Fruit for self-defense

Is it a fruit? Or is it a throwing weapon??

Some say it's an exotic and tasty fruit! While others refer to it as a vampire repellent!

What if i say it's both??!!! Although not relatively famous in the west, this fruit is probably the "king" of fruits in the entire Asian continent.

After three enjoyable trips to Hong Kong, i started to get more familiar with this weird and strange fruit. One of the most remarcable characteristics of this fruit is its odour and flavour which make this fruit not so much appreciated by foreigners or Gwai lo ( Cantonese word for foreigner ) like myself and surprisingly also, people from Hong Kong.

I remember the first time i had to give my first bite and all my Hong Kong friends around me betting whether i would vomit the huge chunk of durian i was attempting to eat for the first time.

It's not really so unpleasant like many people depicts it, but later i found the flavour of this fruit varies with the seasons and also some varieties of durian.

Asian people have this saying: “smells like hell, tastes like heaven” , which i totally agree after i had my first time with a durian. It didn't hurt as most people were claiming, but after hearing such things as durian being a very useful tool for ridding yourself of an unwanted neighbour or spouse, or perhaps defending your household against vampires or invading armies, you just can't avoid to fall into the trap of letting your senses fool you by others judgements.

There aren't many recipes to use this fruit as its main ingredient, but during my trips to Hong Kong and also according some of my friends, i found that it can be used for jelly, cake and even ice cream. And since i'm a huge love of gelatos, gelados, helados or skipping some language lessons, what do we know as ice-creams, i've decided to share a recipe of an ice-cream using durian.

Ingredients:
- 4 to 6 segments fresh, frozen or canned durian, as needed to make 4 ounces durian paste
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 cup whole milk

Preparation:

Remove the seeds from the durian. Use an electric mixer to mix the flesh into a paste. Press the paste through a fine sieve. You should have 4 ounces durian paste at this point. (If not, use more durian). Chill the durian paste until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and sugar.Bring the milk and cream to a near boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low.

Pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly to thicken. Take care not to let the mixture boil, or the milk will curdle (if you see bubbles forming at the edge of the saucepan, take it off the stove element).Allow the custard to cool.

Chill the custard in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes, until it is just beginning to harden. Gradually stir in the durian paste, a tablespoon at a time.Either continue freezing, stirring several times throughout, or finish the ice cream in an ice cream maker.

When it comes to durian, either love it or leave it!!!