Soursop (guanábana (Spanish), graviola (Portuguese), Brazilian pawpaw, guyabano, corossolier, guanavana, toge-banreisi, durian benggala, nangka blanda, nangka londa) Sirsak (Indian)

not yet ripe

Soursop is an evergreen tree native to Central America, the Caribbean, and Northern South America.  It is adapted to areas of high humidity and is threatened in cold temperatures.  The flavor of the soursop has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana (Wikipedia).  It is commonly eaten as is, chilled and is used to make juices, ice cream bars, smoothies, and other desserts.

When unripe, the skin is firm and looks almost impossible to get through, but don't be discouraged by the deep green leather looking skin because cutting through (ripe or unripe) the fruit is like cutting through a watermelon-easy and fun.  You wouldn't cut through it unripe to begin with but I state so just to give you an idea of how easy it is.

When ripe, its skin is yellowish-greenish, soft to the touch, and very fragrant.  I'm so glad to find a fruit that tastes as good as it smells.

The more ripe it gets, the looser its fibers will get, the more pulp you will feel with your mouth.  When eaten the moment it ripens, it will be easier to chew through.  If you're not a fan of the pulp, you can mash it with a fork until the juice separates or you can chew it up with your mouth instead and extract the juices.  Better yet, you can grind it up into a smoothie (MmmM).

Soursop is prepared the same way as a watermelon with both skin and seeds discarded. First cut it in half lengthwise, then cut smiley slices, and lastly cut the skin off while trying to retain as much white pulp as you can.  Tip: It can be very messy depending on its ripeness so stand by with a big plastic bag for disposal of the skin and a kitchen towel for all residual juices left behind. 

ripe soursop

Links to Soursop recipes:
soursop smoothie
soursop ice cream
soursop cheesecake
soursop punch

Eye Love SGU

Creamy Garlic Chive Butter Spread

It's not hard to taste the fact that butter is perfect in almost everything ahhaha.

Today, I decided to make a spread that would go great with soft bread rolls (along with some sort of pasta dish).  Before the idea came about, I was reminiscing about the days when I'd visit Boudin and request 6 extra pats of butter to go with whatever I ordered (usually Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl MMMmmmmMMm).  Of course I didn't consume all pats of butter at one time (though I came close one time) I always left happy knowing that my stash in my refrigerator back at home would get bigger.  If I could describe Boudin in two words, well, maybe three, it would be Sourdough Bread and Butter. In light of my fond memories, here's a delicious butter spread recipe that will more than likely leave you and your stomach smiling. 

This creamy spread is delicious on top of toasted bread rolls, cutlets, fried foods, hamburgers, chicken burgers, and can be made as a base for pastas. Stay tuned for a pasta recipe that I recently made using this spread.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter (I use land o lakes light, salted)
1 garlic clove minced finely
~1/3 cup chopped chives
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
If using unsalted butter add 1/2 tsp salt.  If not, no need to add salt.
1 tbsp cream cheese
6 tbsp evaporated milk

Directions
1. Melt butter in sauce pan for fry pan Medium high heat.
2. add butter, chives, parsley, pepper, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning as soon as butter is melted. Turn heat down to medium low heat to prevent burning garlic, creating a bitter taste.
3. Stir frequently for ~5 min or until mixture starts bubbling.
4.  Add cream cheese and evaporated milk.  Stir in with other ingredients.  Once uniformed, cook for another min or so.  Turn off heat and immediately transfer into a container and cover.