COOK-OFF RECIPES:

Chef Helen Pratt, from the Kingaroy Hotel, prepared this white chocolate, yoghurt and dragonfruit cheesecake dessert for the 2007 PCA South Burnett Regional Culinary Competition.

Wine Accompaniment:
Blueberry kir made with Cranes Sparkling shiraz

Ingredients

Cheesecake
1 dragonfruit
90g white chocolate
30ml milk
1 gelatine leaf
180g cream cheese
70g sheep's milk yoghurt
55g castor sugar
75ml cream, semi-whipped

Base
Lyte & Crunchy peanuts
100g biscuit crumb
50g melted butter

Honey Tuille
160g butter
4 tblsp honey
120g plain flour
4 egg whites
240g castor sugar
50g double cream cheese

Blueberry Kir
Blueberry syrup or coulis
Sparkling Shiraz

Method

Cheesecake
Cut the dragonfruit in half and then cut a small "base" from the skin so it will sit on a plate without rocking. Carefully remove half the flesh and reserve for another purpose.

Cheesecake mix
Melt chocolate over a very gentle heat. Soak gelatine in ice water and then dissolve into the chocolate mix. Beat cream cheese with sugar then work in yoghurt. While still beating, pour in chocolate mix. Fold through whipped cream. Fill the hollowed out part of the dragon fruit with mix. Level and allow to set for a few hours.

Base
Crush peanuts and mix through biscuit crumb with melted butter. Shape as desired. Set for a few hours.

Honey Tuille
Carefully melt butter and honey together. Off heat, add the sugar and mix well until cool enough not to cook egg whites. Using a wooden spoon, mix through flour then egg whites. Use a plastic stencil and pallette knife to form shapes of the mix on greaseproof paper. Bake in a cool/moderate oven until fairly dark golden brown. While still warm, shape and allow to set firm.

Use the garnish ingredients to decorate the "cheesecake" and place on a platter with two spoons and serve with two flutes of blueberry kir.

Local Produce
Dragonfruit - Red Fox Pitaya, Nanango
Sheep's milk yoghurt - Runnymede Sheep Dairy, Nanango
Lyte & Crunchy peanuts - The Peanut Van, Kingaroy
Double cream cheese - Kingaroy Cheese