Passionfruit don’t ripen after picking, but those passionfruit which fall to the ground and look a bit wrinkled are usually perfectly OK to eat. You can store passionfruit in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and they should keep well. At room temperature they should last at least a week. Passionfruit pulp also freezes well, especially if you mix it with some sugar. So, if you have a glut, divide the pulp into small portions, mix it up 2 parts passionfruit pulp to one part sugar, and freeze them until needed in small Tupperware containers, or ice-cube trays.

Passionfruit juice

Quite a few recipes call for passionfruit juice, which doesn’t contain the seeds. You’ll need a lot of pulp top make just a modest amount of juice. Scoop all the pulp from several passionfruit, and put it into a wire kitchen strainer. Sit the strainer over a bowl, then use the back of a large spoon to press down on the pulp. The juice will drip through to the bowl. Leave the strainer to drip there for half an hour, pressing down on the pulp occasionally.

Tracy Rutherford’s Passionfruit Frappe

This recipe is from the May 2008 issue of ‘Burke’s Backyard’ magazine.

2 oranges
4 passionfruit
1 large ripe banana, chopped
1-2 teaspoons finely grated ginger, to taste
1 cup ice cubes

1. Cut the skin from the oranges, leaving the white pith on. Cut into quarters and remove any seeds.
2. Place into a blender with passionfruit pulp, banana, ginger and ice cubes. Blend until smooth and frothy.
Note: the white pith, which is usually removed from citrus fruit, contains boiflavanoids which help protect the body against both bacteria and viruses. It will not give the drink a bitter flavour. If you would rather not have ice in your drink, add another orange or a little water.

Passionfruit Shortbread Creams

This recipe by Tess Mallos is f rom the September 2000 issue of Burke’s Backyard magazine.

Makes about 40

250g soft butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
3 passionfruit
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Passionfruit Cream

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon soft butter
1 1/2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp

1. Put butter, sugar, egg yolk and passionfruit pulp in a large bowl and beat on a high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Sift flours and baking powder and stir into the creamed mixture to make a soft dough.
3. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into small balls and place them on greased baking trays. Press lightly with a floured fork.
4. Bake in a preheated moderate oven, 180°C, for 15 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on trays, then transfer to cake rack to cool completely.
5. To make the Passionfruit Cream, beat all the ingredients together to form a thick, creamy icing. Sandwich the shortbread biscuits with the passionfruit cream.

Tracy Rutherford’s Passionfruit Puddings

This recipe is from the May 2003 issue of ‘Burke’s Backyard magazine. All you need is some muffin tins for these little puddings.

10 passionfruit
150g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk
300ml cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 6 large muffin tins and line each base with a small disc of non-stick baking paper. Cut the passionfruit in half and scoop the pulp out into a measuring jug.
2. Use electric beaters to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add 1/2 cup of the passionfruit pulp and beat briefly until just combined – the mixture will appear slightly curdled at this stage, but it is okay.
3. Sift the flours into the bowl and fold in gently, along with the milk, until just combined. Spoon into the prepared tins, and bake for 25 minutes, until the top of a pudding springs back to a gentle touch. Run a knife around the edge of each pudding to loosen, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
4. Place the cream, icing sugar and remaining pulp into a bowl and stir with a wire whisk until evenly combined. Divide the puddings between serving dishes, and drizzle with the passionfruit cream.
Note: even though most muffin tins are non-stick, you will still need to grease and line them for this recipe.

Copyright CTC Productions 2008