I’ve been trying to lose some weight lately, and have managed to shave off 13 pounds from an all-time high so far. I would like to lose another 10-12 pounds in the five or six weeks ahead (before the inevitably calorific holiday season sets in), so I have been really good about both the quantity and quality of food intake. Breakfast this morning was a modest bowl of greek yoghurt (not exactly fat free), a third of a pear, 2 tablespoons of homemade granola made with honey (no refined sugar) and the contents of half a passion fruit, picked up from the market an hour earlier. A cup of Earl Grey tea (just black) and that was it until lunch time.
The passion fruit was PHP60 a kilo at the markets today, and while I never seem to know what to do with them, I always try and buy them at least once a year. A few years ago I made a passion fruit juice, here, that was quite refreshing, but needed a lot of sugar to balance out the incredibly tart pulp. I just re-read that post and was aghast that I bought THOSE fruit for just 50 centavos then, while the ones today turned out to cost closer to PHP10 each, 20x the earlier price! If you are curious about the fruit, read this OLD POST I wrote for the blog of the Philippine Star a few years back, as a favor to one of kids of the owners of that paper. The name wasn’t intended to refer to passion of the bedroom sort…
I figure the passion fruit I bought today is a few days short of ripe. So I have put it under a cloche, hoping that would help it naturally ripen. I am on the lookout for cloches that are reasonably priced, so if anyone has any clues as to where I can get them in Manila (I want to use them for the holiday season), I would greatly appreciate your tips. Oh, and I had one other related post — this passion fruit pavlova that was a delicious combination of sweet meringue and sweet and tart passion fruit. But don’t use the pavlova instructions on that post, use the ones in this post or this one instead, they turned out far, far better…
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Whatever happened to your fat loss laboratory diet?
So it’s called a cloche. Looking at my Random dictionary, it’s a woman’s close-fitting hat with a deep, bell-shaped crown and often a narrow, turned-down brim or a bell-shaped glass cover placed over a plant to protect it from frost and to force its growth, and a bell-shaped metal or glass cover placed over a plate to keep food warm or fresh… Thanks, Mr. MM, I learned something new today. :)
Hi MM.
Love the crystal containers. You didn’t purchase them in the Philippines by any chance?
That single cloche was purchased at Landmark, locally. The cookie or candy containers in the back were sent by Sister, in NY, but they are glass made in China, and similar containers can be had from SM, Landmark and the Home Store for a similar effect. The footed glass bowl I inherited from my Mom, who probably got it from my grandmother… None of them crystal, all glass I think.
Tetcha, these cloches were originally designed to shield young seedlings or plants from late Spring frost. They were placed out in the yard. Then recently, or the past few years, they have become popular again as a decorative tool. Just google glass cloches and marvel at all the different ways to use them. I want a few more for the holidays, and am searching local sources for them… at least the inexpensive versions of them. chichay I am using the same diet, it still works… I just have to be disciplined about sticking to it for say 2 months, then frankly, I eat whatever I want for about 2 years after that… :)
hmmmm… we used to have passionfruit plants that bear lots of fruits when I was a preschool kid back then, which my mom would pick for me, split in half and let me savor the fruit. sometimes if it’s too tart, she’d put a teaspoon of sugar on the pulp. hmmmm… where did you bought those MM?
Thanks for the info MM!
Passion fruit is surprisingly versatile. It’s coulis alone lends itself to so many uses, mainly due to its pleasantly assertive and readily identifiable scent. Unlike the other fruits’ though, passion fruit coulis is expressly not strained so as to keep the pocky character of the seeds intact.
Silver cloche gives me a Downtown Abbey vibe although it has a long history of use even in China. It was actually the duck’s head peeking under them that gave the name to the famous Beijing specialty, the Peeking Roast Duck.
Of cloches and Peeking Ducks….so that’s why :) :)
I never know if the banana trick works to quicken ripening because I’ve never bothered trying it. Perhaps you would like to give it a go?
MM, i got really nice cloches at regalong pambahay – i usually go to their branch at the shangri-la mall, or at their warehouse in pioneer st. (pasig). they also have nice cake stands and all sorts of things that you never thought you absolutely had to have. their supplies go fast, so hurry. and no, i don’t think the passionfruit would sweeten once they ripen – i think there are varieties that are naturally sweet, and some that are just tart. and they will ripen if left exposed in room temperature for a few days.
i have a really nice passionfruit vine (passiflora) climbing on my terrace that has beautiful large red flowers with a ring of black bracts in the center. i read somewhere that the name comes from that particular ring supposedly looking like the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, and the deep purple color of most of the flowers.
@Millet… and no, i don’t think the passionfruit would sweeten once they ripen – i think there are varieties that are naturally sweet, and some that are just tart.
As it turns out, the yellow variety (as in this case) produces much larger fruits that are invariably tart.
For a virtual universe of passion fruit uses, check out Google for “receitas de maracujá.” The seeded gelées are particularly eye-catching. Unfortunately, it calls for a pulpy type of passion fruit.
I saw glass cloches today in Pottery Barn ( fort) and at SM Aura…
MM, there’s a wholesaler for glass vessels and ceramics near Quezon Ave. They moved there after being tossed out of Manila Seedling. Let me know if you need directions.
Hi Marketman! There are several types of cloches being sold at SM Makati now. Last week, I purchased a tall cloche with a thick abaca rope handle for about Php1,700. Love it! They also have the classic one as you pictured above.
peach and greens & blossoms, thanks for those tips, will hit SM and Pottery Barn when I get back to Manila, currently out of town. Myra P, I emailed you… Thanks.
@myra_p, would you share the info here? Thanks. I am always on the lookout for similar items.
cheers —
hi! Just wondering if where you were able to buy those passion fruit? I’ve been craving for it a lot. Thanks!
Lois, I bought the passion fruit at the FTI-AANI Saturday market at the FTI complex in Taguig.