Chocolate cakes with feijoa mousse

Last month of autumn and the end of feijoa season here in New Zealand now. I use to hate this fruit a couple years ago, but now I love them. It's such a wonderful fruit with interesting intense flavor. I think that feijoas is the most "kiwi fruit" then the kiwi fruit is. Every second Kiwi family has the own feijoa tree in the garden and I hope they like feijoas as I do :)

Chocolate Genoise (recipe from here)
6 whole eggs
180 grams sugar
80 grams cornstarch
80 grams flour
20 grams cocoa powder
20 grams butter, melted and cooled

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Place this bowl over a double boiler and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the eggs feel hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and whip in high speed until the eggs triple in volume and they form a thick ribbon.

Sift the cornstarch, flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl. Add the sifted mixture to the whipped eggs in three batches folding each time slowly to avoid deflating the batter too much. Finally add the melted butter and fold so that the butter doesn't all fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Divide this batter into two half sheet pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly and bake in a 190C oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cake cool. The cake can be wrapped in plastic and frozen.

Feijoa mousse:
8 small feijoas (4 large)
3 tbsp sugar
100 ml of water,

100 g Cream Cheese at room temperature
100 ml cream
4-5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp gelatin
1 egg white



I put feijoas in hot sugar syrup for about 10 minutes because they became very dark in the air. You can also add a few drops of green coloring in the syrup. So scoop out feijoa pulp and put it in hot sugar syrup. Wait for 10 minutes, then remove them from syrup and blend in a food processor until smooth.
Soak gelatin in a 2 spoons of water.
Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of sugar until forming peaks.
Separately, whip the cream with a spoonful of sugar to the soft peaks.
Separately, whip feijoa with Cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth.

Melt the gelatin in the micro for 10 sec. and pour it into a bowl with feijoa mix. Stir, add the whipped egg whites, stir, then quickly add the whipped cream and stir until combined.

To Assemble
80 ml cream
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
mint leaves,
1-2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Line ring molds with acetate paper and place them on a sheetpan. Measure the circumference of the ring mold and cut a strip of cake accordingly. Place the strip of chocolate genoise around the ring mold and a disk on the bottom.  Pipe the feijoa mousse inside the ring mold almost to the top. Top with another disk of genoise.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Whip cream with cocoa and sugar until forming peaks. Decorate top of cake with cream, mint leaves and pistachios.

Enjoy!

Roasted Lamb Rack with Mint & Cucumber Salsa & New Potato Salad

Ingredients
Mint & Cucumber Salsa
1 cup mint leaves, coarsely torn
2 small Lebanese cucumbers, diced (peeled if desired)
12 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Potato Salad
500g baby potatoes, washed
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, finely sliced
150g cow’s milk feta
½ cup flat-leafed parsley leaves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the lamb
2 x 8-bone lamb racks, trimmed of any sinew
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme or oregano leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method
Mint & Cucumber Salsa
Combine all the ingredients and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Potato Salad
Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until cooked through. Drain, peel and slice the potatoes. Place in a serving bowl with the remaining ingredients and serve warm.

For the lamb
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Rub the lamb well with all the remaining ingredients. Brown the lamb racks in a heavy-based frying pan then transfer to an oven dish and roast for around 15 minutes, or a little longer if the racks are large.

Rest the lamb in a warm place for at least 7 minutes. Carve the lamb into cutlets and serve with the potato salad and salsa. Serves 4

Fresh Southern Clams with Pasta

Ingredients
32 pasta or small grade New Zealand Clams (I think you can use any small clams)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup white wine e.g Reisling or Chenin Blanc
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
250 g (8 oz) of pasta e.g Linguine, Pasta Shells,
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespooons flour
Reserved cooking liquor and water to make 1 1/4 cups
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of cream

Method
Wash clams thoroughly.
Steam open shellfish in a heavy lidded saucepan with oil and wine and 1/2 chopped parsley.
Cook clams for 2-3 minutes.
Drain and reserve cooking liquor.
Cook pasta, according to packet instructions, at the same time as the clams are being prepared and cooked.
Drain and toss with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.

Prepare sauce
Melt butter
Add flour and cook a few minutes
Gradually add strained reserved cooking liquor and stir continuously until thickened
Add black pepper
Gradually add cream and simmer do not boil
Pour over drained pasta
Toss through clams
Garnish with remaining parsley
Serve immediately

Serves 4
Southern Scallops can be substituted for the clams. Use 24 1/2 shell Southern Scallops and cook scallops for 4 seconds only.

Golden Crunch biscuits

Golden Crunch is my favorite biscuits. I love them this a glass of cold milk, it's just so good and cozy. Now I can make them at home! They're perfectly crunchy and surprisingly easy to make. This is original recipe from old New Zealand cookbook.

Ingredients
1 Cup plain flour
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup rolled oats
1 Cup fine coconut
4 oz (125g) butter or margarine
1 Tbsp golden syrup/treacle/honey
2 Tbsp boiling water
1 tsp baking soda

Method
1. Melt butter, add syrup, water and soda.
2. Pour onto mixed dry ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased tray, leaving room for spreading.
3. Bake in moderate oven for 20 minutes.

To my taste they're too sweet and oily, so I use less sugar and butter (about 3/4 cup sugar and 90g butter)



Enjoy!