Do you know what passion fruit tastes like? I ask because I have found it very difficult to find pure passion fruit-flavored anything at the grocery store. For instance, there are brands selling juice that they claim is passion fruit, but when you look at the ingredients, they often mix other fruits to make a cocktail that does not taste like passion fruit all by itself. And I LOVE passion fruit by itself. It is the most amazingly unique fruity flavor on the planet. And it smells almost as good as it tastes.
So, back to the taste. Hmmm…if I had to describe it, I would say that it brings to mind what the cross between a very sour mango and a pineapple might taste like, with a heady perfume. And believe me, it is VERY sour. So, you can’t just eat it straight out of the rind unless you are into puckered-face experiences. The texture, however, is more reminiscent of a pomegranate because it consists of a bunch of seeds surrounded by a pulpy, juicy flesh.
This is a very popular fruit in Brazil. In Portuguese, it is called maracujá. We make many passion fruit alcoholic cocktails and desserts. This passion fruit mousse is one of the easiest and most common of the desserts. It is quintessentially Brazilian, amazingly rich and decadent, and a great introduction to this magical fruit, if you’ve never had it before.
let’s see what goes into passion fruit mousse
When I say quick and simple, I mean quick and simple. Three little ingredients.
By the way, Brazilians use a lot of sweetened condensed milk. It features in many desserts. As a little girl, my mom taught me to make the Brazilian version of dulce de leche, which in Portuguese is doce de leite, simply by cooking a can of sweetened condensed milk in the pressure cooker. It makes a delicious caramel-like spread for cake fillings or eating with fresh crusty bread.
There are recipes out there for passion fruit mousse that call for raw egg whites, beat into a meringue, into which the other ingredients are folded. I hesitate to recommend those recipes because I just don’t feel too comfortable with serving raw egg whites.
When I want passion fruit for a recipe, I get this frozen pulp made by Goya. It is 100% passion fruit, and nothing else, thank you very much!
I’ve found this product at some Wal-Marts, at Hispanic grocery stores, and in Asian markets. It is very reasonably priced.
let’s see how we make this passion fruit mousse
Start by defrosting the pulp.
Then add the sweetened condensed milk, the crema media, and the passion fruit pulp to the blender. Measure out the amount of pulp you will need by using the empty can of crema media as a measuring cup. Just fill it to the brim with pulp and pour it into the blender.
Blend well, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides with a spatula. Condensed milk is heavy and dense. It likes to stick to the sides and bottoms, so you want to make sure and break it loose for it to fully integrate into the mixture.
Blend it for about 30-40 seconds after it has been incorporated to make sure it has a light, fluffy texture.
Then pour it into your dessert glass of choice. I recommend a glass instead of a bowl because it makes for a prettier presentation. But if you want to use a bowl, go right ahead. I guarantee you, it will not hurt the flavor one single bit.
I chose a set of martini dessert glasses, which are a little bit larger than some other options I could have used. As a result, this recipe yielded 4 portions. If you use smaller glasses, this recipe can yield 6 portions. Just keep in mind that this is a very rich dessert. The first time you make it, you may prefer it in smaller portions.
Then take it to the refrigerator, for about 4 to 6 hours, so that it can set. Overnight is even better.
This step is optional, but I highly recommended it.
I bought a single passion fruit at the grocery store so that I could make a syrup topping for the mousse. Passion fruit is not cheap, but you only need one.
You should have been left with about 1/2 cup or so of defrosted pulp that did not get used for the mousse. We’re going to use it for the syrup. So, scoop the insides of the passion fruit into the defrosted pulp, then add about 2 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste.
Cook in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the juice is reduced by half and is somewhat thickened.
Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool. Store in the refrigerator until you serve the mousse. Serve the mousse and the syrup nice and chilled.
Gotta love those colors! And the taste!
Those of you who already love passion fruit know what I mean. And if you’ve never had it before, you will find this amazingly unique and aromatic fruit to be truly addictive.
Creamy, tangy, rich, and sweet. A sophisticated dessert with little to no effort. It pairs amazingly with a strong, dark cup of hot coffee.
Try this gorgeous passion fruit mousse and let me know if you don’t just fall in love.
Passion Fruit Mousse - Quick and Simple
Ingredients
- FOR THE MOUSSE
- 1 can La Lechera sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can Nestle Media Crema table cream
- Measure 1 can of Goya frozen passion fruit pulp
- FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 passion fruit
- the remainder of the Goya passion fruit pulp
- 2 tablespoons of sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and the media crema to a blender.
- Then, using the empty can of media crema, measure out a full can of the pulp and add it to the blender as well.
- Blend to incorporate ingredients.
- Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the blender to dislodge any sweetened condensed milk spots.
- Blend for 30-40 seconds more, or until mixture thickens to the consistency of a slushy. It should be thick and creamy, but still pour.
- Finally, pour into dessert glasses and chill for 4-6 hours to set, or preferably, overnight.
