Friday, September 20, 2013

What the Heck Is a Soursop? & Soursop Cheesecake

Meet the soursop, a green-tipped oval fruit native to Mexico, Cuba, and parts of Central and South America. Its name may sound like a medieval insult, but the soursop is a sweet, luscious fruit, perfect in fruit salads or served chilled as a dessert on its own.

Also known as the custard apple, the soursop has a flavor described as a mix of strawberry and pineapple, but with the underlying creaminess of a banana or coconut.

The fruit is best eaten fresh, though the pulp freezes well, and can also be dried and mixed with other fruit to make ‘roll-ups.’ Unripe soursops can also be used as vegetables in soups.

While soursops aren’t native to the United States, you may be able to find the fruits in markets specializing in Caribbean or Latin foods. Soursop juice is also sold bottled or canned under the name guanabana, the Spanish name for the fruit.

                        Guanabana (soursop) Cheesecake

Base:

2                         cups sweet biscuits (graham crackers)
2                         tablespoons melted butter
                       **pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg**
Filling:
3                         teaspoons powdered gelatine
2                         4 ounces  cream cheese
1                         8 ounce can condensed milk
⅓                        cup fresh lemon juice
1                         cup pureed soursop, beaten well

TIP:
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Instructions:
Chilling time: 2 ½ hours

1 .        To make the base, preheat oven to 180˚C. Crumble the biscuits and mix well with the melted butter and spice. Press into a greased pie dish and refrigerate to chill for 30 minutes-1 hour before baking for 10 minutes until golden. Seet aside to cool to room temperature.
2.         To make the filling, sprinkle the gelatine over ¼ cup hot water, mixed in well and set aside. Beat the cream cheese with the condensed milk and lemon juice, then stir in the pureed soursop followed by the gelatine. Pour the mixture into the baked and cooled pastry shell and refrigerate for a couple of hours until set .

This cheesecake was made for me by one of my friend's from Mexico  this weekend  and I wants to share it with all my blogging friends and viewers .I will bring you more foods from the Road Show  soon .

18 comments:

  1. ivy sew http://simplybeautifulhealthyliving.blogspot.comSeptember 20, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Hi Nee, this is the first time I see Soursop cheese cake. Over here in Malaysia, we eat it fresh. It can be made into smoothies too. I love soursop :)

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    1. Hi Ivy , my first experience with Soursop and I gave it a two thumbs up , I am fortunate to have an Oriental store in one of our local malls , she made salads , smoothies for the kids and some cooktails for the grown-ups . Thanks for stopping by :).

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  2. Hi Nee,
    I love eating soursop and it is so refreshing when juiced! I have not seen nor eaten a cheesecake with soursop, sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Hi Joyce , Soursop will be on my grocery list , there are so many different things you can make and they all come up # 1 , I will make cocktails at my next get together . Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by ").

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  3. Hi Nee,
    Wonderful and interesting blog post. I have never seen or tasted the soursop fruit before. Love how there are so many things in this world that we have no clue about. Those tropical flavors must be incredible! Have to try this one for sure. Thanks for sharing...Blessings, and have a fabulous weekend! Dottie :o)

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    1. Hi Dottie , this was the first time I heard or tasted the fruit, it is so unbelievable delicious , it reminds me of the pomegrante , I only make jelly from the pomegrante , but my friend said you can use the fruit before it's ripen in soups and stews , thank you for dropping by and have a blessed weekend :).

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  4. i hv only tried soursops after boiling them in water.. i was told by some old folks here by boiling them and drinking the water, it aids in reducing pimples :D

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    1. Hi Lena , I was amazed how good soursops are and now you have given me anothwe reason for trying them thanks for stopping by :)

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  5. I have never even heard about such thing..I wonder if I would be even able to get them.

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    1. Hi Medeja , Like you , I never heard of a soursop until they did a road show at the Eldorado Hotel here , a Latin shop opened up here a couple of years ago and we was able to get some , thanks for stopping by :).

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  6. I don't know the soursop. And yes, it does kinda sound like a medieval insult! Great dish - thanks.

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    1. Hi John , my first also but not my last . The fruit teminds me of the pomgrante on the inside . Thanks for stopping by :).

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  7. You GO girl! I love that you are experimenting with new foods. How adventurous! I only know of Soursop through reading about it. I'm so glad you have introduced us to it and added a bite of history too!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing, Nee...

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    1. Hi Louise , I had fun learning about soursop , right place at the right time . What can I say , I'm gradually learning form my mentor , thanks for stopping by :).

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    2. Hi Nee,

      If you are seriously thinking bout buying that book, check prices online before you go to Barnes & Noble. Sometimes they will negotiate if you tell them you saw it online for less. The book is out if print but I've seen quite a few copies online for a lot less than what I paid for it back in 1990!

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    3. I will check the prices online and thank you very much :).

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  8. I love soursop and used to eat them by the bagful when I was living in Asia. :P Love this fruit. Never thought to bake them into desserts though. This is one lovely cheesecake.

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    1. Hi Amy , this is first time trying soursop , fortunately , we have a Oriental store close by . They are delicious thanks for stopping by :).

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Hi friends, thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to say hello. The welcome mat is always out and the coffee is always hot .I really appreciate your sweet gesture!