Mamey

Mamey (Pouteria sapota, mamey sapote) is a tropical fruit native to southern Mexico and Central America. It is large and oval, with rough brown skin that looks unpromising and gives no hint of what is inside: dense, entirely smooth flesh in a deep salmon-orange to brick red, wrapped around a single large glossy stone. The flavour is what makes it: sweet and low in acidity, with notes usually described as a cross between sweet potato, apricot and almond, and a texture closer to a thick custard than to a juicy fruit. In Mexico it is eaten fresh with a spoon straight from the halved fruit, but its most common uses are blended: batidos and milkshakes made with milk, ice creams and sorbets (mamey is one of the classic Mexican ice cream flavours), and desserts such as mousses and tarts. The seed, once toasted and ground, is used traditionally as a flavouring, though the flesh is what you buy the fruit for. Judging ripeness matters more with mamey than with most fruit. It is ready when it yields to gentle pressure like a ripe avocado; scratch a little skin away and the flesh underneath should be salmon-coloured rather than green or pale. An unripe mamey is starchy and disappointing, and it will not improve once cut. In the UK, fresh mamey is hard to find and seasonal — Latin American greengrocers and Caribbean market stalls are the best bet. Frozen mamey pulp is far more widely available from Latin American shops and online, and for milkshakes, ice cream and desserts it is a perfectly good substitute for fresh. Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate and use within a few days.