Saturday, April 17, 2010

Papaya-Lime Fool - Pink Saturday



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm really a mango person, but when life gives you papayas.....deal with it! Several days ago, a well-meaning friend gave me several red-hued papayas. It is not my favorite fruit for eating out of hand, so, I fell back on a recipe that I've had for years but rarely use. I decided to play the fool. While that's a role I relish and play well, I'm really talking about a Papaya Fool. This is an old-fashioned, but delicious dessert, that came to the Americas from England. It is a mixture of strained pureed fruit that is chilled and then folded into whipped cream. It's thought that the name comes from the French verb, fouler, which means to crush or press, though many would argue the point. These days any fruit can be used to make a fool, but in England the gooseberry was the fruit usually associated with this classic dessert. I know that many of you are not keen on using heavy cream in your desserts. A whipped topping will work here, but the finished fool will lack creaminess and feel different on the tongue than the real deal. If you are looking for a dessert that will bring the flavors of the Caribbean to your table you might like to try this. It's nice. It won't make your socks go up and down but it really is a pleasant dessert. The version of the recipe I use comes from Gourmet magazine. Here it is.

Papaya-Lime Fool...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
1 large (2 1/2- to 3-lb) firm-ripe papaya (preferably Caribbean or Mexican), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (2 cups)
5 to 8 tablespoons vanilla granulated sugar (see cooks' note, below)
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-1/4 cups chilled heavy cream

Directions:
1) Mash papaya flesh with a fork until smooth or pulse in a food processor until coarsely puréed. Add 5 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons lime juice and stir or pulse to combine. Add more sugar and lime juice to taste (papayas vary in sweetness and acidity).
2) Beat cream in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks, then fold in papaya mixture gently but thoroughly.
3) Divide among 8 (6-ounce) glasses and chill at least 1 hour to allow flavors to develop.

Cooks' note: To make vanilla granulated sugar, combine sugar and 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and chopped, in an airtight container and let stand, covered, at least 24 hours. Sift before using.

You might also like these recipes:
Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pudding - One Perfect Bite
Raspberry Yogurt Parfait - One Perfect Bite
Apricot Souffle - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

53 comments :

caren said...

Sounds yummy!!!! Happy Pink Saturday.

MaryMoh said...

I love papayas. I remember my parents planted a lot around the house when we were young. We had papaya everyday. Papaya taste awesome when plucked ripe. I really miss that. Sometimes we plucked the half ripen one to grate and cook with anchovies and that is very delicious. Thanks for sharing your lovely papaya drink. Have a lovely weekend. Mary

Unknown said...

Thank you for posting this recipe! We are going to Cape Town, South Africa next month. Our friends serve us papaya whenever we visit them there. I am going to take this recipe and give it to our friends.

Biren said...

I like papayas but they are not easy to come by here in MN. This sounds like lovely dessert. Happy Pink Saturday! Hope you have a great weekend.

Charo said...

Love papayas.... this is an excelent recipe!!!
Happy Pink Saturday.

Hugs
Charo

Sushma Mallya said...

This sounds great, never used papayas this way, sure must be very yum...have a wonderful weekend mary...

Anonymous said...

I like both papayas and mangoes :-) This is easy enough. It looks so smooth too. Now I'd be a "fool" if I won't try this LOL

Happy Pink Saturday!

Mizpah,
Li

Lucie said...

I'd never heard of a "fool"--thanks for posting this, Mary! I like the idea of a fruity mousse-like dessert without the gelatin. I'm excited about trying this!

Diane said...

I also love mangoes but this sounds delicious. An easy recipe with guests coming for a meal. Diane

Angie's Recipes said...

I like both papaya and mango :-) This looks perfectly for a lovely warm weekend.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Very fun and original to use the papaya in a fool. ;-)

Alessandra said...

I am also a mango person, totally! And have the same attitude s you have towards papayas! :-)

Papaya and lime is the perfect pairing, or so I heard a lot of chef saying...


Great fool, thank you.
A.

Deana Sidney said...

Mary, very cool to combine a little England with the tropical... very Empire of you!!! I think fools were a natural progression from syllabub like trifles... such a wonderful idea. I love your stories (you know how much I love history. I've always been a mango person too but if you say this is good... I'm in!!!

Allie and Pattie said...

I also much prefer mangoes, but this is an excellent idea for extra fruit. And a bit of cream NEVER hurt anyone! :)
xoxo Pattie

Simply Life said...

YUM! I already miss being able to eat so much fresh papaya in Brazil!

Jacalyn @ rmebathproducts.com said...

Another yummy recipe! Happy PS!

Hugs,
Jacalyn

Regina said...

Happy Pink Saturday Mary dearest.
Yummy!
Thank you for sharing.
Enjoy the weekend.

