Cherimoya or Custard Apple

The custard apple or cherimoya, also spelled chirimoya, is the fruit of the species Annona cherimola, which generally is thought to be native to the Andes, although an alternative hypothesis proposes Central America as the origin of cherimoya because many of its crop wild relatives occur in this area. Today cherimoya is grown throughout South Asia, South and Central America.

Cherimoya is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 7 m (22 feet) tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, oblong-lanceolate, 7–15 cm long and 6–10 cm broad. The flowers are produced in small clusters, each flower 2–3 cm across, with six petals, yellow-brown, often spotted purple at the base.

The fruit is oval, often slightly oblate, 10–20 cm long and 7–10 cm diameter, with a smooth or slightly tuberculated skin. The fruit flesh is white and creamy, and has numerous dark brown seeds embedded in it. Mark Twain called the cherimoya “the most delicious fruit known to men.” The fruit is fleshy and soft, sweet, white in color, with a sherbet-like texture, which gives it its secondary name, custard apple.

Some characterize the flavour of the custard apple as a blend of banana, pineapple, papaya, peach, and strawberry. Others describe it as tasting like commercial bubblegum. Similar in size to a grapefruit, it has large, glossy, dark seeds that are easily removed. When ripe, the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure, similar to the avocado.

When the fruit is soft-ripe/fresh-ripe and still has the fresh, fully mature greenish/greenish-yellowish skin color, the texture is like that of a soft-ripe pear and papaya. If the skin is allowed to turn fully brown, yet the flesh has not fermented or gone “bad”, then the texture can be custard-like. Often, when the skin turns brown at room temperature, the fruit is no longer good for human consumption. Also, the skin turns brown if it has been under normal refrigeration for too long – a day or two maybe.

Fresh cherimoya contains about 15% sugar (about 60kcal/100g) and some vitamin C (up to 20 mg/100g). Cherimoya and other members of the Annonaceae family also contain small amounts of neurotoxic alkaloids, such as annonacin, which appear to be linked to atypical Parkinsonism in Guadeloupe. The seeds are poisonous if crushed open. An extractive of the bark can induce paralysis if injected.

CUSTARD APPLE BAVAROIS WITH MANGO

You need 2 cups custard apple purée for this recipe. Bavarois can be made a day before required. Recipe unsuitable to freeze.

3 egg yolks
1/2cup castor sugar
1 ½ cups milk
thin strip lemon rind
1 tablespoon gelatine
3 tablespoons water
2 medium custard apples
300mI carton thickened cream
1 large mango

Beat egg yolks and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and pale in colour. Gently heat milk with lemon rind in saucepan for about 10 minutes; do not boil. (This is to extract flavour from rind.) Remove rind, whisk egg yolk mixture into milk, stir constantly with wooden spoon over low heat without boiling until mixture thickens slightly, remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle gelatine over water, dissolve over hot water (or microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds), cool to room temperature; do not allow to set. Stir gelatine mixture into custard mixture, pour into large bowl. Stir in strained, puréed custard apples, fold in whipped cream. Pour into 6 lightly oiled dishes
(three-quarter cup capacity). Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Turn onto serving plates. Blend or process mango until smooth, strain, serve with bavarois. Serves 6.

CUSTARD APPLE ICE-CREAM

You need 2 cups custard apple purée for this recipe. Slice can be frozen several days ahead of serving.

1 teaspoon gelatine
3 teaspoons water
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup castor sugar
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 medium custard apples

300ml carton thickened cream Line 19cm x 29cm lamington pan with foil. Add gelatine to water, dissolve over hot water (or microwave on HIGH for 15 seconds). Combine egg yolks and sugar in bowl, whisk or beat over simmering water until thick and creamy. Add milk and essence, stir
constantly over water until mixture is slightly thickened.

Stir in gelatine mixture, pour into large bowl, cool; do not allow to set. Stir in strained, puréed custard apples and whipped cream. Pour into pan, cover with foil, freeze overnight.

CUSTARD APPLE EGG NOG

2 medium custard apples
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons honey

Blend or process custard apples until smooth; strain. Heat milk in saucepan, bring to boil, remove from heat, whisk in egg yolks and honey, stir constantly over low heat, without boiling, until mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in custard apple. Makes about 4 cups.

____________________________________________________________________
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return from custard apple to Home Page

If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER