Adults Only Fragrant Fruit Dessert

From *The World Encyclopedia of Coffee* -- Per the intro, "The syrup of this exotic fruit dessert is flavoured & sweetened w/lime + coffee liqueur, & it can be prepared the day b4 intent to serve." This is definitely a spec occ & company-worthy effort that IMO would work very well as a brunch & luncheon dessert or (almost more appealing to me) as part of a cheese & fruit dessert platter if served in pre-baked tartlet shells. The cookbook actually called it a salad, but I couldn't accept that. It's a dessert in my book & got my attention w/it's unusual combo of flavours, burst of color in the pic + an easy make-ahead fix. The prep may appear labor-intensive, but is really just the prep of the fruit & I tried to be detailed vs overly brief. (Time does not include 1 hr sitting time for fruit to reach rm temp). *Enjoy* !

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  large lime (See Step 1 of prep)
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2⁄3 cup water
• 4  tablespoons  coffee liqueur (Tia Maria or Kahlua suggested)
• 1  small pineapple
• 1  papaya
• 2  pomegranates
• 1  medium mango
• 2  passion fruit

Directions

1. Halve lime, de-juice fully using your method or gadget of choice & set juice aside. Cut half the lime rind in sml strips & set aside for syrup. Cut the 2nd half of lime rind in VERY THIN strips & set aside for garnish.
2. Put the sugar & lime rind for the syrup in a sml saucepan with 2/3 cup water. Heat gently till sugar dissolves, then bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat & simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Allow syrup to fully cool. Then strain into a lrg serving bowl. Discard lime rind from syrup & stir in the lime juice & liqueur.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the plume & stalk ends from the pineapple. Peel thickly, cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces (discarding the woody central core) & add to the bowl.
5. Cut papaya in half & scoop out seeds. Cut away the skin, then cut into slices. Cut the pomegranates in half & scoop out seeds. Break into clusters & add both fruits to the bowl.
6. Cut the mango lengthways along ea side of the stone. Peel skin from the flesh, cut in bite-sized pieces & add to the bowl. Gently stir fruits in the lime juice to mix all flavours & refrigerate till ready for use.
7. To Serve: To maximize the flavour of the fruit, allow mixture to stand at room temp for 1 hr b4 serving. Just prior to serving, stir well. Then halve passion fruits & scoop out the flesh w/a teaspoon. Spoon over other fruits & serve garnished w/reserved VERY THIN strips of lime rind.
8. NOTE: Can present in a single bowl & guests allowed to serve themselves or can be spooned into pre-baked tartlet shells & served on a platter w/assorted cheeses.