Passion Fruit Mousse

Hello and welcome! Passion fruit is one of my favorite fruits, but it’s not super easy to find them at the grocery store. You can imagine my excitement when I saw them at my local Publix. I bought 15 passion fruits. The grocery clerk said, “you know these are priced per fruit, not the pound, right?” I sheepishly said, “yes, I know.” Feeling embarrassingly fancy for spending 60 dollars on fruit. The rarity of finding fresh passion fruit at the grocery store was so special for me, that I might as well have been buying a tomahawk steak or something. At least, that’s how I justified the purchase of my 15, perfect little passion fruits.

This recipe for Passion Fruit Mousse calls for a cup of passion fruit pulp or juice, plus another 1/3 cup for the topping and there is a cheaper way to go about getting a cup and a third of passion fruit juice. You can buy Alpes Passion Fruit Pulp on Amazon. The Alpes pulp still has the seeds, so you will have to take this first step to extract the juice from the seeds.

Passion Fruit Juice for the Mousse

Set up a fine mesh strainer over a sturdy bowl and scoop the pulp out of the passion fruits and place in the strainer. Then we will use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to press, spread and scrape the pulp into the strainer. This is going to be an arm workout.

I started by using a rubber spatula, but switched to a wooden spoon to get more leverage. It might seem like you aren’t getting enough of the juice out of the pulp, but you can see the difference between the juiced pulp and more fresh pulp I added to the strainer. We are looking for 1 cup of juice. Be sure to run the spatula over the underside of the strainer periodically; a lot of the juice will cling to the strainer. For one cup of juice, I used 13 passion fruits. The Alpes pulp sells for $15 on Amazon, so…going with that is a more affordable option.

Passion Fruit Mousse

The rest of this recipe is so easy, it makes up for the arm workout we just had extracting the juice. Two teaspoons of unflavored gelatin, 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 and 1/3 cups of heavy cream. Start by pouring 1/4 cup water into a small bowl with the gelatin and microwave for 20-30 seconds to dissolve the gelatin.

While we let the gelatin cool off a little, pour the rest of the ingredients into a blender. Strain the passion fruit juice as you pour it into the blender, just in case there are any stray seeds. Put the top on the blender and blend for 5 minutes. It’s important to blend it for a full 5 minutes because we want a lot of air whipped in to create a light and airy mixture.

This volume of mousse mixture will make four, 8-ounce mousses, with a little bit leftover for a chef’s treat.

Once the four cups are filled, refrigerate for three hours, until set. You can also let them sit in the fridge overnight before topping and serving.

Passion Fruit Syrup

While the mousse cups set, we can make the passion fruit topping. The topping will have the seeds in it for a nice texture difference. The seeds have a little crunch that contrasts the smooth mousse. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, pour in 1/3 passion fruit pulp and 1/4 cup white sugar.

When the mixture begins to bubble and the sugar is melted, reduce the heat and let it simmer for another minute or two, until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, transfer the topping to a jar, let it cool a bit and it can go in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the mousse.

Finishing Touches on the Mousse

When the mousse has set and you’re ready to serve, top each mousse with a little of the topping. I like to keep the topping in the center of the mousse, so you can see some of the bright yellow mousse around the topping.

Then, finally, top the topping with a little sweetened shredded coconut. This is optional, but I think it looks really nice to have the bright white of the coconut contrasting with the yellow mousse and orange topping.

This Mousse is so light, the texture is creamy and smooth. The passion fruit flavor is extraordinary! Such a wonderful dessert, the tart passion fruit is a great palate cleanser after a rich meal. The passion fruit topping is zingy, and the pops of crunch from the seeds is a nice contrast with the silky mousse.

Passion Fruit Mousse

Passion Fruit Mousse is a popular, well-loved dessert in Brazil, which I learned when I came across this recipe on Olivia’s Cuisine. The method I line out for extracting the juice from the seeds is different than how Olivia describes removing the seeds, but otherwise the recipe is the same. Olivia describes blending the pulp with a little water for a few minutes to separate the seeds, then using the fine mesh strainer. When I tried this though, many of the seeds got ground up into bits, resulting in seed fragments that were small enough to go through the mesh strainer.

Passion fruit season is right now, so look out for them at the grocery store. You can also order fresh passion fruits from Tropical Fruit Box, or for a more economical option, go for the Alpes pulp on Amazon. I do hope you give this recipe a try, if you’re a fan of passion fruit, this dessert should be at the top your list! If you want another tropical sweet, try my Tropical Mango Danishes. See you tomorrow for Pizza and a Movie; featuring another end-of-summer fruit: the fig. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Passion Fruit Mousse

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Dessert – Brazilian

By Original Recipe by Olivia Mesquita – Serves: Makes four servings

Prep Time: 30 Minutes + 3 hour chilling time – Cooking Time: 5 Minutes for the topping – Total Time: 35 Minutes + 3 hour chilling time

Exquisitely-flavored Passion Fruit Mousse is tart and sweet; light and creamy. Topped with a zingy passion fruit syrup and shredded coconut.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Passion Fruit Juice
• 2 tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 14-oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Passion Fruit Syrup Topping
• 1/3 cup Passion Fruit Pulp with Seeds
• 1/4 cup White Granulated Sugar
• Garnish
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut

Instructions

1

To extract the juice from the seeds, scoop pulp into a fine mesh strainer; scrape and press the pulp into the strainer. Be sure to run the spatula over the underside of the strainer periodically; a lot of the juice will cling to the strainer.

2

Mix gelatin and water in a small bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds to dissolve gelatin. Set aside to cool slightly.

3

Add the passion fruit juice, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and dissolved gelatin to a blender. Blend on high for 5 minutes.

4

Pour the mousse mixture into a large serving bowl or four individual 8-ounce glasses and chill for 3 hours.

Passion Fruit Syrup Topping

5

Combine passion fruit pulp with seeds and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and reduce heat to simmer until mixture thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

6

Transfer to a small jar and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Serve Mousse

7

Top the set mousse with the passion fruit syrup and sprinkle with shredded coconut.