Passion fruit in the kitchen

Passion fruit is one of those rare ingredients that does a great deal with very little. Its acidity and aroma are concentrated enough to change the character of a dessert or a drink on their own.

The most common mistake is eating it while the skin is still smooth. The more wrinkled the skin, the sweeter the fruit. Wrinkling is a sign of ripeness, not spoilage.

Ways to use it

• At its purest: Halve it and eat the pulp with a spoon. The seeds are edible and add a pleasant crunch.
• In desserts: Spoon over cheesecake, panna cotta or plain yoghurt; it brings acidity without weighing the dish down.
• In drinks: Strain the pulp and mix with sugar syrup for lemonades and cocktails.
• As a curd: Simmer gently with butter, sugar and egg yolk to make passion fruit curd.
• In savoury cooking: A few spoonfuls of pulp over grilled white meat or seafood works unexpectedly well.

The pulp freezes well in ice-cube trays, so you can keep it to hand out of season. One cube is usually enough for a single portion of dessert or a drink.