Jan 8, 2010 10:22 am US/Pacific
Tony Tantillo: Passion Fruit
Well, this week's tip; Passion Fruit.
Passion fruit is a novelty and passion fruit is a gourmet item, but in some parts of the world, passion fruit is a staple. They are wonderful especially when it comes to certain desserts.
They have an aroma and they have a flavor so distinctive that's out of this world, but you have to select and store passion fruit right the first time, otherwise the passion will be gone; hey I kind of like that.
When selecting them, a little bit of a wrinkle is OK on this fruit. When you're ready to enjoy the passion fruit, they should be very wrinkled all the way around. That's when they're at their best, and they should give out some kind of an aroma, a sweet aromatic aroma. and make sure they're light for their size, not heavy for their size like other fruit. When they're light for their size that means they'll be sweeter.
When you cut into the passion fruit, take a look at this right here, look how beautiful they look. To enjoy them, take a spoon, scoop 'em out and enjoy them just like that out of hand. You can add them to different desserts, but I like them just like this.
Passion fruit, if you've never tried them, give them a try. The Passion fruit is wonderful, full of passion.
Passion Fruit Sauce over Chicken and Rice
Serves 4
4 chicken breasts; boned skinned and pounded out to 1/4 inches
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 tablespoon sugar
4 large passion fruit (pulp & seeds)
1. Season chicken with salt & pepper
2. Heat sauté pan over medium heat; add oil and 1/2 of the butter
3. Brown chicken 4 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the middle. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour out excess oil from pan, quite a bit of the fat content is removed here.
To make sauce:
1. Deglaze pan (see tip below) over low heat by adding pineapple juice and lime juice.
2. Add sugar. Remove from heat; add passion fruit & the other ½ of butter.
3. Serve chicken over steamed rice and top with sauce.
Deglaze Tip:
To add liquid to a pan in which foods have been sautéed or roasted in order to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom of the pan, always remove any fat left in the pan before deglazing.
Over a medium heat add a small amount of liquid, usually stock or wine, even fruit juice can be used, and in a pinch, water will work.
The purpose of deglazing is to make a quick sauce or a base for a more elaborate sauce to accompany the food cooked in the pan.
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