Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

Enjoy the tropical flavour of this passion fruit salad dressing recipe. Quick and easy to make, this dressing will bring an unexpectedly sweet and tart twist to your salads. Passion fruit is native to the subtropical regions of South America and it is a part of the local culinary tradition throughout the continent. The taste of passion fruit when it is fresh is bitingly tart and becomes sweeter as it ripens. Many South American specialties use this delectable fruit as an ingredient. This sweet but tart fruit salad dressing complements many different combinations of greens, and it's quick to make in the blender. It may not be the easiest ingredient to find fresh in your produce section, and perhaps it's unfamiliar to you. If you can't find it fresh, it's often found as a frozen purée or pulp next to frozen fruits. It's worth seeking out if you're looking for a lighter, sweeter salad dressing, but one that has a bit of tartness, too. Try it with a strawberry spinach salad or with pear and blue cheese salad.

2 passion fruits or ¼ cup passion fruit purée
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. pure honey
¼ tsp. sea salt

Cut the passion fruits in half. Scrape the pulp and seeds into a small saucepan.

Heat fruit pulp over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Heat the pulp almost to boiling, then remove it from the heat.

Strain the pulp through a fine sieve or colander. Discard the seeds and let the juice cool.

Put the passion fruit juice, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.

Store the salad dressing in the refrigerator for up to one week. Stir or shake before using.

Cook's Notes:

• Although for this recipe you want the juice from the fruit, the seeds are edible. They are crunchy with a tart taste.
• Serve a salad sparked with blue cheese or a strawberry spinach salad with passion fruit dressing with other South American foods. Try the salad alongside empanadas, or an Argentinian sandwich of chorizo or other sausage covered with chimichurri sauce.
  
• But even if you're not going to full-on Argentinian with a meal plan, this dressing is so good with grilled meats such as steak, chicken or pork.
• In general, passion fruit pairs well with a wide range of foods. Anything with tropical and/or citrus notes will taste great with this salad dressing, even a simple green salad with mango chunks, walnuts, and coconut flakes.