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.