Friday, February 25, 2011

Fruity-Refreshing Passion Fruit Batidas Inspired by the Food 'n Flix Pick: "Woman on Top"


The current Food 'n Flix feature pick is the romantic comedy "Woman on Top" starring Penelope Cruz. Cruz plays Isabella who has suffered from motion sickness since childhood. Because she was sick, instead of playing with the other children Isabella stayed at home learning to cook and became a well regarded chef in her fishing village in Brazil. As an adult, Isabella can only control her motion sickness by being in control of her motion and this need for control, such as being on top during sex, frustrates her husband Toninho and he has an affair. Isabella leaves Toninho and goes to San Francisco where she becomes a cooking instructor and then a television cooking show host and tries to put Toninho out of her mind for good. I won't go into the whole plot, but if you like food and romantic chick flicks, you will likely enjoy this movie.


I had seen this movie ages ago when it came out but needed a refresher, so I was happy to find it on the "Watch Instantly" list on Netflix--although it took me all month to actually get around to watching it. Since I was squeezing a dish inspired by the movie in under the wire, I looked for something quick and easy with ingredients I already had on hand. I was thinking of something with shrimp but when I looked up Brazilian recipes on the Food Network I found these delicious-sounding Passion Fruit Batidas from Emeril and knew I had to make them. I recently bought a bottle of cachaca (Brazilian liquor made from fermented sugarcane) to experiment with and I had some fresh lilikoi (passion fruit) puree in the fridge from a bag of the fruit I bought at the farmers market so having everything I needed, it was fate.


Batidas are Brazilian cocktail made with fresh fruit juice and cachaca. In Portuguese batida means shaken or milkshake or in other context can refer to crash like a car crash (or maybe the crash one would have after too many of these fruity tropical drinks!?). Sometimes variations are made with coconut milk or sweetened condensed milk but I think this simple version, with its sweet tart passion fruit juice captures the sexy, passionate, fun feeling of "Woman on Top."

You can find the recipe at Food Network here.

Passion Fruit Batida
Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
(Makes 4 Servings)

1 cup Passion Fruit Puree, recipe follows
1 cup cachaca
4 cups chipped ice

Place all the ingredients in a tall shaker and pour into 4 (8-ounce) glasses to serve.

For the Passion Fruit Puree:
8 passion fruits
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and place in a small, nonreactive bowl with a lid until ready to use.

Yield: 1 cup


Notes/Results: Fruity and not too sweet, this is a refreshing and tasty cocktail--perfect for a warm afternoon or when you want a little tropical escape. I used my homemade lilikoi puree which I sweeten with just a bit of agave nectar instead of sugar--so it is slightly more tart and less sweet that the passion fruit purees you can buy--which is how I like it. It paired well with the cachaca and the batida makes a nice mellower, fruity alternative to the better known Brazilian Caipirinha (cachaca, sugar and lime). Batidas would be a great drink to make a pitcher (or six) of to serve at a party and fun to try with different fruits. I will make them again.

Food‘nFlix


You can check out the other dishes inspired by "Woman on Top" by going to the Food 'n Flix site (here) at the end of February where girlichef will be rounding them up.

Happy Aloha Friday!

12 comments:

  1. Amazon.com sent me "WomEn On Top" and not "WomAn On Top" and it was an erotic research investigation of women's fantasies!!!! Whoaza, was I ever shocked when I began reading it! Needless to say, I did not finish it and had to hide it from my housecleaner so she didn't think I was some pervert! I just didnt' feel like ordering a second book, and will simply wait for the next book selection and hopefully I'll get the right book this next time! So sorry Deb, but I don't have a recipe for the book this month. This is a story that will certainly 'go down in the books!".....ciao for now, Roz

    ReplyDelete
  2. sounds delish! glad it is mellower than caipirinha, those kick butt!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am impressed that you wrote the word sex on your blog. I realize it was part of the plot, but still. Takes guts. :P i hope your mother doesn't yell at you for it the way that mine does. But if she DOES...then at least you'll have these tropical drinks to take the edge off!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful cocktail. Love the glasses and the stir sticks.

    I haven't heard of this movie. I will be getting it on Netfix!

    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are gorgeous Deb! So sunny and happy and sexy! I toyed with making a capirina, but never went out to look for cachaca...now I wish I had. Oh well, I'll just have to make some anyway...they sound perfect. =) Thanks so much for watching the flick Woman on Top with us.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks very refreshing, definitely something that I would love to have in summer...!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is such a pretty, sunny, and tropical drink for this time of year. I love how you served it with those cute tropical cocktail stirrers and the flowers. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Roz--sounds like quite a book. ;-) Woman on Top was a movie--the pick for Food 'n Flix rather than a book so maybe you can still find the movie and return that book. ;-)

    Kat--the fruit juice does mellow it although I think a few of them would still pack quite a punch. ;-)

    Joanne--I know I felt so *bad* writing it. ;-) lol. My mom is pretty mellow though.

    Julie--thanks! Hope you enjoy it!

    girlichef--thanks for hosting--I always love Food 'n Flix. ;-)

    Cooking Gallery--it is also great when you just need to be reminded of summer! ;-)

    Kim--thanks! It was a chance to break out some of my stirrer collection & use them! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I didn't see this movie when it first came out so I will have to watch it soon. You know you had me as soon as you mentioned lilikoi. Actually a batch of these would be perfect today given it is such a beautiful day here.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a fabulous refreshing drink with passion fruit, awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your drinks are gorgeous to look at, Deb.
    I haven't seen the movie, but it is now on my to-do list. I'll make your drinks to go with the popcorn on movie night. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  12. They are so pretty! I wonder if we can get cachaca in Canada.
    Love those stir sticks!

    ReplyDelete

Mahalo for visiting and for leaving a comment. I love reading them and they mean a lot!

All advertising, spam, inappropriate (or just plain rude) comments will be promptly deleted. I do appreciate your right to free speech and to your opinion but I'm not into mean, rude, or mean snarky (non-mean snarky is just fine!) ;-)