Lilikoi Cheesecakes
The silky, colorful lilikoi filling contrasts with the crunchy macadamia crust and crisp coconut tuiles. Although it’s simple to do, the presentation is spectacular. Lilikoi is the Hawaiian name for passion fruit. Passion fruit concentrate can be found frozen in many markets. It is lemon-like in taste, with perfumey overtones.
Ingredients
- Macadamia Crust
- Cold Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick)
- Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup, packed
- Macadamia nuts - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Unbleached All-purpose flour - 1 cup
- Lilikoi Filling
- Unflavored gelatin - 1 envelope
- Cool Water - 1/4 cup
- Cream Cheese - 1 pound, at room temperature
- Sugar - 1 cup
- Egg Yolks - 5
- Lilikoi Puree - 1/4 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1-1/2 cups
- Glaze
- Apricot Jam - 1 cup
- Lilikoi Puree - 1/3 cup
- Garnish
- Coconut tuiles - 4 (recipe follows)
- Lilikoi Puree - raspberry puree
- Raspberry Puree - 1/3 cup (see Basics, fruit purees)
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
- Mint sprigs - 8
- Coconut Tuiles (Makes 9)
- Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick), at room temperature
- Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Cake flour - 1-1/3 cups
- Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup
- Egg - 1, beaten
- Egg Whites - 2, slightly beaten
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
Instructions
To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter eight 4-inch tart tins and line the bottom of each with parchment or greased waxed paper. In a food processor with a paddle attachment or using a pastry cutter, cut together the butter, brown sugar, and nuts. Blend in the flour and mix until it resembles coarse meal. Place the dough in the pan and, using your fingers, lightly press the pastry evenly over the bottoms of the pans and one-fourth of the way up the sides. Put the tart
pans on a sided baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crusts just start to brown. Let cool.
To make the filling: Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let sit. In a medium bowl beat together the cheese and 1/2 cup of the sugar. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, whisk the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together until pale in color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cook the mixture until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the gelatin mixture off the heat and whisk gently until completely dissolved. Stir in the lilikoi puree. Beat the egg mixture into the cheese mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. In a deep bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the custard. Pour into the cooled tart shells, level the tops, and refrigerate until chilled and firm.
To make the glaze: In a small pan, warm the apricot jam over low heat until melted. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and stir in the lilikoi puree. With a spoon, spread the glaze over the chilled cheesecakes. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the glaze.
To serve: Unmold the tarts and cut each in half. Offset 2 halves on each late, sliding one halfway past the other. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of lilikoi sauce to each side and dot with 1 teaspoon of raspberry sauce. Pull through the raspberry sauce with the point of a knife from center to outside, creating a radial design. Set a coconut tuile half vertically between the tart halves. Dust the plate with confectioner’s sugar. Garnish with mint.
Coconut Tuiles
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter and lightly flour two baking sheets. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Gradually stir in the cake flour until smooth. Stir in the coconut. Stir in the egg, egg whites, and vanilla. Spread on the prepared pan in 6- to 8-inch circles, 4 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the centers are cooked through. Cut four of the warm cookies in half and transfer all the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.
