These are petit beurre cookies, made because I love LU‘s cookies, now sold everywhere and I found a recipe for these simple butter cookies in Nick Malgieri’s latest book  Light Desserts.

The passion fruit curd came about when I saw a jar of passion fruit puree at the market in the freezer section; these come in different flavors, passion fruit being the exotic one sold at the retail level by a company in Napa, California.

The quality of this puree is excellent; it is like having a bunch of passion fruit in one jar; the flavor is tangy and pure passion fruit; I opted for making a curd, because it lasts a long time in the fridge and can be used as a cake filling, on toast,  cookie or just eaten with a spoon for an intense taste of pure tropical sunshine!

Recipe for the Petit Beurre cookies is from Nick Malgieri’s Light Desserts.

INGREDIENTS:

• DRY:  3 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup of cornstarch
• dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and baking soda
• 1 cup of sugar
• WET: 1 large egg
• 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, soft
• 2/3 cup fat-free milk

METHOD:

1. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and soda in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in mixer, add the egg, mix in.
3. Beat in the flour mixture and the milk; add enough milk till the dough is moist and firm.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for one hour or up to 3 days.
5. Cut the cold dough in thirds and roll out between sheets of wax paper to the thickness you desire. Cut into shapes.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment papers or silpat sheets.
7. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 15 minutes or so until the cookies are crisp and golden.

Recipe for the passion fruit curd from Rose Levy Beranbaum Christmas Cookies (recipe for lemon curd)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 7 1/2 ounces (225 g) of sugar
• 5 1/4 ounces (150 g) passion fruit puree
• 6 ounces of unsalted butter (180 g)
• pinch of salt

METHOD:

1. Place the egg yolks and the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Mix well, add the passion fruit puree and butter in slices.
2. Place over medium heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes; the mixture will get hot and thick and when it starts steaming remove from the heat immediately.
3. Pour through a strainer into another bowl; cool and cover with a film of plastic wrap right on the curd. Refrigerate up to 10 days.

To Plate the cookie:

Place one tablespoon of passion fruit curd in the middle of the plate; set the cookie on the top half of the curd; drop a half teaspoon of marshmallow fluff on his tail.

NOTE: The rabbit’s texture is rugged because I added a huge amount of lemon rind to the batter; otherwise it will come out smooth.

I got the idea for the vinaigrette from La Cuisine de Mercotte ; when I moved to France in the seventies, the most incredible food I tasted was a passion fruit sorbet. I wanted to find it in the US, to no avail. Finally, supermarkets started to carry passion fruit, in the exotic fruit section. If you buy one, get the crinkled ones and hold them to make sure they are somewhat heavy; otherwise, you will end up with one that has almost no flesh. If you have never tasted passion fruit, you should! I found some frozen passion fruit juice  at Indian groceries.

This meal can be made in a jiffy and yet it is somewhat fancy; with the passion fruit addition, it fits the Valentine theme.

INGREDIENTS: For two servings

• 8 large sea scallops
• olive oil
• 1 bunch of asparagus, green and white or only one type
• 2 or 3  passion fruits (depending on size)
• Spices: salt, pepper, sugar

If you want to make the tuiles, these can be done 2 days before and kept in a tightly closed container. You will use shredded parmesan cheese. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and heat the oven to 375F; position a hear-shaped cookie cutter (metal!) on the parchment paper and fill it with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn color. Watch it carefully because it will burn rather quickly. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute or so, then tap it gently with a knife to dislodge the tuile. Store or use that day.

METHOD:

1. Start with the vinaigrette:

Grab a serrated knife and cut the passion fruits in two. Scoop out the flesh (including the seeds) into a bowl. Using your taste as a guide, add some sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil and whip to emulsify.

1. Cook the scallops:

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Dry  the scallops with a paper towel, sprinkle with seasoning and pan-fry on both sides, waiting to brown lightly one side and then flipping them to the other side, about 3 minutes per side depending on their size and thickness (they will shrink). Set aside in a warm oven.

1. Cook the asparagus:

While the asparagus are cooking, boil some water or steam the asparagus over boiling water for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove, drain and place on a serving plate.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

On each plate, place 3 asparagus stalks of each color, joining them together at the tip in a warm embrace. Add the sizzling scallops on top in a neat row. Drizzle some passion fruit vinaigrette and let it drip, unrestrained, all over the plate. Stick a parmesan tuile in between the asparagus stalks.