“This is a classic Brazilian dessert in the manner of a trifle or tiramisù,” says Luke Burgess. “Crumbly maizena cookies are layered with a lemon-coconut cream and roasted peanuts (amendoim) – it’s basically a peanut trifle. Fig leaves, in season, make a lovely variation of this cream: blend four leaves with the lemon, sugar and egg, and omit the coconut. This dessert is a good match for the rest of the aged cachaça!”
Ingredients
Maizena cookies
Lemon-coconut cream
Method
Main
1.For maizena cookies, preheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Sieve cornflour and flour into a bowl, add sugar and a pinch of salt and mix to combine well. Add butter and rub in with your fingertips to form even crumbs. Mix in egg, tip out onto a work surface, bring together with the heel of your hand to form a firm dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest for 20-30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick, place on prepared baking tray and bake, turning tray halfway through cooking, until evenly golden (25-30 minutes). Cool completely.
2.Meanwhile, for lemon-coconut cream, blend lemon juice and rind, sugar and egg with a hand-held blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk continuously until thick and pale (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, squeeze excess water from gelatine and whisk into lemon mixture, then whisk in butter, a little at a time, until incorporated. Pass mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and refrigerate to chill completely (2-3 hours). Whisk lemon mixture until light and creamy (1-2 minutes), fold in whipped cream, then coconut and refrigerate.
3.Process peanuts in a food processor to even medium-coarse crumbs and set aside.
4.To assemble, break maizena into rough pieces and soak in coconut water, then form an even layer in a deep 20cm-square dish or 3-litre bowl. Spread half the cream on top, scatter with an even layer of peanuts, then repeat layering, finishing with a layer of peanuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, then serve topped with coconut and passionfruit and seasoned with sea salt flakes.
