Yellow Passion Fruit (Maracuya) makes a delicious juice or cocktail when mixed with water, ice and sugar (scoop out the pulp with a spoon and blend at high speed with other ingredients). Add tequila, rum or vodka for a tasty, exotic cocktail!
Spicy Tamarillo Sauce
6 tamarillos (tomato tree fruit)
8 spicy red peppers
6 green onions
¼ teaspoon diced culantro
¼ cup of water
¼ of a lemon
Salt to taste
Boil the tamarillos until soft, peal them and let them rest on cold water. In a chopping board, cut the spicy red peppers into small chucks and remove the seeds. Place the spicy red peppers and tamarillos in the blender and blend them alone for 20 sec. then add the water, green onions, lemon and culantro. Taste and add the salt to your preference.
Let it cool in the fridge and serve with your favorite appetizer.
Prickly Pear Lemonade
Puree the pulp of three cactus figs, strain the seeds and add to lemonade for a zesty beverage or margarita base.
Prickly Pear Vinaigrette
3 cactus figs (remove pulp)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste
Extract the pulp with a knife or spoon.
Strain the pulp through a fine collander, until extracting as much juice as you can.
In a bowl, place the rest of the ingredients together and stir while adding the cactus fig juice.
Add to your favorite salad
Kluay Chuam (Baby Bananas in Syrup)
serves 1 person
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar (white or light brown will work)
1 Tbsp lemon / lime juice
1Tbsp butter (salted)
2 Baby Bananas
1/2 cup coconut cream (thicker than coconut milk-or just use thick stuff from a can of coconut milk that has separated)
1/4 tsp salt
Put water and sugar in a pot and heat until sugar dissolves (should come to a low boil). Add lime juice, butter and banana. Keep boiling until banana (which is white when raw) turns yellow and sugar turns into syrup. As mixture boils, keep turning the pot so banana keeps getting covered by the liquid. When banana is looking cooked, could add a splash of rum. To make topping, heat coconut cream with salt, stiring until salt is dissolved. Pour over banana.
Good served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Thanks to Andrea for sharing this one.
Cher's Mango Salsa
4 mangos diced
1 cucumber diced
As much basil as you like, chopped
As much chives as you like, chopped
3 pinches of salt
3 pinches of paprika
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Mix ingredients together and serve with chips/crackers/pita bread or as a compliment to chicken, pork or seafood. Thanks for sharing Cher!
Tropical Fruit Salad
1 dragon fruit
1 ripe mango
1 papaya
2 tamarillos
1 banana
2 pineapple slices
Cut pitahaya and extract its pulp with a spoon. Peel and cut mango in strips. Cut papaya lengthwise, remove the seeds and dice. Peel pineapple slices and cut in triangles. Scald tamarillos for three minutes, cool and peel. Slice tamarillos and peeled banana. Arrange fruit on salad dish. Cover with Pitahaya pulp as a decorative dressing.
Mango Chutney
1.5 kg mangos, peeled and chopped
750 g sugar
350 g raisins
10 cloves garlic (crushed)
4 cloves (can also use nutmeg and all spice to season)
2 red peppers finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
750 ml white vinegar
Set the sugar aside. Simmer the remaining ingredients until the red pepper and the mango soften, then add the sugar and cook at medium heat for 40 min. Allow the chutney to cool before pouring it into canning jars.
Chutney is a delicious sweet and sour condiment that enhances curries, vegetable and meat dishes. It can also be used as marmalade.
Granadilla (Orange Passion Fruit) Cocktail
Cut granadilla in half, take the pulp out and mix it with fresh cream, sugar and several drops of rum or rum flavouring. Blend the ingredients well and pour the mixture back into the empty fruit halves to serve.
