Passion fruit, although hard on the outside is filled with a juicy interior that creates a sweet and exotic flavor.
When you combine the Passion Fruit seeds with eggs, sugar, and lemon juice the result is a creamy richly flavored curd. The Passion fruit curd can be served over ice cream, yogurt, spread on pancakes, or, served over homemade panna cotta.
Panna cotta is almost always served in a beautiful display at restaurants, and is actually quite easy and simple to make. Combining buttermilk with sugar, heavy cream, lemon and gelatin creates a luxurious, rich and creamy treat. Which makes the perfect base to our passion fruit curd.
Now that we have our rich and creamy buttermilk panna cotta topped with sweet and tangy passion fruit curd, it is important to add a topping that provides a different texture yet still coincides with the flavors of the dessert. For this I choose fresh and sweet Ugli fruit. A fruit that is a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, and packed with flavor. There is not any need to dress up this citrus for the topping, keeping it simple highlights its natural flavor and texture.
- Passion Fruit Curd
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup [url href=”http://www.thefruitcompany.com/fruit-encyclopedia/passion-fruit” target=”_blank” title=”Passion Fruit from The Fruit Company”]passion fruit[/url], seeds and juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
- Buttermilk Panna Cotta
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 packet unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- Topping
- 1 large [url href=”http://www.thefruitcompany.com/fruit-encyclopedia/ugli-fruit” target=”_blank” title=”Ugli Fruit from The Fruit Company”]Ugli Fruit[/url], peeled and chopped
- In a small saucepan, combine the yolks with the passion fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves. Add the butter and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Immediately strain the curd into a bowl. Using a back of the spoon, press the juice through the sieve. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and press the wrap onto the surface of the curd. Refrigerate until chilled.
- In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon juice and zest, whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, fill it with 3 tablespoons cold water. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin evenly over the water. Making sure that the powder does not get poured into only 1 spot. Set the bowl aside. It takes the gelatin about 3 to 5 minutes to bloom. The gelatin will be soft.
- While the gelatin is blooming, combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in a medium sauce pot. Over medium heat, warm the cream and sugar to just below a simmer, stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar.
- When the cream is just below a simmer, turn off heat and transfer the pot to a wire cooling rack. Gently whisk in the bloomed gelatin until incorporated.
- Once the gelatin has been whisked into the cream, pour the hot cream into the buttermilk-lemon mixture and gently stir.
- Carefully transfer the mixture and pour into individual cups, transferring the cups into the refrigerator until set. This takes about 3-4 hours, or works great to make the night before. Allow the panna cotta to cool down in the fridge for an hour before covering with plastic wrap.
- When the buttermilk panna cotta is set, and you are ready to serve the dessert. Take 2 tablespoons of passion fruit curd and evenly spread over top of each glass. Top with freshly cut ugli fruit and serve.
