Passionfruit Tart & Panna Cotta

I know it's summer when I step outside (into my own backyard) and see ripe, wrinkly passionfruit on the ground. This wine-colored, fragrant, and exotic fruit harkens back memories of summers past when my mom would make us freshly strained passionfruit juice with just a touch of honey. The kitchen would come alive with its own organic air freshener. Yesterday, I decided to be a little adventurous and try a few recipes as the last of these lovely fruits ripen.

White Chocolate Passionfruit Tart

This recipe is so simple and it's the perfect summer treat. I adapted & rewrote this recipe because although it was a great idea, she was not specific enough and I was left scratching my head at how much "1 pkt of chocolate biscuits" were.

Ingredients

Chocolate Crust
(You can easily substitute graham crackers if you're like my friends Megan & Daya who do not consume chocolate. I know, crazy.)

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate Teddy Grahams
• 1/2 cup roasted Macadamia nuts
• 1/3 cup of unsalted butter (melted)

Passionfruit Filling

• 1 cup white chocolate (I used Wilton's candy chocolate, but if that's too sweet for you, you can use regular bar chocolate & just chop that up)
  
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup whipping cream (separated 1/3 & 2/3 parts)
• 1/4 cup passionfruit syrup or fresh passionfruit juice, strained
  
• 2 tsp gelatine powder
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit & grease a 9 inch pie tin or tart tin.
   
2. In a food processor, pulse Teddy Grahams and Macadamia nuts until fine, but not powdery. Remove and mix in melted, but cooled butter. You may want to let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes while you're pulsing the dry ingredients.
   
3. Press crust mixture into the pie tin.
4. Place in oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
   
5. Melt the white chocolate & butter in a double boiler until combined, constantly stirring. Add 1/3 of the cream. Set aside to cool.
   
6. Whip the remaining 2/3 cream in a separate bowl using a stand mixer or handheld beaters until firm peaks form.
   
7. While the cream is whipping, heat 1/4 cup of water until boiling. Remove from heat and add gelatine powder gradually, constantly stirring with a fork & making sure not to make any clumps.
   
8. Combine 1/4 cup passionfruit juice & gelatine mixture in a large bowl. Strain, if any clumps formed.
   
9. To this, add the white chocolate mixture and stir until homogenous.
   
10. Fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula and pour into the pie crust.
11. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight until set.
    
12. Garnish with fresh passionfruit seeds.

Voîlà! If you have any leftover filling, which I did (because the recipe I used was ridiculous), I find that it makes a good panna-cotta. Just pour the remaining mixture into ramekins and refrigerate along with the tart.