Mamey... How I love Ya....How I love Ya....

On our road trip to the Keys we stopped in Homestead, FL at one of the numerous fruit/veggie stands along the road and bought some fruit while stretching our legs.  Got a huge papaya of a variety that was tasty even without a squirt of lemon juice, a couple of mangos (Lady Sally's tree was not yet producing), and a mamey.

Mamey?  You ask?  Yep.  We'd seen mamey flavored ice cream advertised at a local Peruvian restaurant, but not seen the fruit itself, or tasted it.

Mamey is a tropical fruit, common in the Caribbean islands and Mexico, not often found outside the tropics.  Even here in Fort Myers we see them only occasionally at the megamart.  The skin is sandpapery and the fruit should be hard when you buy it.  You can tell when it's ripe by scratching a bit of the skin away near the ends.  If you see dark orange meat underneath, you've got a winner.

You cart your hard-to-the-touch mamey home and let it sit on the counter for a few days.  Eventually it will start to soften under the skin, sort of like an avocado.  And when it's firm-soft, it's time to eat.  Inside you'll find a large pit which comes away easily, leaving you acres of good eats.

The taste?  REALLY hard to describe.  Very sweet.  Overtones of papaya, which it resembles but is not related to.  Overtones of yam.  Overtones of citrus.  Totally unique, creamy not fiberous, texture.

So what do you do with your mamey fruit?   Ice cream, of course, if you've got an ice cream maker.  Lacking that, there are also mamey bread and cupcake recipes, and I suspect it would make a great scone as well. Many Caribbean and Latin recipes are variations on the smoothie/liquado/batido/milkshake theme.  

My Mamey Smoothie 

Mamey Smoothie

Mamey fruit

A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice

Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

Blend fruit and yogurt. Devour.

It can't get much simpler...

The recipe I found that was both elegant and tasty was for a dish I call Mamey Foster -- a take on the classic Bananas Foster.

Mamey Foster

Mamey Foster  a.k.a. Mamey Flambé

Yield: 4 servings - 210 calories per serving.

1½ lbs Mamey, ripe

1 tbsp unsalted Butter

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Lime juice, fresh 

2 tbsp fresh squeezed Orange juice

3 tbsp Apricot Brandy

1 cup Frozen Vanilla Yogurt

Lime or lemon slices (optional)

Cut mamey in half lengthwise and remove the seed. In the same way that you cut slices of avocado inside the skin, cut the mamey into 1 inch slices and set them aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the brown sugar and lime juice and stir well. Add the mamey and cook just a minute or two. Turn, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the OJ and brandy.

Ignite the brandy mixture with a long match; let the flames die down.

Arrange slices on dessert plates; spoon sauce evenly over fruit and top a scoop of frozen yogurt. Garnish with lime or lemon slices, if desired. Serve immediately.  Heavenly!

Fruit Pizza

For the recent 4th of July holiday I was tasked with creating a red/white/blue themed dessert.  Here's the fruit pizza I came up with:

1 Pkg (16 oz) Sugar Cookie Dough (refrigerated)

8 oz brick Cream Cheese, softened

1/3 c Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pkg Blueberries (or other fruit of choice)

1 pkg Raspberries (or other fruit of choice)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Spray a 12" pizza pan with non-stick.  Place cold dough in center of the pan and spread outward covering the pan evenly.  Bake about 15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool completely.

With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, until fluffy.  Spread mixture evenly over the cooled crust.  Arrange fruit on the cream cheese, pressing firmly to seat the fruit.  Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.  Slice into wedges and serve.