Passion fruit is a tropical fruit belonging to the Passiflora vine species of passion flower. With a tough outer rind and a juicy seed-filled center, this fruit can be seen in various colors and sizes, purple and yellow being the most common. Due to their adaptability, some varieties are also found in sub-tropical climates. Passion fruit vine plants are cultivated worldwide. The fruit is a storehouse of various nutrients, fibers, and antioxidants and offers many health benefits.
Nutrition
This tropical fruit is well known for its high nutritional value and benefits. Let’s look at the nutrition chart of passion fruit. One unit of the fruit contains:
- 2 grams of fiber
- 9% of the daily requirement or daily value of Vitamin C
- 8% of the daily value of Vitamin A
- 2% of the daily value of iron
- 2% of the daily value of potassium and provitamin
With only 17 calories, it is rich in many plant compounds, including polyphenols and carotenoids.
Benefits
Since passion fruit is loaded with several nutrients, the consumption of it offers several health benefits. It helps to maintain both the mental and physical health of an individual. This fruit is the go-to for fitness enthusiasts who like to stay fit and healthy. Some of the health benefits of passion fruit are:
- It is rich in antioxidants, which help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body.
- It improves blood flow, particularly to the brain and the nervous system.
- It also helps in the reduction of cellular stress and inflammation.
- It has high-fiber content, which is beneficial for gut health and also helps regulate the digestive system functioning.
- The fruit also helps improve insulin sensitivity, support heart health, boost the immune system function, and reduce anxiety.
Recipes
There are a range of tasty dishes that can be prepared with passion fruit as the main ingredient. Some of these include:
- Caramelized passion fruit and lime tart
- Passion fruit souffle with passion fruit sauce
- Mango and passion fruit roulade
- Dark chocolate, coconut, and passion fruit mousse cake
- Passion cake
- Passion fruit posset with pistachio-custard biscuits & fresh pineapple
- Vanilla Pavlova with pineapple & passion fruit
- Passion fruit & lemon self-saucing pudding
Caramelized passion fruit and lime tart recipe
Ingredients
- Dessert pastry (500g)
- Passion fruits (8)
- Lime (Juice and Finely grated zest)
- Golden Caster Sugar (200g)
- Egg yolks (6)
- Double cream (142ml)
- Icing sugar (optional; for dusting)
Method
The method involves rolling out the pastry to form a 23cm tart ring and chilling it for 20 minutes minimum. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the tart with baking beans on top of the baking parchment and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment at this point, and cook it again until golden. While the base is getting ready, prepare the filling by cutting passion fruits in half, scooping out the flesh, and blending it all. Then, sieve the pulp, and mix in the lime juice and zest. Hand beat the yolks and sugar until pale, then mix in the fruit juice and cream. Once ready, put this mixture into the tart case and bake for 40 mins. Allow it to cool before serving plain or with a coating of icing sugar on the caramelized tart top.
