Tropical Guava Cheese Confection (Printable Version)

Fragrant jewel-toned confection crafted from ripe guava and fresh lime

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Base

01 - 4 cups ripe guava (pink or white), peeled, deseeded, and chopped
02 - 1/2 cup water

→ Sugar & Flavor

03 - 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

→ Enrichment

05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

→ Coating

06 - 1/4 cup superfine sugar for dusting (optional)

# How-to Steps:

01 - Grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on sides for easy removal.
02 - Place chopped guava and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until fruit becomes soft and breaks down easily.
03 - Transfer softened guava to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining seeds or fibers.
04 - Measure out 2 cups of the strained guava puree and return to the clean heavy-bottomed saucepan.
05 - Stir in the granulated sugar and fresh lime juice into the guava puree.
06 - Cook over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Continue until the mixture thickens noticeably, begins to pull away from the pan sides, and reaches a glossy, very thick consistency that holds its shape.
07 - Add the unsalted butter to the thickened mixture and stir until fully incorporated and glossy throughout.
08 - Immediately transfer the hot mixture to the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface evenly with a spatula.
09 - Allow the guava cheese to cool at room temperature for 1 hour until completely set and firm.
10 - Lift the set guava cheese from the pan using the parchment overhang. Using a greased knife, cut into 1-inch squares or diamond shapes.
11 - If desired, roll the cut pieces in superfine sugar to coat all sides lightly.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's naturally gluten-free and requires just a handful of ingredients, so you'll actually have time to enjoy the process instead of stressing over measurements.
  • The tropical tang of lime against the floral sweetness makes you feel like you're biting into something far more sophisticated than candy.
  • Once you nail the texture, you've got a gift that keeps fresh for two weeks and impresses absolutely everyone.
02 -
  • The moment when the mixture pulls away from the pan sides is non-negotiable—stopping too early leaves you with something sticky and loose, while cooking too long makes it almost brittle.
  • Passing the puree through a sieve really does matter; those tiny seed bits change the entire texture and can make your finished confection feel grainy instead of silky.
03 -
  • Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan for cooking—it distributes heat evenly and makes it nearly impossible to accidentally burn the bottom of your mixture.
  • If you're nervous about the texture, pull a small spoonful of the hot mixture onto a cold plate every 5 minutes toward the end of cooking to test the consistency before you commit to being done.
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