passion fruit semifreddo

You know what I love the most about passion fruit? When the produce boy sells them to you at a steep discount because "they're all wrinkly, they must be old."

It's a beautiful thing - especially considering that last time I saw passion fruit at Whole Foods they were $2 each. Ouch.

For those of you unfamiliar with this tasty, tropical fruit, wrinkly skin is a good sign. It indicates that the fruit is ripe and sweet. A passion fruit with shiny, smooth skin is unripe. So the next time you see a store trying to get rid of their old, wrinkly passion fruits - snatch them up, my friend. Them's some good eats.

Semifreddos are an Italian dessert kind of like a frozen mousse. Instead of using the traditional churning method of most frozen desserts, the flavorful base is folded into pillowy whipped cream and frozen, usually in a mold. It's then turned out and sliced, sometimes served with a sauce.

Succinctly, they're rich, creamy, delicious, and so easy a trained monkey could make one. So make one, impress your friends, and add an inch or two to your waistline.

And hey, if you ever meet a semifreddo-makin-monkey, be sure to send him my way...

Passion Fruit Semifreddo

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup passion fruit juice

3 egg yolks

2  passion fruit, pulp only

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to form stiff peaks

Heat the sugar and passion fruit juice over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature. Beat the egg yolks until light and increased in volume by half. Pour the passion fruit syrup into the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream while beating continuously. Mix in the passionfruit pulp. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream in thirds, being careful to not deflate the whipped cream too much. Pour into a mold and freeze for 8 hours, or overnight. Run a knife along the outsides to loosen and turn out onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Comments

[Emma]

How did I miss this!! I love passionfruit and this look beautiful, particularly as we are coming into Summer here in Australia.