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Chirimoya alegre
Cherimoya in orange juice
Chirimoya alegre: 'happy cherimoya' in freshly squeezed orange juice
Chileans call it 'happy cherimoya': ripe custard-apple pulp dropped into fresh orange juice and served ice-cold. It turns up as the summer dessert after a big lunch in the Central Valley and in the Aconcagua valley, where much of Chile's cherimoya grows. The fruit should be soft like a ripe avocado; a hard one tastes starchy. The most common mistake is preparing the fruit ahead without juice, so it turns brown and loses its perfume: drop each piece straight into the orange juice. Remove every black seed, as the seeds must not be eaten or crushed. Chef's tip: squeeze the oranges yourself and taste before you sweeten; good juice often needs no sugar at all.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ripe cherimoyasabout 1 kg in total
- 1 ¾ cups freshly squeezed orange juicefrom about 5 oranges
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)only if needed
- 4 fresh mint leaves (optional)to serve
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Chill 1 ¾ cups freshly squeezed orange juice in a serving bowl. Taste it and stir in 1 tbsp sugar only if it is sharp.
Step 2: Cut 2 ripe cherimoyas in half, scoop out the white flesh with a spoon in bite-sized pieces, and pick out every black seed as you go. Drop the pieces straight into the juice and stir to coat.
10 minStep 3: Chill for 15 minutes, then spoon into glasses with plenty of juice and top with 4 fresh mint leaves. Serve the same day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chirimoya alegre take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of freshly squeezed orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
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