I hadn't. The quick story is that this summer I joined a community supported agriculture farm (CSA) called Harvest Bee. Ken, the talented biodynamic farmer, had been a student in one of my classes. I was excited to be able to have access to locally-grown produce so very freshly delivered direct from a nearby farm. What I didn't realize was how many unique new types of produce and herbs I would get to experience. Black sapote is just one example.
Black Sapote is a tropical fruit that grows on an evergreen tree. A species of Persimmon, it is often called chocolate pudding fruit. Unripe, the fruit is green and hard, but after a few days it softens to a mushy feel and the pulp becomes sweet-tasting like chocolate pudding. I decided to experiement with making a "chocolate" Black Sapote pie...and the results were delicious enough to share.
As a Life Coach also trained in nutrition, I'm pleased to learn that this fruit is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and has high amounts of potassium and aids digestion. It provides an instant dose of energy without a lot of calories. What a wondrous tropical fruit to discover practically in my backyard!
Here's the recipe:
- 2 soft ripe sapote
- 3 to 4 tbs organic cocoa powder
- 2 bananas, cut into chunks
- 3 to 4 tbs honey
- 8 tbs coconut milk plus the "cream" from the Thai Organic Coconut Milk (makes it even creamier)
- 2 tbs walnuts, chopped
- added 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 1 tbs cinnamon
- In a food processor I placed scooped flesh (no seeds) from the black sapote. Added the rest of ingredients then blended. After blending I added about a cup of whole organic raspberries and mixed it together by hand. I then folded the blended ingredients into a pie crust (I used a "healthy" spelt crust) and added more whole raspberries on top along with 1 tbs chopped walnuts. I placed the entire pie in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill and then served.