It's that time of year in Australia where it is starting to heat up and the amount of tropical fruits available increases every week. Although tropical fruits are not so commonly grown where I live (in Melbourne), the farmers in Northern NSW, QLD and Carnarvon region in WA are beginning to grow many rare and exotic fruits as well as the common tropical favourites. To celebrate this season rapidly approaching in Australia, I have created a recipe with some of my favourite tropical fruits and a deliciously creamy and vegan custard apple ice cream that will take you into another world.

Custard Apples are significantly high in Vitamin C, Thiamine, Potassium, Magnesium and dietary fibre. They are rich in antioxidants and have been proven to help cardio-vascular disease, lower cholesterol, increase haemoglobin levels and have anti-diabetic properties and anti-obese properties. As well as this, Custard Apples stand to be complete super heroes when it comes to their anti-cancer properties. Custard Apples contain acetogenins which have been tested in the treatment of 60 different types of cancer cells and have shown they can be up to 200-300 times stronger than some leading cancer drugs (such as Taxol). So basically apart from being super insanely delicious, custard apples have a very wide range of bioactivity and are worth researching and consuming!! They are not only my favourite fruit because of their custard like taste, but also because of their insane health benefits.

Alongside the Custard Apple ice cream, each fruit in the tropical Jamaican fruit salad is incredibly vitamin and mineral rich and it's definitely a dish that will really love your body back. If you see Custard Apples at the supermarkets or markets, I suggest picking up a few and trying them. In fact, if you see any tropical or exciting new fruit, why not give it a go - as they aren't always in season for long, and it's good to support the growers who are trying to introduce new beautiful fruits into our different countries.

Do not forget that the Kenkō Kitchen cooking classes are coming up next month. These may be the only classes for the year and are filling up fast! To find more information on tickets and to book please head to the store. The classes are small, intimate and are shaping up to be incredibly fun and informational! I cannot wait to see your faces there and most importantly cannot wait to cook with you all!!!

For information on the cooking classes and to book tickets, click here!

Serves 4
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Prep time: 20 minutes

Refined Sugar Free, Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free

Ingredients

For the ice cream
2-3 large custard apples (flesh only, seeds removed)
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar

For the fruit salad
1 mango (diced)
1/4 papaya (diced)
1/2 pomegranate (seeds only)
1/4 pineapple (diced)
2 star fruit (sliced)
2 passion fruits (seeds only)
juice 1 lime
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Method

To begin, start by placing all ingredients for the ice cream into a blender. Blitz on high until smooth and transfer into an ice cream maker for 15 minutes or until thickened. Alternatively simply place into the freezer and stir every hour or so until frozen. Keep in freezer until needed. Take out ice cream 10 minutes before serving to allow for an easy scoop.

To make the fruit salad simply slice all fruits up, and stir through the lime juice and sugar. Keep in the fridge if making in advance.

To serve, divide the fruit salad into four bowls with a scoop or two of the ice cream and enjoy!

Custard Apple Ice Cream + Jamaican Fruit Salad