I just love trying out fruits I’ve never tasted before, especially tropical fruits. When I saw mamey sapote on my organic co-op’s order sheet, there was never any real doubt – of course I had to get some! I had had black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit) when in Port Douglas several years ago, and sampled white sapote on my recent trip to Byron Bay, but mamey sapote was completely new to me.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Don’t let mamey sapote’s ungainly exterior fool you – it’s a textbook example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. Underneath the furry brown skin is fragrant, orangey-pink flesh with a flavour that’s reminiscent of peach and papaya, but completely unique.

Tangy passionfruit forms the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of mamey sapote in this easy-to-make pie that’s just right for a hot summer night.

Ingredients:

Crust

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dates

Filling

1/2 cup raw cashews
3 cups mamey sapote flesh (1 medium mamey sapote)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pulp of 2 passionfruit
1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Method:

Crust

In a high-powered blender, grind chia seeds to a fine powder. Add oats and dates and pulse until a sticky dough forms. Press into the base and sides of a flan dish.

Filling

In a high-powered blender, grind cashews finely, then add sapite flesh and vanilla. Stir in passionfruit pulp. Scoop filling into pie crust and sprinkle with coconut.

Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Allow to thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing.