the details
Welcome to my passionfruit obsession. I first discovered how amazing passionfruit is while on my honeymoon in Nicaragua. They can be hard to find in the US, but are so worth it. Passionfruit are fragrant, heady, tart, and tropical. It has to be one of my favorite flavors in the whole entire world. Because this passionfruit curd is particularly tart (just the way I like it), it pairs nicely with fluffy, light, and sweet vanilla bean meringue clouds. Basically, this recipe is a cute lil mini pavlova. I love to enjoy this these Passionfruit + Vanilla Bean Meringue Clouds in the spring and summer.
Ingredient Notes
A note on passionfruit. Passionfruit is native to more tropical climates and can be hard to find at your local grocery store. If you can find the, select brown, shriveled passionfruit that are fragrant when sniffed. You’ll want to scoop out the pulp and pulse the puree in a food processer a couple times to separate the seeds from the juice. You can make this recipe with the seeds in there, or you can remove them by straining with a fine mesh sieve. Your choice! If you can’t find them fresh, a great (and more cost-effective) alternative is frozen passionfruit puree. I’ve been able to find this more often lately in the frozen fruit section at Whole Foods. Simply thaw the passionfruit puree before using.
Bake to this music
Passionfruit + Vanilla Bean Meringue Clouds
Transport yourself to paradise with these light as air, sweet + tart treats. Tart and heady passionfruit curd nestles into fluffy vanilla bean meringue clouds.
- Yield: 8 medium meringues 1x
Ingredients
For the passionfruit curd:
- 3/4 cup passionfruit puree
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
For the meringue clouds:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the passionfruit puree:
- Mix together passionfruit puree and sugar in a medium heat-safe bowl, placing this bowl over a boiling saucepan of water to double boil.
- Continuously whisk sugar and passionfruit puree until sugar is melted, then reduce heat to simmer. Add egg yolks, lime juice, and salt, whisking to combine.
- Cook over low heat for 10-20 minutes, continuously whisking, until mixture is thickened and lightened in color. Once this occurs, turn off the heat and whisk in cold cubed butter, 1 tbsp at a time.
- Pass curd through a fine mesh sieve. Allow curd to cool in a jar in the fridge for at least 3 hours until cold and set. Placing a piece of parchment paper on the top of the curd will keep it from forming a film.
- Curd keeps well for 1 week in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer.
Make the meringue clouds:
- Mix together egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla bean paste into a large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed with the whisk attachment, scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly add sugar as the mixture comes together and begins to turn white. Continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Scoop meringue in dollops on a lined baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to create cloud-like shapes, or pipe on meringue for a more clean look.
- Bake in the oven at 200 degrees F, on the bottom rack, for 1 hour, 20 minutes. If meringues appear to be browning prior to this time, go ahead and turn oven off. Allow meringues to sit in the oven for 4+ hours or overnight. Do not open the oven.
- Meringues can be stored at room temperature for several days.
- Once you are ready to serve, assemble your meringue clouds by scooping desired amount of passionfruit curd into the middle. Garnish with kiwi, mango, berries, or any fruit that suits your fancy. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Passionfruit puree can come from the flesh of fresh passionfruits, or from frozen puree which can be purchased at gourmet grocery stores. I created this recipe with thawed frozen passionfruit puree with good results. Passionfruit curd can be made with or without seeds.
- Vanilla extract can be substituted for vanilla bean paste if needed.
- This recipe makes more passionfruit curd than you need–use the rest to mix into yogurt, spread between cake layers, or mix with frosting to create passionfruit buttercream! The options are endless and all so delicious.