Passion Fruit, Passion Fruit

Passion fruit looks ugly and wrinkled on the outside, something like a dried old plum. But don’t pass it up. Inside the tough purplish brown skin, the fruit reveals a burst of bright yellow, jellylike pulp that tastes somewhat citrus-y yet sweet. You won’t get a lot of pulp, but what little you do get imparts a distinctive tropical tart flavor and fragrance. Add it to cupcake batter and you turn an all-American snack into something exotic.

We’ve doubled the fruit flavor by topping each cake with a scoop of passion fruit sorbet. And there’s no need to feel guilty--the cakes are low in fat. To create a lighter texture, we’ve added beaten egg whites; to make them moist and tender, we’ve added corn syrup. And if you don’t mind the perfectly edible seeds in your little cakes, leave them in--they’re crunchy.

Between what comes in from local and New Zealand growers, passion fruit, a member of the berry family, is now available all year round. If you spot them at a bargain price, buy plenty and freeze them in plastic bags. They keep well for several months. To get more pulp, select fruit that is large and heavy.

DOUBLE PASSION FRUIT DELIGHT

1 tablespoon plus 1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup passion fruit pulp (about 5 to 6)

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, optional

Grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Spray 12 non-stick large cupcake pans or mini bundt pans with non-stick vegetable cooking spray. Dust with flour, about 1 tablespoon. (Or brush with 2 teaspoons melted butter for flavor, then dust with flour.)

Sift together 1 3/4 cups flour with baking soda, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt into foil or wax paper.

Cut passion fruit in halves, scoop out pulp and measure 1/2 cup. Place pulp in large mixer bowl with nonfat milk, corn syrup, oil and vanilla. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating until soft, smooth peaks form. Without removing beaters, beat passion fruit mixture on low speed just to blend. Slowly add flour mixture, gently stirring on low speed just until blended.

Add 1/2 of beaten whites to batter and fold until smooth. Add remaining whites, gently folding just until blended. Do not overmix. Fold in nuts and/or lemon zest, if using. Turn batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back when touched lightly. Cool 2 minutes then loosen sides and remove cupcakes from pans. Serve warm with Passion Fruit Sorbet. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

192 calories; 158 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.66 grams fiber.

Note: Non-stick mini bundt pans, in set of 6 cups, are available at specialty cookware shops.

Passion Fruit Sorbet

5 large passion fruit

Passion fruit juice blend

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, optional

Cut fruit in halves and scoop out pulp into glass measure. Add enough passion fruit juice to make 3 cups. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Freeze in ice cream machine until hardened. Store covered in freezer until serving.

Note: Passion fruit juice blend is available in jars or frozen juice concentrates. When using frozen concentrate in this recipe, buy 16-ounce can and dilute with 2 parts water instead of 3 for more passion fruit flavor.