Paw-Paw Sorbet

This will probably be the easiest and shortest dessert recipe in the world, but I still want to include it on the blog because of how insanely delicious this thing is. A heavenly sorbet made with only one ingredient – paw-paws.

I finally got to try some paw-paw fruits that were locally grown here in the northern part of Croatia. People here have been talking about growing paw-paw trees for years, so I was excited for the day those trees would give fruits.

This year I was lucky to try three delicious paw-paw fruit varieties from a permaculture orchard in Međimurje county, called Šumski Vrt. I was amazed with how delicious they tasted – something between mango and banana flavour, with a lot of fragrant, fruity aroma.

I did expect an exotic flavour from a fruit that looks like that, but I was impressed that it came from a plant native to a bit cooler climates. Asimina triloba (paw-paw plant) grows naturally in the eastern part of the United States and Canada.

The fruit reminded me a lot of its tropical relative – custard apple or annona (which also happens to be one of my favourite fruits in the world).

So, not eager to waste any of these precious fruits (because they are just too delicious raw), but still curious about making something with them, I decided to use a couple to make the simplest of all recipes – something like a paw-paw sorbet.

Paw-paw fruits are naturally sweet and creamy, so I didn’t want to add anything else to this recipe. I just removed all the seeds, blended the fruit flesh with a stick mixer and put it in the freezer for about three hours.

The texture and flavour were amazing – like a proper sorbet! Naturally sweet, fragrant, creamy and tender. If it had any additional sweetener, it would have been too sweet for my taste. The natural sweetness of paw-paw fruit was just perfect.

If you’d like to get a creamier texture, it is an excellent option to freeze the fruit before blending it with a strong blender or a food processor – that way you will break the ice crystals that have already formed, and get a smooth and creamy ice cream dessert.

This will work better with larger quantities since you need some mass to blend everything well in a blender or a food processor. This time, I only used a small amount, so it was easier to just blend them fresh with a stick mixer.

Honestly, I loved the result!

Yield: 2 portions

Paw-Paw Sorbet

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This delicious sorbet requires only one ingredient - paw-paw fruits. It is naturally fragrant and tasty, and doesn't need any additional sugar.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 + ½ cup paw-paw fruit flesh

Instructions

1. Cut the paw-paw fruits in halves, remove the seeds and separate the flesh from the skins.
2. Freeze the fruit flesh for about three hours.
3. Put the frozen fruit into a high-speed blender or a food processor and process until smooth (not for too long to avoid heating it up).
4. Put the sorbet into a container and leave it in the freezer for an additional hour to get the best consistency.
5. Serve alone, or with some fruits, maple syrup or coconut cream.

Notes

This is the best way to get a really nice and smooth sorbet consistency that can be easily scooped even if it was frozen for a bit longer.

If you would like to make a smaller quantity that is not suitable for a blender or a food processor, you can skip the first freezing part, and just puree the fresh fruit flesh with a stick mixer. Then freeze it for about three hours, and your sorbet is ready! It will still have a great consistency; it will only not be suitable for sitting in the freezer for too long, because with time it will turn too icy and hard to scoop out (this is fixed by simply defrosting it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes prior to serving).