PASSION FRUIT AND PERSIMMONS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 84, Issue 3, 15 March 1952, Page 241

PASSION FRUIT AND PERSIMMONS

PASSION fruit and persimmons, two sub-tropical fruits which ripen from late February to April, in recent years have become more easily obtainable. Each has a distinctive flavour and is often used for flavouring, but if there are good crops, both can be used in other ways. As they ripen at a period when varieties of fruits are few, they make a welcome addition to the menu. Some recipes using passion fruit and others using persimmons are given in this article by Nell Macpherson, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Auckland. PASSION fruit are the more widely known and generally used. They are at their best when the skin is an even dark purple before it begins to wrinkle. Passion fruit pulp can be used raw in several ways; it can be preserved and used in fillings, icings, and sauces and as an additional flavouring in fruit salads. Either by itself or combined with other fruits it makes nice jam and spreads for sandwiches. Passion Fruit Recipes Passion Fruit Fool 1 pint of passion fruit pulp _ 5 tablespoons of sugar 1 pint of milk 2 tablespoons of custard powder Mix the passion fruit pulp and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and leave the mixture to stand. Make a custard with the milk, custard powder, and remainder of the sugar, and allow it to cool a little. Pour the cooled custard into the passion fruit pulp and stir the mixture thoroughly. Beat it with a fork for a minute or two and pile it into individual dishes. Allow it to cool thoroughly and garnish it with whipped cream or grated chocolate. Passion Fruit Flummery ioz. of gelatine 1 cup of water 1 tablespoon of flour 1 cup of sugar I cup of passion fruit pulp Lemon juice to taste (preserved pulp may be used) Mix the flour to a smooth paste with a little of the water. Soak the gelatine in the rest of the' water for 5 minutes. Add the flour paste and the sugar to the gelatine mixture and stir them thoroughly. Heat and boil the mixture for 3 minutes. Cool it and when it begins to set beat it rapidly with an egg beater. When it is thick fold in the passion fruit pulp and lemon juice. Pour the flummery into a mould or serve it in individual dishes garnished with cream and crystallised cherries. Passion Fruit Chiffon Pie cups of passion fruit pulp J cup of boiling water 1 cup of sugar 2 egg whites 1 tablespoon of gelatine Pinch of salt 1 cup of cold water

Add the sugar to the passion fruit pulp and mix both thoroughly. Soften the gelatine in the cold water, add the boiling water, and stir the mixture well. Mix it with the pulp and allow it to thicken. Beat the egg whites and salt until the whites are stiff and fold them into the fruit mixture. Pile the chiffon into a previously baked shortpastry shell. Passion Fruit Cream Filling Sieve 1 cup of passion fruit pulp to remove the seeds and fold 1 cup of whipped cream into the pulp. Use the filling for sponge sandwiches. Passion Fruit Filling 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of icing sugar 1 tablespoon of boiling water .1 tablespoon of passion fruit pulp Cream the butter and add the sugar and beat it in. Add the boiling water and beat the mixture till it is fluffy. Add the passion fruit pulp last. Use the filling for sponge cakes, sponge drops, and pastry tartlets. Passion Fruit Icing Pulp of 4 passion fruit 1 cup of icing sugar Boiling water ' Mix the icing sugar and water to a spreading consistency. Add the passion fruit pulp and mix it in thoroughly. The icing should now be thin enough to pour smoothly on to the cake and cover the sides. Passion Fruit Butter loz. of butter 4oz. of sugar 2 eggs Pulp of 3 passion fruit Beat the eggs and sugar till they are thick and add the passion fruit pulp and the butter. Cook the mixture in a double boiler over hot water, stirring it constantly until it

thickens. Pour it into sterilised jars and allow it to cool slightly. Pour melted wax over the surface of the butter and cover the jars. The butter will keep for some months and makes an excellent sandwich spread. Passion Fruit Jam Passion fruit and sugar are the only ingredients for this jam. Cut the passion fruit in halves and scoop out the pulp. Boil a quarter of the skins until they are tender and remove the soft pulp from the skins and add it to the seeds and juice. Weigh the pulp and measure out fib. of sugar for each pound of pulp. Put the sugar to warm in the oven. Boil the pulp hard for 10 minutes. Add the ' warmed sugar. Bring the mixture back to the boil and boil it hard, stirring constantly. As soon as the jam no longer pours from the spoon in a thin stream remove it from the heat and test it for setting by putting a spoonful on a saucer and leaving it for a minute or two. If the jam wrinkles when the saucer is tilted, it is ready to set. If not, boil it more gently until it is correct in the test. Pour the jam into sterilised jars and cover the jars. Tomato and Passion Fruit Jam 21b. of ripe tomatoes lib. of peeled and x 6 passion fruit cored apples 31b. of sugar Skin the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes and the apples and boil them together until they are soft. Add the warmed sugar and stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Boil it hard for half an hour; add the passion fruit pulp and boil the mixture for 5 minutes. Test it for setting. If necessary, continue to boil it until setting point is reached. Pot and seal it in the usual way.

