PawPaws #2 : Fool for a Cheesecake! 🌞

Pawpaw Fool



Makes 3 to 4 servings

Ghana is not particularly big on desserts. However, a classic fruit based one in
Ghana and other parts of English-speaking countries of Africa
is the “fool,” which in North America nowadays usually means a mixture of
whipped cream and crushed fruit. In Ghana, it means a custard mixed with
crushed, and usually cooked, fresh fruit like mango, papaya, or soursop.
I was taught to make this fool using “Bird’s custard powder,” invented
in 1837 by the English chemist Alfred Bird, and containing corn flour, salt,
vanilla, and annatto (for color). At Flair we used evaporated milk, as in this
recipe. It can also be made including eggs, and/or substituting coconut milk
for cow’s milk. This recipe is adapted from a papaya fool we made in
Barbara’s kitchen.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh (peeled and seeded), frozen (defrosted), or canned
(drained) **Papaya chunks
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
½ cup evaporated milk
3½ tablespoons Bird’s custard powder

Directions

Prepare papaya:

1. Blend the papaya chunks with ½ cup water in a food processor or
blender for a few seconds until pureed.

2. Pour the pureed fruit into a saucepan and stir in the sugar. Heat the
papaya mixture and cook for a few minutes, stirring with a whisk. Briefly
remove from the heat while preparing the custard.

Prepare custard:

3. Pour ¼ cup of the evaporated milk into a bowl and mix with ¼ cup
water and the custard powder.

4. In a microwave, slightly heat the remaining ¼ cup of evaporated
milk, about 1½ minutes. (If no microwave is available, heat it slightly in
another saucepan on the stove.)

5. Gradually pour the heated milk into the custard mixture, stirring
constantly with a whisk to prevent the custard from forming lumps.
Assemble fool:

6. Return the heated papaya puree to the stove on medium heat. Use
the whisk to gradually mix the custard into the pureed fruit, stirring
vigorously to prevent lumps. Remove a small amount, cool, and taste. Stir
in additional sugar for a sweeter flavor, if desired. Bring just to a boil,
stirring constantly with a whisk. For a thinner custard, stir in additional
water or milk a little at a time—remember the custard will thicken more as
it cools. Remove from heat.

7. If there are lumps in the custard, or a smoother custard is desired,
pour the mixture through a strainer into individual serving dishes or a
serving bowl. When straining, use a spoon to force the pudding through the
strainer, and scrape the bottom of the strainer repeatedly. If no straining is
desired, spoon the custard directly into the bowl or bowls.

To serve: Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Garnish as
desired, e.g., fresh mango and/or papaya (pawpaw) slices, mint leaves, nuts,
whipped cream, chopped peanuts or cashews, a little cinnamon, some
mandarin orange slices, mango or cherry slices. Voila! Dessert is ready in
just a few minutes. Barbara likes to soft freeze her fools sometimes. It is
best made the same day it is served.

Variations:

If Bird’s Custard Powder is not available, substitute 4 tablespoons of
any vanilla cooked custard mix. Don’t add any sugar until tasting near the
end since American-style custard mixes have added sugar. The fruit could
also simply be mixed in with whipped cream for another North American
version.

**Mango Fool
Follow the same directions as for the papaya fool but substitute mango
for the papaya, and reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon (more may be added
near the end, if desired).

from "The Ghana Cookbook"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27313468-the-ghana-cookbook

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No Bake Papaya Cheesecake




Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup Medjool dates
1/4 cup dry cranberries
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

For the Filling:

2 cups cashews, soaked in warm water for 2 hours
1 cup coconut cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup chopped papaya


Top Layer:

1 1/2 cups chopped papaya

Method:

Make the crust. Place all the ingredients into a food processor.
Pulse until it becomes a sticky, crumbly texture. Transfer to a
20cm spring form tin with a removable bottom and press firmly
into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Make the filling. Drain cashews and place into a blender with
the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture into the cheesecake pan on top of the crust.
Add the remaining papaya into a blender with the leftover cashew
mixture and pulse until smooth and creamy. Pour on top of the
cashew layer and using a knife create a swirl. Place in the freezer
for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Allow the cheesecake to thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.


from https://www.rubyrise.com.au/recipes/no-bake-papaya-cheesecake

Papaya=Yum! Enjoy!