Durian Dessert

My time in the warm south has come to an end, but during my last week in Florida we indulged in another durian one sunny afternoon on the back deck, overlooking the

ocean. I just couldn't help myself though - my mind went into thoughts of a new creation. Using some discipline, we saved a pod for the project. Vanilla and durian are the best of friends, so I came up with this ice cream recipe. You definitely don't need a lot of durian to taste it - start with less if you'd like. We enjoyed it with choccie sauce and cacao nibs. Banana would go well on top!

Vanilla Durian Ice Cream

2 cups cashews

4 cups water

1 cup durian

3/4 cup agave

1/4 cup agave powder*

Seeds of 2 vanilla beans

(you could sub pure extract, to taste)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

(or dried, to taste)

Few pinches of salt

*A water soluble fiber extracted from agave

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Chill the mixture for a few hours in the fridge.

Process it in an ice

cream maker. Allow it to firm up further in the freezer a few hours.

If you haven't yet tried this exotic fruit, head to chinatown (which will be guaranteed to carry it), or a large grocery store. I can sometimes get them in the very northern city in Canada, so I'm sure you can too. If you try it once and don't like it - persist! It's a bit of an acquired taste. I still remember my first try about 8 years ago in California. I've been hooked ever since and always say YES to the king of fruits!