Chermoya

[Mezzaluna]

I bought a chermoya (custard apple) the other day. It ripened and I tried it this evening. It's unlike anything I've ever tasted! I began to wonder how the pulp might be used.

Any ideas for how to use this very sweet, exotic-flavored fruit? And is there any use for those huge seeds?

[cape chef]

makes a pretty good souffle, and a great daiquri

Yogurt smoothie with pineapple and strawberries for breakfast

[Kimmie]

Taken from The California Rare Fruit Growers 1983 Yearbook vol.15

Although cherimoyas are almost too good to eat any way other than out of hand, here are some recipes:

Cherimoya Fruit Salad
1 cherimoya
2 oranges
2 apples
2 avocados

Peel, seed and cut cherimoya in.to chunks. Cut apples into eighths (do not remove skin) and core fruit. Peel oranges and cut into slices. Cut slices in half, forming half-circles of orange. Peel and pit avocados and cut into eighths. On a bed of lettuce, arrange alternating slices of apple, orange and avocado in a circle. Top with cherimoya chunks. Serve with poppy seed or light vinaigrette dressing. Or try this dressing: Combine 1/4 cup each plain yogurt and mayonnaise; add 4 tablespoons cherimoya puree. Makes 6-8 servings.

Cherimoya-Orange Parfait

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pureed cherimoya
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups cherimoya chunks
1 1/2 cups orange sections
mint leaves

Combine creams in deep bowl, refrigerate with beaters until well chilled. Beat creams until frothy; gradually add sugar, vanilla, juices and salt; beat until quite stiff. Blend in cherimoya puree and 1 teaspoon orange peel.

Put half the cherimoya chunks in bottom of 4 to 6 parfait glasses. Spoon in layer of cream, all the orange sections, a second layer of cream and remaining cherimoya. Top with a dollop of cream and garnish with remaining orange peel and mint leaves. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Cherimoya Souffle
6 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup cherimoya puree

Place egg whites in large clean mixer bowl, allow to stand at room temperature. Prepare 1 1/2 quart souffle dish by greasing with butter and coating with sugar; refrigerate dish. In a small sauce pan combine 2 tablespoons sugar and flour; add milk and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Beat egg yolks; beat small amount of hot sauce into yolks, return egg mixture to hot sauce. Continue to cook over low heat until sauce thickens, cool slightly. Stir in cherimoya puree. Beat egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add 1 tablespoon sugar while beating to
stiff peaks. Thoroughly combine approximately 1 cup beaten whites with sauce. Pour sauce, one-fourth at a time, over beaten whites while gently folding sauce into whites. Pour into prepared souffle dish and bake in center of preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with orange sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Orange Sauce
1/2 cup sugar dash salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

In a small saucepan, mix together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in orange juice; cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and clears. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Makes 1 cup.

Cherimoya Daiquiri
4 ounces light rum
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ounce Curacao
3/4 cup chopped cherimoya
1 ounce lime juice
2 cups crushed ice

Put all ingredients into blender container. Blend until thick, frosty and smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Santa Barbara Sunshine Salad
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup cold ginger ale
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup each: chunks of cherimoya, avocado, unpeeled apple

In a medium bowl, mix gelatin and ginger ale, let stand one minute. Add boiling water and sugar and stir until sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Fold in fruit, turn into rinsed individual or 4-cup mold. Chill until firm. Unmold and serve with lime dressing. Makes 4 servings.

Lime Dressing

1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lime peel

Combine all ingredients, beat until smooth. Make 1/2 cup.

The next three recipes are from CRFG member Jean Lievens.

Cherimoya Chiffon Pie
Chocolate Cookie Crust (see below)
1 1/2 cups pureed cherimoya
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh orange or lime juice
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup whipping cream

Cookie Crust
1 1/2 cups finely-crushed chocolate cookie wafer crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press crumbs evenly,over bottom and sides of 10-inch pie dish. Bake in 400 degree oven 8-9 minutes or microwave on high (100 percent power) 11/2 minutes. Let cool.

