Paw Paw Fruit

I was introduced to Paw Paw fruit a few years ago. There is a large Paw Paw tree growing near the farm where we have a CSA subscription, and they share them with us. I had two dozen so I googled a recipe for Paw Paw pie. It has a unique tropical flavor. Have you ever eaten a Paw Paw? To me, it "might" have a flavor similar to persimmon. 

From Food and Wine - "According to the farmer, there’s a simple reason why the pawpaw isn’t as ubiquitous as the apple, one that has nothing to do with its folksy name. “It just doesn't travel well, so it doesn't fit well into our conventional, large-scale agricultural system that ships food across the country, and across the globe,” she says. Like heirloom tomatoes, the fragile fruit is picked when it’s soft and ripe, so will typically only be found in farmers’ markets."

From the New York Times - "When it comes to pawpaw, accept no substitutes. Trust us; we tried. We went to a bunch of experts — scholars who specialize in fruit, plus chefs and cookbook authors who know all about the proud culinary history of Appalachia — and we asked them, “If a home cook doesn’t happen to have any pawpaw, what combination of other fruits and vegetables might work well as a replacement?” We picked up passing nods to sweet potatoes, papayas, really ripe mangoes. But in the end everyone came back with variations on “Forget it, there’s nothing like a pawpaw.”  I'm glad I tried the Paw Paw pudding, and as you will see from the spices below, it reminds me of a fall pie. Yum! I also learned a lot by Googling..people making Paw Paw Butter (like apple butter), and Paw Paw dessert was a favorite of George Washington. 

Paw Paw Pie

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INGREDIENTS

½ cup/1 stick/113 grams butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for baking dish

2 cups/400 grams sugar

1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 large eggs

2 cups /1 pound/454 grams pawpaw pulp, 1 ½ cups/355 milliliters whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

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PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, 

cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

In another large bowl, whisk together eggs and pawpaw pulp until 

smooth. Whisk in milk and vanilla. Whisk in melted butter. Pour into 

sugar mixture and stir only until combined.

Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake 50 minutes or until just set in 

the center. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before cutting. 

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.