Don’t Judge Me Mondays: Passionfruit Mimosa

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In my blogiversary post yesterday I mentioned something new I’ll be doing, Flavor of the Month.  As many of you know when I find a flavor or ingredient I like, I tend to fixate on it and figure out all the ways it can be used.  Well I’ve decided to make that a “feature rather than a bug” by being intentional about it.  That means at the beginning of every month I will roll out what the ingredient is and possibly some details about it (how do you harvest it, when is it in season, where to buy it, that kind of thing).  Then throughout the month I will feature recipes that contain that ingredient.  Don’t worry, I will not make each and every recipe shared during the month about that ingredient, but you can expect to see one a week.  At the end of the month I’ll share any lessons I’ve learned about the ingredient and also remind you of all the fun stuff I came up with.

Ok, drumroll please….the ingredient for April (which you’ve probably already figured out if you read the title of the post, he he) is passionfruit! These little guys pack such a punch of flavor and I cannot wait to delve into ways to use them!  This was actually sort of a happy accident.  I was at Uwajimaya (a local Asian goods store) walking through the produce and saw passionfruit.  I already loved the flavor so I decided to buy some even though I didn’t yet have a plan for them.  I’m so glad I did!

Passionfruit is grown in tropical and subtropical locations around the world like Brazil and Argentina but also domestically in Florida, California and Hawaii.   They are in season almost year round and I learned that they are more commonly referred to in Hawaii as lilikoi.  There are two main varieties- one that is dark purple and one that is yellow.  I’ve only ever seen the purple ones so that is most likely what I’ll be using this month.

When selecting passionfruit, you want to pick out the heaviest ones because that means they are filed with more juice.  You’re also looking for ones that are wrinkly because that means they are ripe and ready to eat.

Passionfruit has a slightly tart and rich flavor that is unlike anything else.  It will of course be amazing in desserts, but I am also excited to try it in savory applications like maybe a sauce or salad dressing.

So one thing I’ve already learned about passionfruit is that they can be pricey.  At Uwajimaya they were about $3.50 per fruit.  Needless to say, I will be researching sources to buy pure passionfruit juice as well, so stay tuned.

Let’s get to the mimosa!

First, you’ll prep your passionfruits.  I tried this drink with the pulp and seeds and found the texture just felt strange in a cocktail, so I decided to strain it for just the juice.  Start by cutting the passionfruit in half lengthwise.  Make sure you do this over a plate or bowl so you catch any juices that spill out.

Scoop out the pulp and put in a mesh strainer over a bowl.  Press the pulp to get all of the juice out. The amount needed for this drink amounted to about 1 1/2 passionfruits, but that may vary based on size and ripeness.

Now measure the passionfruit juice into your champagne flute.

Then pour about half of the Champagne in and gently stir.  For this drink I recommend Champagne or Prosecco.  Any sparkling wines sweeter than those will mask the great flavor of the passionfruit.

Now top off with the rest of the champagne.  The canary yellow color of this drink was so pretty I didn’t feel like it needed a garnish!

 

Have you had passionfruit before?  What’s your favorite way to use it?

Stay tuned for more passionfruit recipes this month!