Black Sapotes are totes awesome.

Back in October 2007 I posted about the delicious tropical fruit, the Black Sapote.  At the risk of being repetitive, I'm going to do another post about this fab fruit -- it was nearly 4 years ago, and I have new things to say this time anyways! In October 2007, and for maybe a year or more, Andy and I were going through a phase where we bought them nearly every week.  Then, for some reason, we stopped buying them.  Until a few weeks ago, when I saw a basket of $1 sapotes at the market, and I said, "We're getting one".  Andy picked a big one, but then the stall-holder pulled out an even BIGGER one from the back of her truck.  So we bought two.

I put it next to a gift card, so you can see how big they are.

Black Sapotes are hard and green when you buy them.  You can't buy them much riper than this, because they are too delicate -- even picking them up can be tricky, so transporting them ain't gonna happen. Look at what happens to the bottom when they go ripe -- the weight of the fruit pushes down, and the bottom goes super flat.

Just ignore all the mess in the background.

You can slow the ripening process by putting firm sapotes in the fridge until a few days before you want them to ripen.  Then, once you bring them back to room temperature, they finish ripening and away you go.

The big one ripened much quicker than the littlie.

Black Sapote also makes a yummy port, so if you're ever in Far North Queensland you should treat yourself to a tasting at Shannonvale Tropical Fruit Winery.

Black Sapote is, as I said in 2007, also known as the Chocolate Pudding Fruit.  However, they don't really taste all that chocolatey.  If you think really hard about it, you can faintly taste a bit of chocolate, but that may just be imagined.  It's hard to say.  What they do taste like is yummy - sort of persimmony, which is unsurprising since the two fruits are in the same family.

So what things can you do with a Black Sapote?  This is what we've done recently...

1) In a pie. Scoop the flesh, separating out the seeds.  Mash or blend it up with a splash of Cointreau. 

Pour into a pre-baked Granola Nut Crust (the best recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, in my opinion).  Chill, and eat.

This was actually a bit of a fail, because I didn't mix anything, like agar, into the fruit to make it set.  So instead, I put it in the freezer.

2) In ice cream.  I made an easy-pants custard with coconut milk simmered with a cinnamon stick, and then a bit of corn flour.  Once it cooled, I blended in the flesh of a Black Sapote, took out the cinnamon, and churned it in the ice cream maker.  Cinnamon + Sapote = a super yummy flavour combo.

3) With a spoon.  Still the easiest, and possibly the best way to eat sapote -- straight up.

Have you ever tried a Black Sapote?  Were you convinced of their chocolate-likeness, or a skeptic like me?