The Joy of Chocolate Fruit - The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

The Joy of Chocolate Fruit

Here on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, even chocolate fruit grows on trees. Yes, you read that right: a chocolate tasting fruit - that's practically caffeine and fat-free - that grows on trees. It's one of our best-kept secrets, and it grows on the beautiful Black Sapote tree.

Known as "the chocolate pudding fruit," this tantalizing treat will make your mouth water. Also called a Black Persimmon, the Diaspyras digyna is a tomato-like, three to four inches in diameter (on average) berry. Its skin is thin - but strong - and olive green. The fruit flesh is a chocolate-colored, custard-like pulp that's sweet, slightly nutty, but mildly flavored.

This chocolate-like wonder is native to Mexico and Guatemala, but grown here on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel in small quantities. The only time to try this tropical fruit is mid-winter. In January and February you can find it at the Sunburst Tropical Fruit Company on Pine Island ((239) 283-1200). Try it raw with a spoon; in ice cream; in milk; in citrus or pineapple juice; mixed with lemon or lime for a delectable pie filling; or whipped into a delicious liquor drink.

If you're feasting at one of the area's fine dining establishments, ask your waiter if it's on the specials menu or try the following scrumptious recipes yourself.

Basic Preparation
Cut sapote, cutting from blossom end towards stem, into 4 to 6 wedges. With a spoon, gently scoop out pulp and discard the seeds. Pulp can be used immediately or frozen. For cooking, black sapote pulp is usually pureed with a little orange zest and juice or vanilla, which becomes the basic ingredient for other preparations such as mousse.

Chocolate Sapote Mousse

Ingredients
1 pkg. Sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix (4 serving size)
1 black sapote (see Basic Preparation)
1 cup low-fat whipped topping
2 tbsp. instant coffee

Directions
1. Prepare pudding with cold skim milk or reconstituted nonfat dry milk, following package instructions.
2. Add sapote and coffee to pudding; mix well.
3. Lightly fold in whipped topping.
4. Chill.
5. Serve in dessert dishes with additional whipped topping.

Makes 6 servings.

Dulce de Sapote Negro

The name of this dish sounds better in Spanish (pronounced dul-seh deh sapoteh nay-gro) than its English translation, sweet of black sapote.

Ingredients
3 to 4 ripe black sapotes (sapotes must be very soft; an unripe sapote is inedible)
¼ to ½ cup light honey, to taste
1 tsp. grated orange rind
2 cups orange juice
2 tbsp. finely shredded orange rind

Directions
1. Remove stems from sapotes.
2. Pull off green skin with your fingers. You now have a dark brown, thick pulp. Inside are hidden almond-shaped seeds.
3. Remove the seeds with your fingers.
4. In food processor, combine sapote pulp, honey, orange rind and orange juice.
5. Pulse until mixed well.
6. Chill. Mixture is bright, shiny black-brown.
7. Serve in crystal dessert cup or dish.
8. Sprinkle a few fine shreds of orange rind on each serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings. Dulce de Sapote Negro can also be frozen as a sherbet.

Refreshing Sapote Fruit Drink

Ingredients
mixture for Dulce de Sapote Negro
orange juice
water
orange slices

Directions
1. To the mixture for dulce de sapote negro, add enough orange juice and water (to taste) to bring to beverage consistency.
2. Chill thoroughly.
3. Serve on ice in chilled tall glasses.
4. Garnish with an orange slice on the rim of each glass.

Yields 1½ to 2 quarts.

Honey Black Sapote Cake

Ingredients
3 large sapotes (see Basic Preparation)
½ cup margarine
1 cup honey
3 eggs, separated
1½ cups sifted whole wheat flour
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup powdered milk
low-fat whipped topping (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8 x 12 inch baking pan.
3. Cream margarine and honey and gradually add egg yolks and sapote.
4. Sift and then add dry ingredients a little at a time.
5. In a second bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Fold in egg whites to sapote mixture.
7. Pour into baking pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
8. Test cake with a toothpick; baking time will vary according to the amount of sapote used.
9. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center of cake is clean, and when cake springs back when lightly touched.
10. Serve with a dollop of low-fat whipped topping, if desired.

Black Sapote Mousse

Ingredients
1 cup black sapote pulp (see Basic Preparation)
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond flavoring
2 cups low-fat whipped topping

Directions
1. Mix sapote pulp, sugar, and flavoring together.
2. Fold in the whipped topping.
3. Serve at once or chill in refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.