Featuring Da Vine Foods Passion Fruit Puree
Gelato vs ice cream?? Did you know there was a difference? It may not seem like a significant difference, but the saying in our house is: Once you go gelato, you never go back! And we are so happy to partner with Da Vine Foods again this month to bring to you this incredibly delicious Passion Fruit White Chocolate Mint Gelato creation!
Gelato vs Ice Cream
What’s the difference in gelato and ice cream? To explain, let’s start with the similarities – like the basic ingredients. All ice cream and gelato have dairy, sugar and air as base components. They have different proportions, however, and are churned differently.
The biggest difference between the two is the dairy content. Gelato contains milk and cream – often times more milk than cream. Ice cream contains – usually – just cream. That means that ice cream has a more dense, buttery and fatty base. Gelato, having less fat content, will allow whatever flavor to come through better because fat coats the taste buds. The bottom line here is that gelato has less fat and – depending on your preference – will have a brighter more assertive flavor. We will share a more in-depth blog post in the future to highlight these differences. But let's get on to flavors!
Passion Fruit Gelato
When we originally partnered with Da Vine Foods, we knew a passion fruit gelato would be in our future. We tried various passion fruit combos and have honestly loved them all! But this one in particular stole our hearts and tastebuds, so we decided that the Passion Fruit White Chocolate Mint Gelato was the winning recipe to share with our readers! We used the Passion Fruit Puree to make the gelato since the puree is closest to its purest form. We wanted the lilikoi flavor to be the star of the show with a pretty awesome supporting cast.
What is Passion Fruit, or Lilikoi?
Passion fruit, or Lilikoi (its Hawaiian name pronounced like the lily flower and Koi like the fish), is a sweet and tart fruit found in tropical regions of the world. When cutting into these round, often yellow-skinned fruit, you will discover a pulp that contains small soft gel-like sacks surrounding black seeds, which are all edible! There is a thin white layer inside the smooth and fairly tough skin, which aren’t eaten due to their bitter taste and tough texture. But you can dig into the pulp with a spoon for a delightful treat. Or squeeze and strain the juices to add to a variety of recipes.
Da Vine Foods has done all the work for you, and they make high-quality and delicious passion fruit products fit for every meal! The Passion Fruit Puree lends itself very well to desserts or sweet dishes, but we have been experimenting with it for savory dishes as well, so stay tuned for those in the near future!
Where can I find these Passion Fruit Products?
You can order Da Vine Hawaii's Lilikoi products online straight from Hawaii by visiting the Da Vine Foods website HERE. We also encourage you to check out some of our other recipes incorporating Da Vine Foods products such as our Passion Fruit and Peach Waffles, Polynesian Pulled Pork Tacos and Passion Fruit Cocktails.
If you want to try out the products, Da Vine Foods has given our users a special discount code to receive 15% off their products, and shipping is always free! Use code CWW15.
Can you make gelato without a machine?
You betcha! Although we highly recommend a machine that will churn the gelato for you, you can in fact make gelato without a machine. We tried out both methods, and you don't lose any flavor, but the texture is a bit less creamy by making it without a gelato maker. We have included "by hand" instructions in the recipe if you are in this boat. Otherwise, here, here, and here are some options for machines or attachments, although they can be a bit pricey!
We hope you enjoy this Passion Fruit White Chocolate Mint Gelato recipe! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
If you like this recipe, check out more of our popular desserts below:
- Boozy Berry Smoothies
- Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate Hand-Rolled Truffles
- Brown Butter Cardamom Linzer Cookies with Passion Fruit Jelly
- Brown Butter and Pecan Rum Cake
- Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Bavarian Cream & Raspberry Agrodolce
📖 Recipe
Passion Fruit White Chocolate Mint Gelato
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup Passion Fruit puree
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz shaved white chocolate
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
PREPARE THE CUSTARD BASE
- Add the milk, cream, mint, ⅓ cup of the sugar and salt in a saucepan and gently heat up on low, stirring frequently.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining ⅔ cup of sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and stir.
- When milk just begins to bubble, remove from heat and VERY SLOWLY strain (to remove the mint leaves and whisk into the egg mixture. If you do it too fast the eggs will curdle. Once combined return to heat over low to medium-low and gently stir until mixture has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon (approximately 3-7 min).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once cooled slightly, add the passion fruit puree and white chocolate shavings.
MAKE THE GELATO (MACHINE METHOD)
- Pour into gelato maker and churn for 35-50 minutes until thick.
- Place in freezer overnight then enjoy!
MAKE THE GELATO (HAND METHOD)
- Pour gelato mixture into a loaf pan and place in the freezer uncovered. Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, whisk the mixture to break up any ice crystals that have formed. Then whisk the mixture every hour for another 2 hours. You should begin to see the mixture thicken by this point.
- Allow gelato to freeze for another 3-4 hours or overnight before serving. Keep covered or in an airtight container thereafter.
Kirby says
Thoroughly obsessed with this recipe! The texture and flavor are out of this world. Will definitely be making it again.
Angela and Mark says
Thanks for giving it a try! We are happy to hear that you loved it and will be making it again!
Savya says
Let me be very honest here, my family is a chocolate family. We hardly make an effort to try any other flavor. Since it’s Angela and Marks recipe I gave a new flavor a try. We are hooked!! No jokes, if you breathe you gotta make this.
Angela and Mark says
We are so happy that you took a plunge and gave this a try, and we are even happier to hear how much you loved it!