Piemelon and Passion Fruit Jam 21b. of diced piemelon Jib. of passion fruit 21b. of sugar pulp 1 lemon Cover the melon with the sugar and stand it overnight. Slice the lemon thinly, remove the pips, and add the lemon to the melon and sugar. Bring the ingredients carefully to the boil to prevent sticking, and boil them hard for 20 minutes. Add the passion

fruit pulp and boil the jam until it reaches setting point. Pot and seal it in the usual way. * Peach and Passion Fruit Jam 31b. of slightly under- 1 dozen passion fruit ripe peaches 31b. of sugar Peel and stone the peaches. Scoop the -pulp from the passion fruit. . Boil the passion fruit skins with a pint of water until they are tender, then strain them. Add the strained liquid to .the peaches and boil it until the peaches soften. _ Add the sugar and passion fruit pulp and stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Boil the jam hard until it reaches setting point. Pot and seal it in the usual way. Preserved Passion Fruit Pulp Make a syrup in the proportions of 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water. Measure the syrup and add an equal quantity of passion fruit pulp. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes. Bottle and seal it. The pulp may be used as a topping for ice cream. Passion Fruit Cordial Pulp of 8 passion 2 teaspoons of citric fruit . acid 2 cups of sugar 1 pint of water Add the citric acid to the passion fruit pulp and stir the mixture thoroughly. Make a syrup of the sugar and water and add the passion fruit mixture. Bring the mixture back to the boil for 1 minute. Allow it to cool slightly, strain it into sterilised bottles, and seal it. Passion Fruit Sauce 1 cup of passion fruit 1 cup of water pulp 1 dessertspoon of 1 dessertspoon of sugar ■ cornflour

Mix the cornflour and sugar to a thin paste with a little of the water. Heat the remainder of the water and add it to the paste. Return the paste mixture to the saucepan and boil it for 5 minutes. Stir in the passion fruit pulp and serve the sauce with steamed or baked puddings. Persimmons The taste for persimmons is possibly acquired and many people are prejudiced against them because the raw fruit has to be soft-ripe before it loses its astringency. Persimmons can be cooked and made into jam or jelly. Combined with other flavourings, persimmon pulp, can be used in a variety of puddings. Dried persimmons are considered a great delicacy in Japan; although the method of drying is a fairly long process, a description of it is given here. Drying Method The method of drying persimmons described here is a Japanese one. The persimmons are harvested when they are yellow-brown. The fruit stem and half an inch of the branch on both sides of the' stem should be picked with the fruit. The fruit should be Seeled within 48 hours of being picked. If left any-longer, it may become flabby and useless for drying. Peeling of the fruit should start at the calyx end, a small piece of skin being left at the stalk end of the persimmon to prevent it dropping off when it is being dried. The piece of branch adhering to the stem is then poked through a rope as shown in the illustration at right. About 20 fruits are hung on one piece of rope, which is hung up by both ends to form a loop. They are hung in the open, but must be sheltered from rain to prevent green mould and souring. Once the “raisin” stage is reached, the dried persimmon is cut on one

side, the seeds are removed, and the fruit is closed up again. The persimmons are then preserved by spreading them in single layers in a box lined with straw, with about jin. of straw between each layer. The top layer is covered with lin. of straw. The lid should contain a few small ventilation holes. Several weeks later white powdery crystals of glucose will appear on the fruit, and are proof that the curing process has been satisfactory. Persimmon Recipes Dessert Persimmons Use only soft-ripe fruits and chill them in a refrigerator. . Using a serrated-edged knife cut the skin from top to bottom several times. Peel the skin back in the form of petals. Squeeze lemon juice over the fruits and garnish them with chopped nuts. Persimmons can also be cut in segments and used in fruit salads.

Persimmon Pie (1) Pastry shell 1 cup of sweetened I cup of persimmon whipped cream pulp I dessertspoon of Walnut halves lemon juice Stir the lemon juice into the persimmon pulp. Fold in the whipped cream. Pile the filling in the pie shell and decorate it with the halved walnuts. Persimmon Pie (2) Lightly cooked pie . Pinch of ground shell . cloves 1J cups of persimmon I teaspoon of pulp ~ cinnamon 1 cup of sugar Pinch of salt 1 tablespoon of 2 eggs beaten in golden syrup or 1 cup. of milk treacle Melt the syrup and stir it into the persimmon pulp. Add the dry ingredients and lastly fold in the egg and milk mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and cook the pie at 400 degrees F. until the filling sets. Persimmon Pudding 1 egg I cup of milk •i cup of sugar * 3 tablespoons of 1 cup of flour butter 1 teaspoon of baking Lemon essence powder 1 cup. of persimmon 1 teaspoon of salt pulp Beat the egg and add the sugar. Beat them till they are light and frothy. Add the dry ingredients and then the milk with the butter melted in. Lastly fold in the persimmon pulp. Turn the mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake it for half an hour in an oven at 350 degrees F. Persimmon Cream 2 cups of persimmon J cup of chopped pulp nuts 2 cups of thick 1 cup of chopped custard sauce cherries » Make the custard sauce in the usual way, using 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of cornflour for 2 cups of milk. Blend the custard and persimmon pulp. Fold in the nuts and fruit. Serve the mixture in individual dishes with a thin slice of lemon, or turn it into a freezing tray and freeze it for half an hour. Persimmon Jam 21b. of persimmon 11b. of rhubarb pulp 31b. of sugar Chop the rhubarb into short lengths and cook it gently with J cup of water until it is tender. Add the persimmon pulp and the heated sugar and boil the jam until it reacts correctly in the setting test. Pot and seal it. Persimmon Jelly 31b. of persimmons 3 lemons (slightly, under-ripe Sugar for preference) Remove the blossom ends from the persimmons and slice the persimmons and lemons. Place both in a basin and cover them with water; soak them overnight. Boil them until the lemon is soft/ Strain the mixture through a jelly bag. Measure the juice and add f cup of sugar for each cup of juice. Boil the mixture hard for 5 to 10 minutes or until it “sheets off” the spoon. Pour the jelly into hot, sterilised jars. Allow it to cool slightly and seal it with melted paraffin wax. Cover the jars and tie down the covers. All photographs by Sparrow Industrial Pictures Ltd.