Rachel said...

most tropical fruits end up in this..but am yet to try papaya...I expected a pale yellow hue.

Cathy said...

Papayas aren't my favorite either, but this dessert looks so light and flavorful and I'm sure it would be a lovely dessert for summer.

Dajana said...

I'm not so fond of tropical fruit, but I'm sure I'd love prepared this way. Looks wonderful.

Anonymous said...

This sounds really good with any fruit, I'm thinking blackberries first, then maybe mango. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day! Denise@cottagesisters

Evelyne @ CheapEthnicEatz said...

Lovely to discover your blog as well, very nice. I agree the papaya does not live up to the flavor of its exotic look...in my opinion. Better to use it in such a lovely recipe.

Joe Ambrosino said...

Nice recipe, Mary! We just returned from Guyana where papayas and mangoes grow in people's yards and can be harvested at the peak of ripeness. I'm betting you would have enjoyed experimenting with those and other fruit we never even see in America.

Jen_from_NJ said...

This is the perfect dessert to serve after a Caribbean meal. Thanks for sharing!

SashaInTheKitchen said...

Mary - that looks amazing and sounds super yummy!

Pete said...

Great, I can do that with the papayas I have in my fridge...LOL!

Tiffanee said...

OOOH Yum! I could use one right now. Sounds so delicious!!

From the Kitchen said...

The "fool" sounds delicious and I love the colors in your photo.

Mary, you were so kind to say a prayer for my little heart friends recently. Jillian is undergoing open heart surgery on Wednesday. Would you please offer up prayers for her at this time? Thanks so much!

Best,
Bonnie

Rachel Cotterill said...

I'm more of a mango kind of girl, too. But papaya is okay :)

Claudia said...

I do love a good fool! And yours is gorgeous. Happy Pink Saturday to you.

Joanne said...

I'm a mango person also, but I think there may just be some room in my life for papaya. Especially if it's prepared like this!

Ana Powell said...

Sounds delicious ,Happy Pink Saturday x

Carla and Michael said...

I have heard of all kinds of flavors of "fools" (never knew the history before now) and this has got to be the most wonderful combination - papaya and lime, what a nice pairing. I do like papaya and will have to try this and look for more ways to use papayas and lime together. Thanks again Mary. Happy (Pink) Saturday.

noble pig said...

I too love mango but I will take papaya! This sounds refreshing!

Joy Tilton said...

Oh yum, how refreshing! Papaya's are so healthy too. LOL at your comment on "Soap Slivers," she will recognize that she's turning into me very soon. I can't wait!

tasteofbeirut said...

Oh! That's one dessert my daughter would love! She always mentions how much she loves papayas and I always forget to get some! Great idea to make a fool.

Penny said...

Mary, looks good. email me when you get a chance. I have a question.

Angie said...

I love papayas! This looks delish.

Trissa said...

papayas are severely underrated fruit in my opinion, I like what you've done here to really celebrate how delicious they actually are!

Ann said...

Wow.. Looks delicious, happy pink saturday!

Reeni said...

It's a lovely use of papaya. And so rich and creamy, how could I not like it? It sounds like quite a treat.

Sherry from Alabama said...

This looks and sounds wonderful! I always enjoy your Pink Saturday posts.

Sherry @ A Happy Valentine

Lori said...

Ah, you'd be a fool to pass up a fool with real cream. Sorry I just couldnt resist. And Mary I would never take you for a fool. It is very clear that you are a very intelligent woman.

CC said...

Mary, This is a beautiful dessert.., I know I would love it. Happy Pinks..

Lyndas recipe box said...

While I prefer mango too, this does look very cool and inviting Mary. Thanks for sharing it.
Have a wonderful weekend!

s said...

yum!!!!!!this looks super!

Louis la Vache said...

This looks delicious! «Louis» is going to try it!

Louis la Vache said...

«Louis» added a new link list of Food blogs and put your One Perfect Bite in it.

Maggie said...

This looks just yummers!

Sorry for being here so late today- my son is at the prom and we spent all day getting ready... and who said boys were low maintenance? haha!

Have a super week!

Happy PS!

In Shoes We Trust,
Maggie Mae
"Do these shoes match this purse?"

♥ Kathy said...

I bet that's good..I could use something smooth on my throat right now!

Katy ~ said...

LOL about the socks going up and down hahahahaha This looks deeee-lish, no foolin'!

Mrs. L said...

This makes me wish it was summer. I can see myself sitting out on my patio on a warm summer night enjoying this. Definitely on my to try list!

Beverly said...

Now, this one really brings back memories. I haven't had any Fool for many, many years.

I do like papayas, but mangoes are my very favorite fruit. We had mangoes trees in our yards in Fort Lauderdale.

Happy very belated Pink Saturday.

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