Fruit Focus: Passion Fruit

 If there’s one tropical fruit I love and adore, it’s definitely Passion Fruit! Just the name conjures sinful lust, tart and fresh flavors. And if I’m in love with the name in English, I am cheating on it with the name in Hawaiian: “Lilikoi”. If I ever have a daughter, I want to name her Lilikoi.

Native to Paraguay, Brazil and northern Argentina, Passion Fruit is a vine plant with as many names as it has seeds! Here in Dominican Republic it is commonly called “Chinola”. I’ll stick with Lilikoi just because I love it so much!

Nutrition Benefits:

• 100 grams have 97 calories. Wish I could say the same about Bacon, sigh.
• Great source of Dietary Fiber
• High in Vitamin C, which is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant
• Rich source of minerals such as Iron, Copper, Magnesium and Phosphorus
• High in Vitamin A which helps the body to remove free radicals

 Lilikoi Jam

1. Juice the pulp of approximately 10 Lilikoi and strain to remove seeds.
2. Pour fresh juice into medium sauce pan over high heat with the addition of 1/2 cup sugar.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of hot juice, 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar.
4. Add slurry (cornstarch and juice mixture) in a steady stream into the hot liquid and whisk. 
5. Whisk, whisk! Your jam will begin to thicken at 185F, which is around the temperature cornstarch gels.
6. Add vanilla extract or a pinch of salt and you’re all set to spread on scones, fill a cake with or just eat it right out of the jar!