Special Papaya Créme
Tuesday, 9. December 2008, 23:32:00
I have never been a real fan of Papaya Créme, you know...
(Just for those who don't know (which I believe are almost all non-Brazilian people), Papaya Créme is a simple mixture of fresh and ripe Papayas with Vanilla Ice Cream.)
I have always thought it to be just too bland for my taste. But last weekend, me and some friends of mine have decided to go to our city's largest open-air market, which is held in the City's Food Outpost, where most farmers send their food to sell in São Paulo. But I'll leave that story for another day (I have some stuff I bought in there, so I'll leave to tell about our little trip later!).
But just as a final result, I left there with 5 very ripe Papayas, and I was decided I would discover how to make a nice Papaya Créme for me!
(Just for those who don't know (which I believe are almost all non-Brazilian people), Papaya Créme is a simple mixture of fresh and ripe Papayas with Vanilla Ice Cream.)
I have always thought it to be just too bland for my taste. But last weekend, me and some friends of mine have decided to go to our city's largest open-air market, which is held in the City's Food Outpost, where most farmers send their food to sell in São Paulo. But I'll leave that story for another day (I have some stuff I bought in there, so I'll leave to tell about our little trip later!).
But just as a final result, I left there with 5 very ripe Papayas, and I was decided I would discover how to make a nice Papaya Créme for me!
As I have said, Papaya Créme is made basically by blending fresh and ripe papayas with vanilla ice cream. It is a very famous and common dessert here in Brazil (amongst other as famous as well, such as Condensed Milk Pudding and Passion Fruit Mousse). It is generally served topped with a swirl of Cassis Creme Liquor, exactely as the special "touch" to enhance the flavor.
But, as I had also said, that's not enough for me, and I still put Papaya Creme as
As I felt papaya needed an extra "punch" to enhance its flavor, I just thought and thought, 'till I got to the point it needed something more zesty, or just a little bit sour, to make a contrast with the sweet papaya. And then, there came to me a thing I learned when I went to US, some years ago: Yogurt can be a nice substitute for Ice Cream. (About that, I think it could become another story, so I'll leave it to another day, too!)
So, now, it was time to think and tinker about a solution for this equation. I had flavor, I had tanginess, but I thought I'd need some more creaminess and sweetness to it. So I came to this enhanced version, which is completely mine! (And I'm very proud of it!!!!)
Special Papaya Créme
Yelds 6 to 8
400 ml plain yogurt
2 ripe Papayas
3 tbsp light cream (for Brazilians, this is the one that comes in cans or small boxes)
4 tbsp honey
A small splash of Cassis Creme Liquor per serving
OR 1 tbsp Blackberry Sauce per serving
This is quite a straight-forward recipe. Blend everything but the liquor / blackberry sauce.
Ok, just to make it a proper recipe and method.
In the blender cup, pour the 400ml yogurt. (I will still try doing it with drained yogurt, to check the difference in consistency)
Scoop out the red flesh of the 2 papayas into the cup. Add the 3 tbsp light canned cream, and then the 4 tbsp honey (or adjust to taste).
Blend everything very well, until it gets nice and smooth. This should take about 2 or 3 minutes, depending on how the stuff blends together.
Pour the mixture in 6 or 8 small serving cups and drizzle the top of each one with a little bit of Cassis Creme Liquor or some of the Blackberry Sauce, and Voilá!
It's ready to serve!
P.S.: This can also be served chilled. In this situation, chill the individual portions before topping them with the liquor or sauce.
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 10. December 2008, 14:04
I'm sorry that we couldn't eat at home. But I'm just happy you came out with something that is far more tasty than what you could do here. Regretably, I won't be able to tasty it. Hope you enjoyed it a lot, congrats
Jityan # 12. December 2008, 20:47