The Rivas Jimenez family is not afraid of challenges. In 2016 while visiting La Cruz, Mario Rivas and Roxana Jimenez decided to buy 300 pitahaya or dragon fruit seeds from a man. They took them straight to their farm in Curubande of Liberia and planted them.
Now, six years later, they have 3,000 plants on the farm where they also decided to build their house. We say that they are not afraid of challenges because although the market for this fruit is barely in its infancy, they also created the Pimosa brand to market them and Farm2table to sell dishes. Both brands are now promoted by their children: Marcia, Maria del Pilar and Mario.
We gave them their last challenge: we asked them to prepare two exquisite recipes with this exotic fruit, which has a soft and slightly sweet pulp. They accepted the challenge and opened the doors of their kitchen.
The dragon fruit plant is a cactus and therefore, resistant to dry climates. In the country, there are also plantations in Puntarenas, Atenas and Sarapiquí. Photo: César Arroyo Castro
If you want to get Pimosa dragon fruit, inquire directly through their social networks to find out where their distribution points are, because in addition to being delicious, they are free of pesticides and are cultivated with water-saving methods.
Before preparing these recipes, you should know that dragon fruit pulp should not ever be blended, just mashed. If you put it in a blender, the crushed seeds give it a bad taste.
Now you are ready, but hurry up because the dragon fruit season ends in October!
Dragon Fruit Pie
(12 servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups crushed Maria cookies
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ⅓ cup of dragon fruit pulp
Preparation:
- For the crust, mix the crushed cookies with the butter in a bowl. When the mixture is evenly combined, pour it into a mold and bake for five minutes at 180° C (350° F).
- For the filling, mix the condensed milk and egg yolks. When evenly mixed, add the lime juice and the dragon fruit pulp, and mix again.
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling on top.
- Bake at the same temperature for 15 more minutes.
Dragon Fruit Caipirinha
Ingredients:
- One lime cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 slices (70 ounces) dragon fruit
- 2 ounces (one shot) of cachaza liquor
- Ice
Preparation:
- Crush the lime and mix with sugar in a glass.
- Add the dragon fruit and mash together.
- Put the crushed ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add the cachaza and six ice cubes. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can do it in a glass with a lid.
- Shake the cocktail shaker in your best Brazilian style and serve the drink.
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