Passion Fruit White Chocolate Mint Gelato

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