Petit Fours: Pâtes de Fruits

Of all the petits fours presented at the end of the meal, I always have a soft spot for pâtes de fruits, the little cubes of fruit jelly.  A petite bite of acidic sweetness, it's always stuck me that it's the perfect way to combine sweet and sour, and intense fruitiness too.  This acidity is achieved by including citric or tartaric acid into the recipe, and the light mouthfeel is achieved by using pectin, rather than gelatine.  This allows the jelly to melt in your mouth, which releases both the sweet and acidic elements of the jelly at the same time.  Don't store the finished product in the fridge - the granulated sugar will begin to dissolve.

Tribute Dish - the Roux Pre-Dessert - panna cotta, jelly and granita... [Thermomix]

At Roux Parliament Square, the pre-dessert is a panna cotta, topped with a jelly, and then a refreshing granita. On the day I went we had a coconut/passion fruit/lime, but I notice from trawling reviews that they also do apple/apple/cucumber (yum!), pineapple/coconut/kaffir lime, strawberry/strawberry/meringue.  So it's a very successful formula, onto which you can put your own twist.  If you're going to do this regularly, you'll need some better glasses than mine, I'm on the lookout for something far prettier, a little like this...

Michel Roux's Vanilla and Mango Soufflés with Passion Fruit Coulis

Ingredients
40g softened butter, to grease dishes
40g caster sugar, to coat dishes
8 medium egg whites
80g caster sugar
1 very ripe mango, about 400g, peeled, stoned and finely diced

James Martin's Passion fruit soufflé with passion fruit jelly and ice cream

Ingredients

For the ice cream
400ml/14fl oz milk
8 free-range egg yolks
200g/7oz caster sugar
400ml/14fl oz double cream
8 passion fruit, seeds scooped out