place the soup bowls on large serving plates and put a tuile cup on each plate beside the soup bowl. Fill each tuile cup with a scoop of mascarpone ice cream.