Chirimoyas, cherimoyas or custard apples grow in abundance in Southern Spain. Originally from subtropical zones such as Peru and Columbia it comes from the Annonaceae family - Anona Cherimolia.
The first records of the custard apple being grown in Spain was in the 16th century, but it wasn’t grown commercially until the 19th century.
The chirimoya looks like no other fruit, it’s a cross between being heart-shaped and round with rough-textured but thin skin which varies from a yellow-greenish tinge to dark green. The fruit or pulp is very creamy and juicy usually a creamy white colour with a few dark seeds found within it.
Chirimoya can be peeled and eaten raw or used instead of an apple sauce or cooked apples for crumbles and pies. It’s best cut in two, the pips removed and the pulp eaten by itself – delicious.
Chirimoya Mousse
Ingredients - serves 4
- 3 chirimoyas – medium sized and nicely ripe
- 400ml cream – for whipping
- 4 eggs – whites only 1
- 50 gr sugar
- 1 leaf gelatine
Method:
- Peel and deseed the fruits, put into a mixer or food processor then pass the fruit puree through a fine sieve
- Put the gelatine to soak in cold water or as the instructions say.
- Beat the egg whites with the sugar until a fork will stand upright in the mixture.
- Keep back 2 teaspoons of cream and beat the rest until thick.
- Heat the gelatine and mix it with the reserved cream then leave to cool
- Gently mix together the fruit puree, the cream, whipped egg mixture and the gelatine, transfer to a serving bowl and put in the fridge to chill and until needed.
*******************
Chirimoya Nougat
Ingredients - makes one block
- 1lb.cherimoya pulp
- 11/2 lbs.sugar
- 3 tbsps lime juice
- Wafers - round, 15 cm
- Raisins
- Orange and lime peel -blanched
- Almonds
- Cohune nuts
Method
- Peel and de-seed the chirimoyas, mix the pulp with the sugar and lime juice.
- Put the mixture into a pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time so it doesn’t stick until it becomes like a heavy syrup.
- Leave the mixture to cool.
- Chop up fairly finely the raisins, orange and lime peel and the nuts.
- Cut thin strips of peel off the oranges and limes and blanch them.
- Mix together.
- In a bowl or tin of about 15cm put alternate layers of wafers and the fruit and nut mixture, ending with a wafer layer.
- Put in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Nougat recipe from the book "Delicious Tropical Fruits" by Liliana Vargas.
For another Spanish dessert why not try Lemon Sorbet with Cava
