Exotic Ingrediants~ What is Passion Fruit?

So, what is Passion fruit?

Passiflora edulis is a vine species of passion flower that is native to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina. Its common names include passion fruit (UK and US), and passionfruit (Australia and New Zealand), purple granadilla and maracuja. In Colombia, the purple passion fruit is referred to as "gulupa", to distinguish it from the yellow maracuyá.
It is cultivated commercially in warmer, frost-free areas for its fruit and is widely grown in India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, California, Florida, Haiti, Hawaii, Argentina, Australia, East Africa, Mexico, Israel, Costa Rica, Venezuela, South Africa and Portugal.
The passion fruit is round to oval, either yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit is both eaten and juiced; passion fruit juice is often added to other fruit juices to enhance the aroma.
The two types of passion fruit have clearly differing exterior appearances. The bright yellow variety of passion fruit, which is also known as the Golden Passion Fruit, can grow up to the size of a grapefruit, has a smooth, glossy, light and airy rind, and has been used as a rootstock for the Purple Passion Fruit in Australia. The dark purple passion fruit is smaller than a lemon, though it is less acidic than the yellow passion fruit, and has a richer aroma and flavour. It tastes like lemons, guava and pineapple combined.

And how do you use it?

Yogurt Pannacota with Passionfruit Syrup

Panna cotta, an Italian favorite, is a gorgeous dessert to eat and easy to make at home.
While "panna cotta" translates to "cooked cream", this particular yogurt panna cotta recipe requires no cooking. The panna cotta will take about 4 to 5 hours to set in the fridge. Trust me, it's worth the wait.
The creamy dessert is infused with vanilla and honey and then enjoyed with a tropical passionfruit syrup.

Ingredients:

• 300 ml pouring cream
• 260 gm (270ml) natural yogurt
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 2 3/4 titanium strength gelatine leaves (approx. 3 3/4 tsp of powdered gelatine) softened in cold water
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• PASSIONFRUIT SYRUP
• 4 passionfruit, pulp only (or canned)
• 50 gm castor (berry) sugar
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup water
• Special equipment: 150-200 ml Dariole or panna cotta moulds

Preparation:

1. Very lighlty grease the dariole moulds with a little vegetable oil on a paper towel.
2. Whisk the cream and yogurt together in a large bowl until smooth. Set aside.
3. Bring honey and vanilla seeds to a simmer in a small saucepan. Squeeze excess water from gelatine and add it to the honey -- stir to dissolve.
4. Stir honey mixture through the yogurt mixture, then divide among four lightly greased dariole moulds. Refrigerate until set (4-5 hours - or even overnight).
5. Make the passionfruit syrup. Combine ingredients together in a small saucepan. Simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid becomes syrupy. Set aside to cool.
6. Just before serving, dip bases of panna cotta moulds in warm water for a few seconds, turn out onto serving plates and spoon on the passionfruit syrup. Serve immediately.

Sources:
wikipedia.com
about.com