Dulce de Papaya (Colombian Papaya Dessert)
Ripe papaya simmered in a brown sugar syrup with cinnamon, lemon and vanilla until the syrup thickens around it. Fifty minutes, five servings, and it is eaten with a piece of fresh cheese.
Servings: 5
Calories: 105kcal
Ingredients
- 300 g ripe papaya peeled, seeded and sliced
- 100 g brown sugar
- 240 ml water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- The juice of half a lemon
- The zest of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Peel the papaya, cut it in half and scrape out all the seeds.
- Cut the papaya into medium slices and put them in a medium pot with the sugar.
- Add the water, bring it to a boil over medium heat, then cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Uncover it and add the lemon zest, the cinnamon and the vanilla extract.
- Let it boil over low heat for about 35 minutes, until the syrup has thickened around the fruit.
- Add the lemon juice, take it off the heat and let it stand a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Eat it with a piece of fresh cheese, which is what the recipe suggests and what Colombia does with almost every dulce of this kind. Queso campesino or any mild fresh cheese: the salt against the syrup is the whole point of the combination. The lemon juice goes in at the very end, off the heat, and that placing matters. Acid added early would stop the syrup thickening properly and would soften the papaya faster than you want. Added last it brightens everything and cuts the sweetness. Use papaya that is ripe but still firm. Very soft fruit falls apart during the 45 minutes in the pot and you end up with jam rather than slices in syrup. The syrup thickens further as it cools, so take it off slightly before it looks right.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 572IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg