Ingredients

Cherimoya

Other Names: Anone (France), chirimolla (Venezuela), custard apple (Britain), poox (Mexico).

General Description: Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) is a large tropical fruit that tastes like a combination of pineapple, papaya, and banana. Irregularly oval in shape, the cherimoya has a leathery green skin covered with a scaly pattern marked with overlapping indentations that resemble thumbprints. The flesh, peppered with large, shiny black seeds, is cream-colored and has the texture of firm custard.

The cherimoya is classified as an Annona, a genus of tropical fruit tree native to the Andean valleys of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Cherimoyas have been introduced to subtropical regions around the world. Because of their scarcity and the fact that the fruits must be individually harvested as they ripen, cherimoyas command high prices. Spain is the largest commercial producer of cherimoyas in the world.

The Annona family includes other, similar, fruits. The sweetsop (Annona squamosa_) is egg-shaped with thick, coarse yellow-green skin that is sometimes tinged with purple, and yellow flesh with dark seeds. Its flesh is divided into citruslike segments. The atemoya (Annona x atemoya_), a cross between the cherimoya and sweetsop, is about the size of a large mango with tough dusty green skin that is covered with a scaly pattern. Its cream-colored custardlike pulp, which is full of large black seeds, has a delicate, sweet, mango-vanilla flavor. The soursop (Annona muricata), which can weigh up to 15 pounds (5 kg), has spiky rather than knobby skin. Its flesh is whiter than the cherimoya and consists of numerous segments that are mostly seedless. When ripe, its flesh is soft with a rich aroma similar to pineapple. It is often extremely juicy and has more acid than its relations.

Season: Cherimoyas are available late November through May from their chief growing regions, with peak season March through April. Atemoyas are in season from August to November. Sweetsops are grown in Florida and California and are available midsummer to midwinter, mostly locally. Soursops are available year-round.

Purchase: Choose fruits that are firm, heavy for their size, and without skin blemishes. Buy atemoya when it’s not quite ripe with pale green, unbroken skin. Ripe fruits will often split slightly at their stem end.

Avoid: Do not buy fruits with brown splotches or that have a fermented aroma.

Storage: To ripen, leave at room temperature to soften (they will give slightly with soft pressure). The skin may turn brown as the fruit ripens, which doesn’t affect the flesh. Once ripe, the fruit can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, wrapped in a paper towel.

Note: Serve all these fruits well chilled.

Preparation:

Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and spoon out the flesh, discarding any big black seeds.
Dip cut fruit into lemon or orange juice to prevent darkening.

Serving Suggestions: Freeze the fruit’s flesh and eat like ice cream (sprinkle soursop with sugar to sweeten). Combine soursop juice with milk or water and sugar, add ice, and serve chilled. Make atemoya, cherimoya, or sweetsop sorbet by puréeing the flesh in a blender, combining with lime juice and honey, and freezing in an ice-cream maker.

Flavor Affinities: Heavy cream, kiwi, lemon, lime, mango, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, sour cream.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com