Coconut Pannacotta with roasted Pineapple

For Pannacotta:
100ml coconut milk or coconut cream
400ml double cream
1 sachet or 4 leaves of gelatine
75g castor sugar
2 vanilla pods split

Vanilla Sugar:
Don’t throw away the vanilla pods after you’ve scraped the seeds, just rinse them and dry overnight in a warm, dry, place then use:

250g granulated sugar
2 vanilla pods

Roast Pineapple:
1 pineapple, peeled and little ‘eyes’ removed. 2 tablespoons brown sugar or vanilla sugar Juice of 1 lime of lemon 50g butter

Method:
Boil the coconut milk and 250ml of the cream with the vanilla pods and sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes. Either soak the leaf gelatine in cold water or add the sachet to 2 tablespoons of boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Remove vanilla pods from cream mixture, split and scrape seeds into cream mixture. Leave to cool. Whisk the remaining cream and fold into vanilla cream mixture. Turn into 4 ramekins and place in fridge for at least 6 hours.


Blitz the sugar and pods in a food processor or blender. Sift through a fine sieve and then store in and airtight jar. Sprinkle over fruits like plums, figs and pears before roasting or add to tarts, crumbles and biscuits instead of usual sugar.

Heat butter over medium heat in a frying pan until bubbling. Slice the pineapple in rings and add to pan. Sprinkle over sugar, then raise the temperature of the pan and cook on both sides until caramelised. Squeeze over lime juice and serve with the pannacotta or just vanilla ice cream.

Mango Mousse Cake

For sponge:
200g self raising flour
200g butter of margarine
200g castor sugar
4 eggs
1 level teaspoon baking powder

Mango Mousse:
1 ripe mango, peeled and pureed 250g mascarpone cheese 75g icing sugar Juice of 1 lime

Lime Icing:
Zest of 2 limes
75g icing sugar
Good dash of cointreau or orange

Grilled Figs with Goat’s Cheese and Spice Pecan Nuts

Use blue cheese, brie or your favourite cheese for this recipe. The spicing works with any nuts and you could use a mixture.

Grilled figs:
4 figs, cut in half through the stem at the top 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Spiced nuts:
50g pecan nuts (or any unsalted nuts)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar and seeds from half a vanilla pod
1 teaspoon chilli
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt.

Method:
Line the grill tray with tinfoil. Mix the honey and balsamic together. Place the figs on foil, flesh side up and drizzle with honey mixture evenly. Grill for 2-3 minutes until honey starts to glaze. Leave to cool at room temperature.

Toast the coriander seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and chilli in a dry pan until coriander starts to pop. Coarsely grind with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Return to pan and add sugar, salt, rosemary and nuts, and cook over low heat until nuts are covered in spice mixture. Serve with cheese, and figs and a little dressed leaves for a starter or with apple slices for a cheese course.