Custard apple and coconut semifreddo

Eating custard apples as a child I loved the sweet creamy taste, the feel of the stone-like seeds in my mouth (and then spitting said seeds at people – sorry sister E). Eating them as an adult I enjoy the texture and flavour and I also recall a story told and retold whenever this strange fruit was around. It is just a scene really, about a man in a South East Asian kingdom whose only job was to remove every hidden seed in a custard apple ensuring that the fruit remains intact, flawless for the royal family.

Well, I gotta say, perfect and pristine are not really my idea of a good time. So when I was given a pair of super ripe custard apples (excess from a dumpster diving expedition, free!), I took them home and right away peeled and deseeded them and ignored the flashes of that story. Then I turned my pilfered fruit into a delicious frozen dessert – so much better than an expert fake.

Ripe custard apple is very sweet, so it works well being diluted with the coconut custard. I left the flesh in large pieces because I really like its texture once frozen.

After months, years even, of a custard apple drought, within days of making this dessert my Dad visited bringing edible gifts. Perfect avocados, thin asparagus stalks like models and a custard apple – unripe to withstand the journey unblemished, but soon to be fragrant and tender. What to do with this surplus? More Custard apple and coconut semifreddo!

Custard apple and coconut semifreddo
adapted from Taste.com.au’s custard apple ice-cream

2 large custard apples
300ml thickened cream
125ml milk
80g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tbs vodka
200ml coconut cream

toasted shredded coconut, to serve.

Peel and de-seed custard apples and cut or break flesh into pieces, being careful to remove any grainy sections.

Heat the cream and milk in a saucepan until almost boiled. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks together until thick and pale. Pour the hot cream over the eggs, whisking continuously. Return to the saucepan and stir over low heat until custard has thickened. Stir coconut cream through, then set aside to cool.

Stir the custard apple flesh through and pour into loaf tin lined with plastic wrap and freeze.

To serve, remove parfait from tin. You may need to dip the base of the tin into warmed water to help the parfait release. Slice and serve with toasted coconut.

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