By Request

By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto

Wednesday, September 17, 1997

ByRodney Weidland, "Art of Preserving"
Make jam with melon, passion fruit, sugar and lemon.

A passion for preserves

A retired Makiki developer, who wants to hone her jellymaking skills, asked how to prepare jelly from passion fruit, or liliko'i.

"We have one vine, which climbed into a plumeria tree, and last year was very prolific," she said of her liliko'i crop. "We gathered the fruits as they dropped and froze the juice, which is intact in my freezer."

Also, Suelyn Ching Tune, co-author of "Made in Hawai'i" (University of Hawai'i Press, 1983), wants a liliko'i butter recipe.

For readers whose back yards and freezers are flush with liliko'i, starfruit or other fresh isle produce, cookbook author Marilyn Harris says she favors all-fruit spreads over traditional high-sugar jams and jellies.

"The low-sugar fruit pectins on the market give a total-fruit product with great texture and a great taste," she said. "The packages contain good instructions for proportions and cooking times."

For another fruit-filled topping, she suggested mixing two parts commercial all-fruit preserves with one part fresh lychee, mango or pineapple chunks, or passion-fruit pulp. Drain the chunks well before adding.

Store all of the above tropical fruit preserves refrigerated for up to a month, she said -- not at room temperature.

Harris said paraffin and open-kettle methods no longer are recommended for safe home canning. The Florida Extension Service at Web site http://hammock.ifas.ufl.edu/txt/fairs/40410 directs, "Fill products hot into sterile Mason jars, leaving one-fourth-inch headspace, seal with self-sealing lids and process five minutes in a boiling-water canner."

Lastly, to prepare flavored butters, Harris wrote in her "Tropical Fruit Cookbook" to whip one part mashed fruit or chutney of choice into two parts softened butter or margarine.

Passion Fruit Jelly

(From "Fruits of Hawaii" by Carey Miller,
Katherine Bazore and Mary Bartow, 1965,
University of Hawai'i Press)

3 cups fresh liliko'i juice
1 cup water
7-1/2 cups sugar
1 bottle liquid pectin (1 cup)

In a large saucepan, combine juice, water and sugar. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, immediately add pectin and bring back to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim and pour into sterilized glasses and seal.

This product sets very slowly and results in a soft jelly, which becomes firmer after standing several weeks. Makes 10 to 12 (6-ounce) glasses.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 50 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium.*

Melon and Passion Fruit Jam

(From "Art of Preserving" by Jan Berry, Ten Speed Press, 1997)

2 pounds firm melon, any kind
4 cups (2 pounds) white granulated sugar
Pulp of 20 passion fruits (choose large, heavy fruits with wrinkled skins; these are ripest)
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon

Peel and seed melon; cut in small dice. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle half the sugar over it. Cover and leave overnight. The next day, place contents of bowl in a jam pan or a large, wide saucepan and add liliko'i pulp, lemon juice and zest. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring continuously. Warm remaining sugar, add it to pan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached, about 30 minutes. Ladle jam into warmed, sterilized jars and seal. Makes about 4 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 50 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium.*

Passion Fruit Spread

(From "Tropical Fruit Cookbook"
by Marilyn Rittenhouse Harris,
University of Hawai'i Press, 1993)

3 large passion fruit
1 (12-ounce) can frozen passion fruit-guava concentrate
1 cup mashed papaya
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 package fruit pectin for light jam

Cut tops from passion fruit. Scoop out seeds and pulp and place into a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to dissolve pectin. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove fruit spread from heat. Pour into sterilized containers or freezer bags and cover immediately. Cool at room temperature and freeze up to 6 months or refrigerate for up to 3 months. Do not store at room temperature. Use this tropical spread on English muffins or bagels. It is also good as a filling for layer cakes or warmed as a topping for gingerbread. Makes 3-1/2 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 2-tablespoon serving: 40 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium.*