GOODNESS

Allspice: No, this isn't a mixture of everything in your spice rack, but rather a dried berry of the pimenta tree. If that's a surprise to you, imagine how Columbus felt -- he thought it was pepper (thus the name pimenta, which is Spanish for pepper). The berries look a little like plump peppercorns and the flavor is pungent, but it is not pepper. The best allspice comes from Jamaica.
For the freshest flavor, you should buy allspice in berry form and grind or crush it as needed. The taste is a pleasant mix of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Used in jerks and for pickling, it goes great with meat and gives a nice kick to soups and stews.
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Recipe

Puff Pastry Baskets with Honey Mousse and Assorted Fruit

serves
prep time: 10
cook time: 933

ingredients

Sauce
2 large ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, sliced
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup (about) mango nectar
Mousse
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs yolks
2/3 cup chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup chilled crè,me fraî,che or sour cream
Pastries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 17.3 1/8 cups package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced
1 mango, halved, peeled, sliced
2 kiwi fruits, peeled, sliced
Fresh mint leaves

directions

Sauce: Puree 2 mangoes and 2 tablespoons honey in processor. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. Add mango nectar as needed to thin to sauce consistency. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Mousse: Place 1 tablespoon water in 1/4 cup measuring cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let soften 10 minutes. Whisk honey and yolks in small metal bowl. Set bowl over large saucepan halfway filled with boiling water. Cook until mixture registers 160 degrees. on candy thermometer, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until honey mixture is cool.

Beat whipping cream and crè,me fraî,che in large bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Add honey mixture and fold together gently. Cover and refrigerate mousse until set, at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Pastries: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar and ground all-spice in small bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar mixture over 1 puff pastry sheet. Roll out on lightly floured surface to 13x12 inch rectangle. Trim to 10 inch square. Cut puff pastry sheet into quarters, forming 4 5 inch squares. Fold 1 dough square diagonally in half to form triangle. Starting at folded side, cut 0.5 inch border strip on both unfolded sides of triangle, leaving 0.5 inch of dough uncut at triangle point so that strips remain attached. Unfold triangle. Brush 0.5 inch-wide border strips with water. Lift up both loose corner tips, slip 1 under the other and place border strips atop edges of base, gently pulling to match corners on base. Press border onto base to adhere. Sprinkle more sugar mixture over border. Transfer pastry to cookie sheet. Pierce center all over with fork. Repeat with remaining pastry squares and pastry sheet and sugar mixture. Bake pastries until golden brown, piercing centers with knife if puffy, about 20 minutes. Transfer pastries to rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Store in air-tight container at room temperature.)

Spoon sauce onto plates. Spoon honey mousse into pastry baskets and arrange atop sauce. Top mousse with slices of pineapple, mango and kiwi fruit. Garnish each dessert with fresh mint leaves and serve.