Passionfruit possets

If you are looking for passionfruit possets that are super-sweet and very smooth then I'm afraid you are at the wrong site.

It is predicted that in most of the world 50pc of adults will be obese with a BMI over 29 by 2030; with all the attendant pains in the joints, medication and risk of catastrophic-disease.

We are very definite about making quite certain that neither of us number among them; that means restricting the sugar and retaining the fibre in all of our cooking. These passionfruit possets are neither super-sweet nor will they slide deliciously down the throat.

We do not like pain so we have chosen a lifestyle that has had an unexpected benefit; not just analgesics, we now take no medication whatsoever. It's meant inter alia a complete break from sugar, cornstarch for thickening and removal of the fibre from our food.

If you are still on board, read on. If not, visit bon appétit; they will show you the traditional way. It's super-sweet and very smooth; the pips have been strained out. It will slide deliciously down your throat and you will be scrambling for a second and even a third helping.

It's fascinating that researchers have discovered that type-2 diabetes can be put entirely into remission, without the use of any pharmaceuticals; by a change of lifestyle alone. It all goes back to Hippocrates; using food as medicine.

But our passionfruit recipe is rich in both fat and fibre; it's very satiating. One helping will be more than enough.

Incidentally in mild climates granadillas are very easy to grow in your own garden. They need either a fence or even a tree for the vine to climb.

Sweetness

Having seen how much pain those addicted to sugar go through, difficult though it was we made a complete break from excessive sweetness. Is there a compromise? Yes, there is but you will have to hunt for it; natural honey. You are unlikely to find it in the supermarket.

Commercial honey has a high glycemic-index; it's little better than sugar. So you have to find a small beekeeper. Buy enough for the whole year ahead and squirrel it away; it keeps very well in sealed jars.

Researchers in Germany found that honey that has not been heated generally has a GI of less than 55; that's low^[1]. Once commercial bottlers get hold of it, everything changes.

Add the honey only after the cream has cooled somewhat obviously.

The average South African consumes about 18 tsp of sugar per day, or 36 kg in a year. Many of course consume far more, often simply because refined food is so tasteless; along with the fibre the natural flavouring has been extracted. Non-communicable diseases are rife; heart attacks, strokes and pancreatic conditions.

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Fibre

The fibre in our food, indigestible in the small intestine is what the microbiome in the colon feeds on, producing a host of very important substances that prevent inflammation. The fetish of our modern society, insisting on having everything super-smooth and highly refined is in large measure the cause of the "chronic degenerative diseases" that have overtaken society.

Fibre, fat and protein give our food satiety; that feeling of fullness after eating.

These chronic inflammatory diseases are far worse than infectious conditions like Covid but get none of the fanfare; they kill more slowly but just as effectively, first swallowing up your life savings. 

It's a conscious and deliberate choice that we have made after studying Blue Zone longevity. If you too really want to live to a full and zestful old age, read up on those five parts of the world where ten times as many people reach the magical one-hundred; with their marbles intact.

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They grow and eat much of their food. It is neither very sweet nor has the fibre been refined out^[2].

More than half of the nutrients in a lemon or lime are found in the pulp; and that fibre. So when making passionfruit possets we would certainly never strain the juice and toss the solids; it's not super-smooth, nor should it be.

You can of course use any fruit you like; not many reading this will have granadillas, as we call them growing in their gardens. They do not freeze well. Berries that are a bit tart would be equally good.

As a variation we often mix in a couple tablespoons of kefir after the cream has cooled; it's a natural probiotic that is so easy to make in your own kitchen^[3].

Cream

Cream is a subject about which you have to make your own decision. The scientists are arguing back and forth, just as they did with butter and eggs; the jury isn't out. It is our considered opinion that the answer is completely determined by whatever else you are eating.

Let's be honest and admit that the weight of medical opinion still leans very much to cutting out all animal fats; that means no passionfruit possets.

If you are eating the kinds of whole foods recommended at this site, we have no anxiety about recommending passionfruit possets with full-cream now and then; not every week.

It's the sugar and cake flour we are anxious about; that is where the raised cholesterol comes from. The glucose molecules from that Black Forest cake attach to lipoproteins in the liver and are then released as LDLs into the blood stream; and then you have to take statins.

It's fascinating that dietary cholesterol has very little influence on those nasty lipids in the blood associated with so many diseases; or so a minority vote would say.

Our own cholesterol is "dangerously low" despite all the dairy products we enjoy; I am kidding of course but the numbers are entirely good. That is only anecdotal but if you saw how much butter goes on our bread baked using my 100pc flour, you would wonder how that could be possible. It's all about the fibre. We also enjoy a lot of olive oil.

Neck of lamb is an occasional treat; just look at the fat.

A large green salad is mandatory every day if you want to enjoy these treats rich in animal-fat or sugar. Unfortunately you simply cannot have your Black Forest cake and eat it; on high and holy days that's fine.

As we said it all depends on whatever else you are eating. Just meat and potatoes with too many passionfruit possets will be the death of you.

Conversely and very strangely should you cut out much of the fat in your diet you are likely to become obese. You will be constantly famished, reaching for treats mid-morning and before bed; cookies and colas most likely.

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Passionfruit possets

Passionfruit possets from our green kitchen are made using natural honey and all the fibre in the fruit; we never strain out the pips.

Forest bathing

One of my earliest childhood memories is of scratching in the undergrowth beneath trees and hedges for granadillas; those meanderings brought more joy than finding Easter eggs. I realise now that from very young I was learning about what today is being called forest bathing; immersing one's self in nature. Now when I am anxious and stressed, I always return to the garden for succour.

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