Golden Passionfruit Jam

Such a lot of fruit out there these couple of months. So many varieties, so many choices. Imported and local. They all look so gorgeous, so tempting. I keep buying and then find out there's no space in my fridge ... sigh.

I mentioned about our homegrown strawberries in the earlier strawberry jam post and how amazing they turned out these days ... big, red and juicy ... good stuff.

Well, on Sunday, I visited our pasar malam (literally translated: night market. Check this out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasar_malam) and found some gorgeous homegrown golden passionfruits, also known as yellow passionfruits and also known as Lilikoi in Hawaiian. There were also the usual purple ones but these yellows were giving out the most beautiful, sensual fragrance ... I couldn't resist. (Apparently, the purple ones are supposed to be more fragrant and the yellow ones are the juicier but I guess the purples weren't ripe enough to seduce my senses). They aren't the prettiest looking fruits when ripe.

What I wanted to make with them, I had no idea at the time. I brought them home, stared at them for awhile, then decided I should turn them into something that will keep until I have some idea what I need to use them for. See, once you open up the fruit, the pulp and seeds don't keep too well. So, jam it is.

You may wonder why we use the pulp from under the skin. Reason being, there's tons of pectin in them! But don't overdo the amount since it does have a slight bitterness that may overpower the lovely passiony-fruity flavors :D

Oh, and if you should decide to blend the pulpy-seedy stuff, you may want to use a good blender and blade otherwise you will get some very sharp bits of seeds ... not nice. I leave them be ... nice crunch.

INGREDIENTS

10 passionfruits

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 cups sugar

METHOD

Wash the passionfruits.

Halve and scoop out the pulpy seeds. Put aside in the fridge.

Put half the quantity of the shells in a pot and fill with enough water to just cover the tops. Boil for about 30 - 40 mins or until it turns translucent and soft.

Drain & cool for easier handling. Save 1 cup of boiled liquid.

When cooled, scoop out the inner flesh and discard the papery skins.

Pulse in a food processor or blender until a smooth puree.

Add to reserved seeds together with the lemon juice, reserved liquid and sugar in a deep stainless steel pot.

Stir over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Then bring to a boil.

Set timer to 15 mins and allow to boil slowly without stirring too much except for the occasional scrape or two with a wooden spoon to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.

Skim scum. (Say that quickly 5 times :D)

Turn off heat and cool for 15 - 20 mins before ladling into clean, sterilized jars.

* Great as plain ol' jam with toast or use as a filling for pastry or a topping for cheesecakes, ice creams .... go crazy!