Filling
Mash cherimoya by pressing it through a large mesh strainer with fingers. Discard seeds. Dissolve gelatin in water; let sit 5 minutes. Stir dissolved gelatin into cherimoya-juice mixture and let sit until thick. Meanwhile, beat whipping cream to firm peaks. Beat egg whites until almost firm; add 6 tablespoons sugar, one at a time. Constantly beat resultant meringue until firm, not dry. Beat whipped cream and meringue into jelled cherimoya mixture. Pour filling into prepared cookie crust and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with extra cookie crumbs if desired.

Cherimoya Sherbet
2 eggs, separated
3 1/2 cups cherimoya, pureed,
1/8 teaspoon salt seeded
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 quart buttermilk (low-fat or whole)

In bowl, beat yolks, salt and 1/2 cup sugar until light and lemon-colored. Gradually add cherimoya flesh. Add another cup sugar and beat until sugar dissolves. Blend in buttermilk. In another bowl (at least 3-quart size), beat whites to the soft peak stage and add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until firm, but not dry. Gradually fold buttermilk mixture into whites.

Pour into an ice cream maker (1-gallon or larger; hand-crank or electric). Process until frozen. Makes 2 1/2 quarts sherbet.

Cherimoya Ice Cream
2 cups cherimoya, peeled
1 1/2 cups sugar
seeded 2 cups whipping cream (not 2/3 cup orange juice whipped)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cherimoya with orange juice, eggs and sugar until pureed. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and pour all in ice cream maker 1/2-gallon or larger; hand-crank or electric). Process until frozen. Makes about 7 cups ice cream.

[brreynolds]

A few weeks ago, I did the same thing, Mezzaluna. I then spent a couple of hours on the internet looking for cherimoya recipes, and was surprised to find that everything I located was, in effect a variation of the recipes that Kimmie copied from the California Rare Fruit Growers site. I believe that I got those recipes from a Cherimoya growers association site, but was surprised not to find more variety than I did. It seems the cherimoya field is wide open for development of new recipes.

[phatch]

If it's a true apple, those seeds will be poisonous. Cyanide.

Phil

[Mezzaluna]

Whoa. Thanks, Phil. They just look so big and interesting that I wondered if they had any value.

Thanks for all the ideas! For now, the other half of the chermoya is calling my name from the fridge, and will be my dessert tonight.

Here are some brainstorms for using them, none of which I have tried, and none of which I have any idea would work:

* Pureed, used in lieu of custard cream on tarts (too wet??- brush crust with apricot glaze first?)

*As the basis of a fruit dressing or dip for strawberries or melon

*Stirred into creme brulee

*Blended into a bavarian cream

I'll think about it some more.

[mudbug]

Mezzaluna,

There is a wealth of recipes for this wonderful fruit out there which is also known as the "custard apple".

Recipes for Cherimoya Creme Brulee.

Recipes for Cherimoya Custard

Recipes for Cherimoya Dressings

Recipes using pureed Cherimoyas

More from New Zealand

[Suzanne]

Doesn't it seem unusual to you that all of a sudden, cherimoyas are EVERYWHERE? Used to be, they were very, very rare. Now, I see them in every store I go into. This is not a complaint -- I LOVE them. But does anybody have any idea why they are so available now? What's the cherimoya situation up in Canada? could this be a NAFTA thing? (In that case, I'm all for it!)

[Kimmie]

Suzanne,

The cherimoya season is from October to May in California!

[Risa]

I have no idea if cherimoya seeds are poisonous; however, they are not true apples. They're more closely related to soursop/guyabano/guanabana.

I'm so happy that they are more readily available now. They're even available here in Central Illinois and at a decent price. I think I read somewhere that more growers in Florida and California are growing them. Now if only rambutan, lansat and mangosteens could be more easily found!