Campari and Passion Fruit Sorbet #GalentinesDay

This refreshing sorbet of fresh passion fruit and Campari is perfect as an aperitif, between courses or at the end of a meal. The tart passion fruit and bitter Campari will wake up your taste buds! 

First, a confession. When I was invited to take part in this Galentine’s Day celebration, I thought it was a typo. I don’t watch Parks and Recreation, although I do love Amy Poehler. But, once explained, I was completely on board, because women celebrating women, breakfast-style, sounds like the very best way to spend a morning. So, I say unto you, and with all the sincerity and fervor of the recently converted: Happy Galentine’s Day!

For anyone else who is as ignorant as I was, I found this very short YouTube clip that lets Leslie Knope explain it better than I ever could.

Along with sharing a frou-frou dish or beverage, event organizer, Courtney from Neighborfood and her very capable co-host, Nancy from gotta get baked, said that we should share a story about a girlfriend or even a public figure, who inspires us.  The Campari and passion fruit sorbet was an easy decision – I love that stuff - but choosing just one woman was the hardest part! I am blessed with so many fabulous women in my life! I dedicate this recipe to my friend, Naszreen, who has fulfilled her dream of many years by opening a tea shop. She is an amazing woman, mother, sister, friend, and now I can say, successful entrepreneur.

Ingredients
1 cup or 240ml water
1 cup or 200g  sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 passionfruit (Mine weighed 690g whole and yielded 1 1/2 cups or 350g pulp.)
1/2 cup or 120ml Campari
Several sprigs fresh mint, plus some tops of sprigs to serve

Method
Place the water, sugar and salt in a pan and warm it just enough for the sugar and salt to dissolve and then remove from the heat.  Allow to cool for a while.

Stack and roll the mint leaves up and slice them finely. Don't forget to save a few tips for garnish.

Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the flesh, seeds and juice using a spoon.

Strain out the passion fruit seeds, pressing them into a sieve to remove more juice. Reserve about one-third of the seeds to add back into the sorbet.

Mix the passion fruit with the Campari, sugar syrup, mint leaves and all but a few of the sieved passion fruit seeds, in a plastic tub or earthenware dish and place in the freezer to chill.

If you have an ice cream maker, you can put the mixture into it after about half an hour of chilling and follow the manufacturer’s instruction till it is soft set.

Top with a few of the small mint springs and the few remaining passion fruit seeds, then put it in the freezer in a sealed container till ready to serve.

Otherwise, leave it in the freezer-proof vessel and stir it around at least every half hour until it’s set. This could take more than two hours. When it's just about set, top with a few of the small mint springs and the few remaining passion fruit seeds and pop it back into the freezer until you are ready to serve.

Ready to serve!

Scoop into a pretty bowl and top with a small sprig of mint to serve.

Enjoy!

I genuinely hope you are celebrating today with your gal friends or are planning a celebration. We are here to help with a bunch of great recipes for your Galentine’s party!

• Anise-Scented Ice Cream with Candied Fennel Seeds from girlichef
• Boston Cream Trifles from gotta get baked
• Brownie Batter Chocolate Tarts from Melanie Makes
• Campari and Passion Fruit Sorbet from Food Lust People Love
• Cheesecake Milkshakes from Chocolate Moosey
• Chocolate Cheesecake from NeighborFood
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cream Puffs from The Redhead Baker
• Chocolate Honey Bombs from The Live-In Kitchen
• Coeur a la Creme with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Strawberries from Heather’s Dish
• Ganache Topped Truffle Brownies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Grilled Cheese & Chocolate Sandwich with Ganache Dipping Sauce from Climbing Grier Mountain
• Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Mini Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Whipped Cream from A Cookie Named Desire
• Nutella Fudge with Raspberries from The Food Charlatan
• Orange Yogurt Waffles from Savvy Eats
• Red Wine Ice Cream Floats from Mind Over Batter
• Strawberry Covered Dark Chocolate Truffles from Girl Versus Dough
• Wicked Waikiki Sour from Pineapple and Coconut

Caipiracujá Cocktail

A delightful change from my favorite lime-based cocktail, the caipirinha, this deliciously refreshing libation is made with tart fresh passion fruit and cachaça. 

Ever since I made the passion fruit muffins a few weeks back, I’ve been wanting to try passion fruit in a cocktail. As I mentioned then, I came to love that funny fruit when we lived in Brazil so it seemed appropriate to switch out sour limes for tart passion fruit, but still use cachaça for the alcohol component. For the name, I mashed together caipira, the Portuguese word from whence the diminutive caipirinha comes, and maracujá, what the Brazilians call passion fruit. A most successfully mash up, if I do say so myself. By which I mean the drink although I am hoping the name will catch on as well.

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons passion fruit pulp (I used two small passion fruit per glass.)
1/2-1 tablespoon sugar (depending on how tart your passion fruit are and how sweet you like your cocktails)
Crushed ice
Cachaça

Note: Cachaça is cane alcohol so if you can't get your hands on a bottle, substitute rum. It won't be the same but I'm betting it'll still be delicious.

Method
Cut your passion fruit in half and scoop the pulp into a short cocktail glass.

Add the sugar.

Muddle the sugar and the pulp to loosen the seeds.

This shot is really just to show off my parrot muddler. He is Brazilian.

Fill the glass with crushed ice.

Top up with cachaça.

As you can see, this is a powerful drink.

Stir vigorously and serve with a straw.

Enjoy! And saúde!


If you found your way here looking for traditional caipirinha instructions, you are in luck. I have those for you too.

Passion Fruit Muffins with Passion Fruit Glaze #MuffinMonday

Many passion fruit recipes suggest that you strain out the seeds but I happen to like the pop and crunch they add to a dish, dessert or baked good. I am delighted to share that they are also reported to be a nutritious addition, adding fiber, antioxidants and magnesium to a healthy diet.  

Although I spent some time in tropical climes when I was a child, passion fruit only reached my consciousness when I moved to Brazil as an adult. There it is called maracujá and features in many desserts, especially the local favorite, ubiquitous at every restaurant and house party, mousse de maracujá. It occurs to me that I’ve never posted that recipe here and perhaps I need to rectify that.

Meanwhile, since my local grocery stores are filled with passion fruit at reasonable prices, and since it is Muffin Monday, I put them in beautiful, flavorful muffins. I think they would be great for the upcoming Holy Week, the week before Easter, which commemorates the passion of Christ. Maybe I can start a new worldwide tradition of baking passion fruit muffins in addition to hot cross buns. Anybody else game to join me?

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/2 cup or 115g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup or 60g butter, melted then cooled
1/2 cup or 120g passion fruit pulp, including the seeds

Optional glaze – passion fruit pulp from two small passion fruit (1/8 cup or 30g) plus an equal amount of powdered sugar (1/4 cup or 30g) and small pinch of salt.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350F° or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing or lining with paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a smaller bowl, whisk your milk, eggs and melted butter, along with the passion fruit pulp.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Evenly distribute the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, make the glaze, if using. Mix all three ingredients together in a small bowl, until all the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Remove the muffins from the muffin pan and finish cooling on a rack.

When the muffins are completely cooled, carefully spoon the glaze over the tops. It will soak in and make the muffins even more moist.

Enjoy!