What to do with luscious cherimoyas, from cocktails to dessert

If you’ve never seen a cherimoya before, it may look a little odd at first -- like a large, leathery egg.

But slice into the green skin of this tropical fruit and you find that cherimoyas have wonderfully fragrant, almost custard-like flesh. The fruit, known as a “custard apple” in Britain, can be eaten raw or cooked -- simply scoop out the flesh, remove the seeds and use as desired.

PHOTOS: Recipes and tips for using cherimoya

To choose fresh cherimoyas, look for fruit that is firm and heavy for its size (size doesn’t matter -- fruit ranging from small to large can be equally good). Like an avocado, ripened cherimoyas will yield slightly to pressure.

Store cherimoyas at room temperature until ripened, then refrigerate, tightly wrapped, up to a few days.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

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