Tropical Fruit Holiday Foods

[Galatians522]

Have you tried using tropical fruit as a substitute in a favorite holiday recipee? Or have you come up with a new dish that you would like to try? Maybe you tried something and it was a failure. Share your ideas here! If you have a recipee to share let us know that you'll be posting something in the recipe section.

Here are some of mine to get us started:

I like freezing sliced green mango that dropped earlier in the year to use in apple recipes this time of year. Works like a charm--we had some tonight actually.

As for failures, I can verify that Suriname cherries do not make a great cherry pie. We tried this once when I was a kid. That was the only pie I ever remember getting thrown away.

[Jaboticaba45]

Surinam cherry pie...Very interesting
I think olosapo pie would work or maybe canistel, mamey, or ross sapote for pies. Someone with the fruits should try! I think it would taste epic! Maybe I'll get some fruits and mess around with them after finals.

[elouicious]

Persimmons can be used like pumpkin in most recipes-

Made some jam last night that turned out okay

[daisyguy]

Did the surinam cherry pie turn into soup?

[Galatians522]

Did the surinam cherry pie turn into soup?

No, we used a regular cherry pie recipe and it had the texture of cherry pie. However, as I recall cooking seemed to concentrate the yuck flavor that many people do not like. Maybe the results would have been different if we had used an improved variety instead of the wild type we had available?

[Galatians522]

Surinam cherry pie...Very interesting
I think olosapo pie would work or maybe canistel, mamey, or ross sapote for pies. Someone with the fruits should try! I think it would taste epic! Maybe I'll get some fruits and mess around with them after finals.

I had actually been thinking of that very thing. I had originally thought that it would requure a no-bake recipe, but it looks like there are a lot of on-line recipees for cooked versions that people seem to like. On person claims that you can use raw Mamaey just like canned pumpkin.

What about a Canistel or Ross Sapote egg nog?

[Galatians522]

Persimmons can be used like pumpkin in most recipes-

Made some jam last night that turned out okay

You bring up a good point, I didn't realie that persimmons could be made into a pie (kind of like pumpkin pie) but even Southern Living has a recipe.  Plus persimmon bread is already a holiday food in many places in its own right--especially in the native range for American persimmon.

[Fruitguy]

I have used black sapote in place of pumpkin in a cheesecake. It had a beautiful  chocolate  colored appearance and tasted like cheesecake.

[fliptop]

I had Suriname Cherry Pie at a Tampa Bay Rare Fruit Council meeting (I believe circa 2018) and it was like crack to me. I went up for seconds. I can only hope we can create such a pie when I have enough Suriname Cherries to attempt it.

[Galatians522]

I had Suriname Cherry Pie at a Tampa Bay Rare Fruit Council meeting (I believe circa 2018) and it was like crack to me. I went up for seconds. I can only hope we can create such a pie when I have enough Suriname Cherries to attempt it.

If you do, please let us know what recipes you use and the variety if it is an improved kind. What we tried wasn't great.

[pagnr]

Green Jackfruit is a fairly good substitute for chicken in curry type dishes, in texture and flavour of white meat. Not sure if it can scale up to replace the Xmass turkey.

[HI_Chris]

I'm no fan of the resin taste of many surinam cherries, however...

A neighbor gave me a quart of cherries that she had pitted and put in the freezer.  I tried out a pie recipe for Thanksgiving and it went over well.  It wasn't quite like cherry pie -- it had a bit of a spicy, raisiny mince-meat-pie flavor underneath -- but the resin was not noticeable and it did taste like cherry.
The original recipe was at www.thebermudian.com/food-a-drink/recipes/bermuda-cherry-pie/ and my version of the filling follows.

1 quart pitted surinam cherries
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (the original recipe called for some grated ginger)
1 tsp lemon juice

Boil until it thickens quite a bit.  Let cool.
Use this as a filling in a pre-baked pie shell.  Heat it up for 10+ minutes, optionally with a meringue topping (which I didn't do).
I gave my guests, who were unfamiliar with surinam cherries, a bit of a warning beforehand.  The fact that I lowered expectations probably helped everyone enjoy the not-quite-cherry pie.  I would do it again.

Chris

[elouicious]

I'm no fan of the resin taste of many surinam cherries, however...

A neighbor gave me a quart of cherries that she had pitted and put in the freezer.  I tried out a pie recipe for Thanksgiving and it went over well.  It wasn't quite like cherry pie -- it had a bit of a spicy, raisiny mince-meat-pie flavor underneath -- but the resin was not noticeable and it did taste like cherry.
The original recipe was at www.thebermudian.com/food-a-drink/recipes/bermuda-cherry-pie/ and my version of the filling follows.

1 quart pitted surinam cherries
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (the original recipe called for some grated ginger)
1 tsp lemon juice

Boil until it thickens quite a bit.  Let cool.
Use this as a filling in a pre-baked pie shell.  Heat it up for 10+ minutes, optionally with a meringue topping (which I didn't do).
I gave my guests, who were unfamiliar with surinam cherries, a bit of a warning beforehand.  The fact that I lowered expectations probably helped everyone enjoy the not-quite-cherry pie.  I would do it again.

Chris

I can tell you from experience that putting Eugenia fruit in the fridge for a minimum of overnight can get rid of the turpentyne resinous flavor that some people don't like

[Galatians522]

I'm no fan of the resin taste of many surinam cherries, however...

A neighbor gave me a quart of cherries that she had pitted and put in the freezer.  I tried out a pie recipe for Thanksgiving and it went over well.  It wasn't quite like cherry pie -- it had a bit of a spicy, raisiny mince-meat-pie flavor underneath -- but the resin was not noticeable and it did taste like cherry.
The original recipe was at www.thebermudian.com/food-a-drink/recipes/bermuda-cherry-pie/ and my version of the filling follows.

1 quart pitted surinam cherries
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (the original recipe called for some grated ginger)
1 tsp lemon juice

Boil until it thickens quite a bit.  Let cool.
Use this as a filling in a pre-baked pie shell.  Heat it up for 10+ minutes, optionally with a meringue topping (which I didn't do).
I gave my guests, who were unfamiliar with surinam cherries, a bit of a warning beforehand.  The fact that I lowered expectations probably helped everyone enjoy the not-quite-cherry pie.  I would do it again.

Chris

Tumeric! I never saw that one coming. That brings up a whole new world of possibilities. I bet a little clove and almond extract would pair well...

[Galatians522]

I can tell you from experience that putting Eugenia fruit in the fridge for a minimum of overnight can get rid of the turpentyne resinous flavor that some people don't like

Thanks for the tip, does freezing do the same thing?