- Meanwhile, cut the passion fruit in half and scrape the contents into a bowl, along with the remaining Goya passion fruit pulp; about 1/2 cup or so.
- Stir in two tablespoons of sugar, or to taste.
- Heat the mixture in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
- Cook until the mixture is reduced by about half and is somewhat syrupy. About 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, allow to come to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator to serve as a topping on the mousse.
Notes
I love your ingredients they look so appetising keep on updating for us thanks
Thanks, Cindy!
Omg this was AMAZING!!! Is there any other fruits I can do the same with?
Lina, this recipe is especially designed so that the sweetened condensed milk compensates for the very sour passion fruit juice/pulp. If you were to substitute other fruits, I would make sure they are very sour as well.
My wife fell in love with passion fruit
Sauce used to accompany shrimp at a local restaurant
Can we make this at home using one of your recipes ?
Fred, a passion fruit sauce over a savory item can come in many forms. You might want to try something like the glaze recipe from this post https://www.muttandchops.com/easy-apricot-glazed-salmon/. Instead of apricot glaze, try using this preserve https://ship.kroger.com/p/011110909718/private-selection-mango-guava-and-passion. It is a new favorite of mine, and the passion fruit, although mixed with other fruit, really comes through.
How long does the mousse stay good?
Ronda, I have never specifically tested how long this passion fruit mousse can go before it spoils. However, I have kept it in the refrigerator for as many as 5 days without any problems.
Hello are we able to shorten the time if we put it in the freezer?
Fernanda, although I have never tried to put it in the freezer, I have found recipes where they say to do that if you want the mousse to achieve a consistency similar to ice cream. Another trick to speed up the time is to place your blender pitcher with the blades attached in the freezer before mixing.
My wife is Brazilian (she makes this all the time) and since she makes most of the food in the house, I wanted to try this to surprise her. I DO NOT cook for the life of me, just some random stuff that keeps me from dying of hunger. But here’s to hopefully making something to show my love and appreciation!
What a lovely gesture, Justin. I hope you both enjoyed the results!
Can this be frozen for future use? I’m wild about passion fruit flavor.
This is delicious and freezes well. I would recommend Mak ng it 6 servings because not is so rich and caloric. Also, if freezes well. Just set on counter top for several minutes before serving if it is frozen.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Barbara! Thanks for sharing your feedback as it relates to taste and freezing. Also, your suggestion for more, smaller portions is equally appreciated. It is a question of taste, and I find that Americans have a higher tolerance for richer desserts than we do in Brazil. Hence my portion choice on the recipe. But I admit to preferring smaller portions myself.
How long do u blended for?
Yessy, the recipe suggests blending until incorporated (having scraped the sides) and then 30 – 40 seconds more until it reaches the described consistency. I cannot be more specific than that because blenders will vary. I have a Vitamix, which is a pretty potent blender. It may take longer for blenders with less power. To minimize the time, you can freeze your blender’s pitcher and blades before mixing. I hope this helps.
Hello! 🙂 I have a silly question…
do you think this will hold up good as a filling in a cake?
It seems interesting just on its own but I’d imagine in a cake this could be just as amazing! Thoughts?
Only concerned that the consistency doesn’t hold up.
Yessi, your question is not silly at all. Actually, using passion fruit mousse as a cake filling is very popular in Brazil. However, your concern that this recipe may not hold up is a valid one.
There are various recipes out there for mousse as a filling, but the most common is to add a softened, concentrated, flavorless gelatin and then a bit of stiffly whipped cream before putting it in the fridge to set. The additional ingredients may have the effect of “watering down” the flavor of the passion fruit. In Brazil, they often add passion fruit powder (for making juice) and add it to the mousse mixture to ensure you still get that beautiful passion fruit flavor.
Usually, the cakes are then kept in the refrigerator to keep the filling nice and creamy.
Hope this helps!
For those who don’t mind a bit of alcohol, many Italian restaurants in Brazil serve passion fruit musse with a dash of black currant (cassis) liqueur on top instead of the syrup. The combination of flavors is amazing.
Can heavy cream be used in place of the cream be used instead of media crema?
Marta, yes, you can use heavy cream to make a Passion Fruit Mousse, but maybe not with this recipe. Brazilians make this in SO many ways, and many recipes call for heavy cream instead of crema. Others call for both, some call for heavy cream and raw eggs whites. It is all over the board. This recipe is called quick and simple because it is a popular, common way to make it with the least amount of effort. I’m not comfortable posting recipes that call for raw egg products in a dessert. And if you try heavy cream, it would likely change the proportion of the other ingredients. You may try doing an online search for other recipes that use heavy cream and see if you find one that meets your need. Thank you for asking.
Thank you so much for putting this recipe up in such detail too! I am doing a come dine with me with my friends and have chosen to do a portuguese theme, I have chosen the passion fruit mouse for desert as I believe it will be a true winner! I have never made it before but I am planning on making it a few times before the actual night 🙂 thank you once again!
Love the theme! Enjoy your dinner with friends, and thanks for your comments!