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Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Low 79F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Civil rights leader and trailblazing educator Mary McLeod Bethune on Wednesday became the first Black person elevated by a state for recognition in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall
President Joe Biden welcomed a crowd to the White House Monday to showcase a new law meant to reduce gun violence, celebrating “real progress” after years of a do-nothing Congress under the grip of the National Rifle Association.
When Antonio McGowan left the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman after serving 17 years, he was free for the first time since he was 15. But as an adult finally out from behind bars, he immediately found himself confined to menial labor.
Three years ago, an urban farm called Finca Morada was established in the heart of a North Miami neighborhood. Located along NE 131 St., it sits on a lot along with a large two-story house that could easily pass for one in Key West, thanks to its grand porch and lush foliage.
The passion fruit is named after the flower, an eye-catching beauty.
Fogo de Chāo Coral Gables serves a caipirinha that’s kicked up a notch with passion fruit.
Passion fruit is filled with sweetness.
The Purdy Lil’ Thing poured at the Stiltsville Fish Bar gets a tropical twang from passion fruit liqueur.
The Spicy Maracuya is a Beaker & Gray summer favorite.
Passion fruit has been blessed with a name that’s nothing short of magic, from a marketing standpoint. In the context of distinctively sweet, tropical and tangy flavor, it just seems natural that the hard-rind fruit with pulpy, juicy seeds be named for romance. It evokes sun-kissed white-sand beaches, lying out with an attractive someone by your side and sharing sips of something strong served with crushed ice in a coconut shell. It is indeed the fruit of passion, yes?
The passion fruit is named after the flower, an eye-catching beauty.
It can be those things, sure, but the passion fruit is named for the flower it comes from, and the passion flower – an eye-catching beauty of a bloom – got its name from the Passion of the Christ. The three pollen-receiving stigmas in the center of the flower are said to represent the trinity or the three nails of the cross; the five pollen-producing anthers, the five wounds of Jesus; the 10 petals, the 10 faithful apostles at the crucifixion; and the ring of (usually) purple-and-white filaments that make up the flower’s corona, the crown of thorns. It’s said to be a profoundly symbolic plant, producing a fruit that’s as round and hard – and as filled with sweetness – as the world itself.
Passion fruit is called a few different names with less religious overtones: maracuya in Latin America, grenadilla in South Africa and maypop across the warmer parts of rural America. For many, it’s a rare and exotic treat. For the Biscayne Tippler, it’s a delicious mystery meant to be enjoyed, whether eaten fresh off the vine, mixed into the frosting of a kid’s lemon cake or served as a delicious ingredient in any number of grown-up beverages.
Passion fruit is filled with sweetness.
Miami is a good place for those who love passion, and those who love passion fruit. It’s grown commercially in the Redlands – there’s even a passion fruit wine botted by Schnebly Redland’s Winery – and passion fruit syrups and liqueurs have become a familiar flavor in many of the best bars in the Biscayne Corridor.
Ben Potts, bar director at Beaker & Gray (2637 N Miami Ave., Miami, 305.699.2637) and The Sylvester (3456 N Miami Ave., Miami, 305.364.5635), likes his passion fruit balanced with a bit of savory spice.
“At Beaker & Gray, we’re quite fond of a delicious cocktail that seems to be a huge hit with our guests, the Spicy Maracuya. While the name isn’t particularly creative, it tells you what it is – maracuya is Spanish for passion fruit. We’ve run through a number of variations of recipes, but we’re really into this one. It’s spicy, smoky, sweet, tart and has that wonderful agave flavor – it’s basically the No. 1 seller on every menu and a fantastic summer drink.”
The Spicy Maracuya is a Beaker & Gray summer favorite.
· Togarashi (Japanese spice blend available at specialty stores or online)
· Shake ingredients, then strain into a rocks glass with a togarashi and kosher salt rim.
At Stiltsville Fish Bar (1787 Purdy Ave., 786.402.5254) just off the Venetian Causeway in Miami Beach, they pour a tropical, tiki-style cocktail called a Purdy Lil’ Thing that gets a special twang from Chinola, a liqueur made from passion fruit that grows in the town of Majagual in the Dominican Republic.
The Purdy Lil’ Thing poured at the Stiltsville Fish Bar gets a tropical twang from passion fruit liqueur.
· 3/4 ounce Chinola passion fruit liqueur
· 1/4 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur
· Build by adding all ingredients except soda water to tiki glass.
· Add crushed ice halfway up and stir with bar spoon; top with soda, add more ice and garnish with pineapple leaves.
The popular Brazilian churrasco house Fogo de Chāo (2801 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 786.297.8788) in Coral Gables serves a caipirinha worth sampling that’s got an extra special something from passion fruit.
Fogo de Chāo Coral Gables serves a caipirinha that’s kicked up a notch with passion fruit.
· 1 ounce passion fruit purée
· Slice lime in half, remove bitter inner core, and slice thinly against the direction of the core.
· Put sliced lime in rocks glass, add sugar and muddle together.
· Fill glass to brim with ice and add cachaça and passion fruit purée.
· Top glass with bar shaker and shake until all sugar dissolves then serve.
Those are sophisticated cocktails where passion fruit flavor shines. But because passion fruit tastes so much like something tropical – a stroll under a shady forest canopy among flowering ginger, a day at the beach under a hot sun with a cool breeze coming off the breakers – one of the best ways to show it off is in a frozen drink.
When using fresh passion fruit, lots of people make the extra effort to try to separate the seeds from the pulp by pressing them through a strainer. Some of us, though, don’t mind a little crunch while we’re sipping. People pay extra for chia seeds in their store-bought smoothies, after all, and this is essentially the same thing. The fiber’s good for you, and the little guys are small enough that they don’t get stuck in the straw.
On the other hand, peeling ginger is always worth it; it’s easier to do if you use a teaspoon rather than a knife.
· 2-3 medium-sized passion fruits, ripe enough that the rind has started to wrinkle
· Juice of 2 lime wedges (about 1/2 teaspoon)
· Mix ingredients in blender, adding orange juice and ice cubes gradually to reach your desired consistency.
· If your passion fruit is too tart, add a bit of honey.
This summer, keep an eye out for fresh passion fruit at local produce stands or international groceries (it almost never shows up at Publix). The best way to get it, though, is to know someone who’s got a vine that decided to go into overdrive this year. A passion vine can be a fickle plant to cultivate in the backyard – it really wants to grow on trellises or up trees, and requires cross-pollination between flowers with a cotton swab if you haven’t got a lot of bees doing their business in your neighborhood. But when it decides to set fruit, it does so with a vengeance – a sweet, seductive, soulful vengeance. Cheers!
Where to find these sun-kissed drinks in the 305
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