Cherimoya

We talk a lot about our affinity for the Seward Co-op in South Minneapolis, but this week’s flavor really epitomizes how much we love this place.  A few weeks ago I was wandering through the store picking up a few random items when I stumbled across a fruit I had never even heard before.  Cherimoya.  I quickly did a little research  and uncovered it was nicknamed the “ice cream fruit” and I knew it was meant to be.  There just aren’t too may places around town where you can find a rare prize like this in mid-January.  It’s times like this, I just want to move in and sleep on a shelf.

 

Cherimoya Ice Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fruit is so incredible and incredibly hard to describe accurately. As a whole, it reminds me a bit of a mango, but with seeds sort of like a watermelon.  The texture is also similar to mango.  The flavor on the other hand? People say a cross between a banana and pineapple – but it’s really it’s own thing.

 

Cherimoya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this flavor – the process is rather simple – though cleaning the fruit is laborious.  You cut the fruit in half and then spend the next 30 minutes or so scooping out the prize and separating the seeds.  We pureed the fruit with milk and added the puree straight into the mix.  Like most fruit – it’s got water content which presents a challenge.  However, where we’d usually cook it down to reduce that water content, instead we chose to add a extra fat to the mix to offset it (in this case one exrtra egg).  The flavor of the Cherimoya is so delicate we didn’t want to risk losing that in the cooking process.  The mix is simply heat pasteurized on the stove (as usual)and spun into ice cream.

 

 

Cherimoya Ice Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I could explain how incredible the final result is.  It accents cream so well – ever so slightly acidic with a profile that is appealing to everyone, but almost impossible to put your finger on if you don’t have previous experience with the fruit.  It is a huge treat that we will now look forward to in the rare event we might get our hands on this fruit again. If you run across it, do yourself a favor and pick some up.  It’s absolutely worth it.

 

Cherimoya Ice Cream 

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk ((choose your percentage based on how fatty/creamy you’d like your ice cream to be – the higher percentage the creamier the ice cream)
3 Large Eggs
1lb of Cherimoya fruit, scooped and seeded (yields approx 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1.Prepare fruit: Scoop the Cherimoya flesh from rind and pick out all of the seeds.  Puree with 1/2 cup of milk until smooth.

2. Make ice cream base: Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk fully.  Add sugar and whisk.  Add cream, remaining milk, cherimoya puree, salt and and whisk until cream, sugar and eggs are combined.

4. Cook/pasteurize ice cream base: Place ice cream base in a small pot and heat over medium heat, whisking or stirring continuously until temperature reaches 165-170 degrees. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (an ice bath will do this in about 15-20 minutes). Strain base through a fine mesh strainer and put base in a clean container, cover, and chill in refrigerator overnight.

5. Churn ice cream base in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.

*Yields approximately 2.5 pints
If you’d rather not make it, you can be one of two lucky winners of this fabulous, scratch made craft ice cream in our weekly pint giveaway. Enter your name in the comments section here, or on our facebook page under the posted contest. Two winners will be drawn randomly on Friday 1/23/15 at 4pm. Winners must be able to pick up locally in Minneapolis. Prizes must be claimed by email within one week or we will redistribute. 🙂 Good luck!

 

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Cilantro Lychee Cashew

This flavor is a perfect example of how fate leads us to an end we hadn’t planned on or even thought about when we started.  Originally this was going to be a simple Lychee ice cream.  When one finds fresh Lychees in Minnesota, one is compelled to buy them immediately.  It all seemed serendipitous.

lychee

lychee

lychee syrup

 

 

 

 

 

 

One problem: by the time I reduced the water filled lychees down into a syrup to flavor the ice cream, I just didn’t have enough to make the flavor strong enough.

So…time for a left turn.  I had fresh cilantro and it seemed like a nice pair for the lychee syrup.  Adding a nice salty crunch to the mix sounded nice, and I also happened to have cashews on hand.  So maybe we call this a pantry flavor?  Or maybe I should stop talking and get on with it..

 

cilantroIMG_1032

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve wanted to use cilantro for awhile – though it’s a divisive flavor.  I happen to be in the camp that loves it.  The other camp (otherwise known as the “vile weed” camp), only taste it as a soapy, bitter nastiness.  So apologies to you folks, and follow me cilantro lovers!  The cilantro was steeped in the cream to scent the flavor without making it super pungent.  I of course would like more.  Maybe next time.

 

cashewcashewroasted cashews

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cashews were tossed in butter and salt, and roasted in the oven until golden and crunchy.

cilantro lychee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that brings us to the scoop – a cilantro scented ice cream swirled with lychee syrup and studded with crunchy roasted cashews.
Like to try some? You can be one of two lucky winners of this fabulous, scratch made craft ice cream in our weekly pint giveaway. Enter your name in the comments section here, or on our facebook page under the posted contest. Two winners will be drawn randomly on Friday 6/13/14 at 4pm. Winners must be able to pick up locally. Prizes must be claimed by email within one week or we will redistribute. 🙂 Good luck!

 

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