Sunday, May 18, 2008
Food, Recipes

Crème de papaia

Fogo de Chão

In a dining establishment that’s known for its welcoming service, Brazilian cocktails, award-winning wine list, extensive salad spread and unbelievable variety of meats, one of the insider’s secrets of regular diners is surely the crème de papaia (or papaya cream).

The crème de papaia is the prize of our dessert selections. We serve this exotic dessert in a goblet suitable for any king or queen.

The perfect crème de papaia has three ingredients. The most challenging but also the most rewarding is the papaya fruit from Brazil. The reasons to love this fruit are plenty. Foremost, the smell of a sweet ripened papaya reminds me of Brazil. Papayas are also known from their nutritional qualities. Having natural-producing enzymes that assist in the breaking down of meat fibers makes the papaya a wonderful combination to a meal at Fogo de Chão.

HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT PAPAYA

Size does matter; look for a small to midsize fruit for a sweeter flavor. The skin of the fruit tells the story of the inside. You are searching for a hue of orange-yellow, with little to no traces of green. You can always ripen in your kitchen, but the best flavors come from those that have been tree ripened. The papayas we ship are packed individually from Brazil. This is a must to avoid bruising or puncturing the delicate fruit. A final ripping test would be to use your finger and apply a light amount of pressure. If the fruit is soft to the touch, and you can see the finger print you left in the skin, then you have a winner. The inside fruit should be a deep red orange.

To prepare the crème de papaia dessert, take the papaya fruit remove the skin and seeds. Slice the papaya in half and then into cubes. Place two scoops of a premium vanilla bean ice cream and half the fruit into a blender, and pulse for a short 30 seconds, or until the fruit blends with the ice cream.

Top this dessert with crème de cassis, black currant liquor. This provides a great balance and really completes the dessert.

Variations of this can be done with strawberries, mango or even avocados. SP
Elmir Bernardon is the executive chef at Fogo de Chão. 3101 Piedmont Road. 404-266-9988. www.fogodechao.com.

CRÈME DE PAPAIA (Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 papaya
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 ounce crème de cassis liqueur
• Mint leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and remove seeds from papaya. Cut papaya into pieces. Put papaya pieces and ice cream in food processor, and process with quick on and off pulses, just until ice cream and papaya are roughly combined.

Pour mixture into a nice goblet or brandy snifter. Garnish with crème de cassis and a mint leaf.