(Photo credit Sonia R. Martinez) Liliko'i (passion fruit) blossom & green fruit on our vines.
The 1st Annual Liliko'i Festival on the east side of the Big Island was celebrated yesterday, Saturday, November 2nd at the Hawaiian Paradise Park Community Center (HUI)
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Rainbowfriends Animal Sanctuary and
Center for Spiritual Living East Hawaii
The weather was true to form; beautiful sunny skies with rainbows one minute and sheets of pouring rain the next, but everyone was happy to see the much needed rain!
As part of the festivities, there were several vendors, sales of the brand new Liliko'i Cookbook (see below for ordering info), keiki activities and games; entertainment, a cooking contest, cooking demonstrations, and a horticultural presentation by “The Garden Guy” Nick Sakowich.
(Photo credit Sonia R. Martinez) Basket of liliko'i harvested from our yard!
Audrey Wilson, food columnist for the Hawai'i Tribune-Herald and I were asked to serve as judges of the festival's cooking contest.
There were twenty beautiful and delicious entries in this first contest and I wish we could have selected several more winners. Our congratulations to everyone who entered a dish in the contest.
The judges used the following criteria for scoring the entries: Best use of Liliko’i, Taste, Appearance/Presentation and Originality with 0-5 points in each criteria to be awarded for a possible high score of 20 points per entry per judge. The highest scoring entry and winner of Best of Show scored 39 out of a possible 40 points!
The contest categories were Main Dishes (Salads, Soups and Entrées); Sauces, Dressings and Preserves, and, of course...Desserts.
Since life is short and we should eat dessert first...here are the Dessert Category winning recipes!
1sr Place & Best of Show – Joni Neel – Hakalau
With just three ingredients and perhaps five minutes of your precious time, you can have a dessert that will be the talk of your dinner party – Joni Neel.
Sonia's note: Amazing how sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best. Everyone who tasted this dessert loved it. Comments from the public ranged from "the best custard I've ever tasted" to "spot on!". The consistency was light and smooth, the taste not too sweet. It really was spot on!
“Liliko’i Posset”
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup liliko’i juice
Bring the cream and sugar to a boil in a medium heavy non-reactive saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. Take off the heat, whisk in the liliko’i juice.
Pour into small cups or classes, cool slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set. About 4 hours.
Serve slightly chilled, garnished with raspberries and a dusting of confectioners sugar.
Yield: 6 servings
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2nd Place – Julie Miller – Kea’au
“Liliko’i Cheesecake”
For the crust:
1-1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
8 Graham crackers, broken up
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 F. Put all ingredients in food processor until finely ground and sticking together, about 1-2 minutes. Press mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan and bake until golden; approximately 15 minutes. Cool.
Turn oven down to 325 F
For the filling:
2 blocks (8 ounces each) cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup liliko’i juice
1/2 cup fresh mango
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons lime juice
1-2 teaspoons lime zest
In a food processor: purée mango and liliko’i until smooth. Add cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar, yogurt, and cornstarch, combining well. Add eggs, lime juice, and zest. Pulse to combine. The eggs need to be well incorporated but don’t over mix. Pour into cooled crust.
For the topping:
1/2 cup liliko’i juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon plain gelatin powder
3 Tablespoons sugar
Seeds from 1 or 2 liliko’i
Pour half of the liliko’i juice and all of the lime juice in a bowl; sprinkle with the gelatin and let it ‘bloom’ for 1 minute. Boil remaining liliko’i juice and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan until sugar dissolves. Whisk in hot mixture and lime zest into the gelatine mixture until smooth. Refrigerate until it just begins to set. Stir in seeds and pour over the cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.
Bring cheesecake to room temperature to serve.
Yield: 8 to 12 servings
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3rd Place – Heather McNeill – Kea’au
“Liliko’i Chiffon Pie”
For the crust:
1-1/4 cup (9) Graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup fresh toasted coconut flakes
Preheat oven to 375 F
Process crackers in food processor until crumbly; add sugar, butter and toasted coconut, pulse again. Press into pie plate and bake 8 to 10 minutes.
For the filling:
4 eggs - separated
3/4 cup liliko’i juice
1 Tablespoon plain gelatin
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
Combine the egg yolks, 1/3 cup of sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup liliko’i juice in a double boiler, cook over boiling water until thickened. Dissolve gelatin in 1/4 cup liliko’i juice; stir into double boiler mixture until dissolved; add lime juice. Remove from heat and cool until slightly thickened.
Beat the egg whites until foamy and gradually add 1 cup of sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites carefully into yolk mixture until fully blended. Spoon into pie crust and chill until firm.
For the topping:
2 cups water
1 cup liliko’i juice
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch mixed in1/4 cup water
Pour water, liliko’i juice and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan over medium high heat. Take 1/3 cup of the cornstarch and water mix and add to pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 or 2 minutes, until thickened. Drizzle over pie.
Yield: 8 servings
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To follow up on the festival and to get information for future events, you can keep up with the Liliko'i Festival at their Facebook Page
“The Lilikoilicious Cookbook” is available on line and can be ordered by clicking here:http://www.lilikoicookbook.com/
