Tag: Passionfruit

Friday Finds 7:26:13

Another whammy of a week. I’ll tell you more about it when the dust has settled. Who knows when that’ll be. All I know is, sometimes life gives you lemons, and you can’t even see that they’re lemons, you think they’re just these ugly sour things. And even though you know that you could potentially make lemonade out of them, you’re just not quite sure how to go about it, and what recipe to use, or if you should even use a recipe at all. Right now, I’m working on writing my own recipe, I guess. Here’s to hoping it’s delicious. Now, onto the Friday Finds.

1. Green Smoothies

Green Machine Smoothie from What's Gaby Cooking // Friday Finds on Serious Crust, by Annie Fassler
Green Machine Smoothie from What’s Gaby Cooking // Friday Finds

There’s a juice and smoothie cart in Portland called Sip, and it has this smoothie called Tropical Greens that I am so in love with. The thing about Sip is that because it’s all local seasonal organic etc. these smoothies don’t come cheap. So I need to start making my own. This one on What’s Gaby Cooking looks pretty similar to the one I’ve been buying on a regular basis for over a year now. Let’s see if it lives up to its inspiration…

2. Egg Yolk Ravioli

Egg Yolk Ravioli from Licking the Plate // Friday Finds on Serious Crust, by Annie Fassler
Egg Yolk Ravioli from Licking the Plate // Friday Finds

I mean, come on, does that not look like one of the most beautiful things you could eat? First, it’s fresh ravioli. Second, it has a runny egg yolk. Third, there is a MAGICAL RUNNY EGG YOLK INSIDE OF YOUR FRESH RAVIOLI. Find the recipe (and some beautiful photos) over here on Licking the Plate.

3. Avocado and Cajun Seasoning

Yum: avocado with cajun seasoning // Friday Finds on Serious Crust, by Annie Fassler
Yum: avocado with cajun seasoning // Friday Finds

My roommate Carmelle has turned me on to my new favorite snack: half an avocado, sliced, and sprinkled with some King Cajun Cream Seasoning. It’s filling, full of healthy fats, and tastes dang good.

4. Passionfruit Butter

Passion Butter from Cook Republic // Friday Finds on Serious Crust, by Annie Fassler
Passion Butter from Cook Republic // Friday Finds

If I knew where to find fresh passionfruit, I would immediately be so all over this recipe on Cook Republic (which, if you haven’t discovered yet, get your butt over there). I love citrus curd, and passionfruit is no exception. My sisters and I have always been big fans of the little wrinkly fruit. When my little sister and I spent a month in Vietnam one summer, our host mom found out that Molly really liked passionfruit, and so bought bags of it fresh from the market and would make us fresh squeezed passionfruit juice every morning. Nothing can really compare to that, but this curd looks almost as delicious.

5. Flavor Combination: Saffron and Raspberry

Saffron Raspberries from 101 Cookbooks // Friday Finds on Serious Crust, by Annie Fassler
Saffron Raspberries from 101 Cookbooks // Friday Finds

This recipe on 101 Cookbooks for Saffron Raspberries looks really interesting, and got me thinking about the flavor combination. It’s really intriguing to me, and I’m thinking it might make a good ice cream or something like that… Any ideas on how to combine the two? Savory? Sweet? In a pie? A sauce for chicken? I’d love to try a few possibilities!

Dessert Review: Quinoa Studded Cannoli at Andina

Quinoa Studded Cannoli at Andina // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

I have done many restaurant reviews on the blog before, but this is my first review of one dish. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to take a picture of every dish at a restaurant, the space, take notes (though sometimes, admittedly, the notes are mental), and I don’t get to really enjoy my meal. In fact, there are places that we’ve gone where I’ve specifically decided not to take pictures so I can purely just enjoy the food and the experience and (usually) the fellow across the table from me.

This dessert, however, warrants its own review. Andina is a wonderful Peruvian restaurant in northwest Portland, serving really unique and incredibly delicious food (and cocktails). When I first went there early in my college career and discovered the quinoa studded cannoli with passionfruit mousse and mango lemongrass sorbet, it immediately became one of my favorite things to eat in Portland. And then, as I continued to eat my way through this city, this dish remained my favorite dessert. Not that others haven’t come close – Le Pigeon’s cornbread with maple ice cream and bacon is up there, as are most things at St. Jack.

Let me tell you about this little dessert. First, the cannoli shell is amazingly caramelized, dotted with quinoa, mostly crispy but with a little touch of that get-stuck-in-your-teeth chewiness. Just like the bruléed top of crème brulée (the most satisfying part, let’s be honest), you whack it with your spoon to crack off pieces. Filling up the cannoli is this amazing passionfruit mousse – extremely creamy and smooth with a lovely acidic zing. And on the side, a scoop of really really good mango lemongrass sorbet. I am not usually a huge fan of sorbet, it’s usually too icy, and I like the smoother texture of ice cream. But this sorbet is velvety and a little syrupy.

As you can tell, I am enamored with this dessert. So next time you’re in Portland, go eat this. You won’t regret it.