Have you had durian? No, not a durian smoothie or durian ice cream. Not previously-frozen-then-thawed-out-to-make-you-think-it’s-fresh durian from your local grocery store in the US either. I mean real durian — fresh as nature means it to be.
Anything but raw, fresh, never-been-frozen durian should never be considered a true representative of the king of fruits, if you ask me. I believe it’s the tasteless, mushy, previously-frozen durian that is largely responsible for turning off many who actually could have discovered how great this fruit really is. Even I, who love durian enough to make it my last meal on earth, can’t stand frozen durian half the time. But unless you live in Southeast Asia, good quality fresh durian just isn’t an option.
You just have to come to Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, here’s one way to make frozen durian more palatable. I personally do not like durian in any form except fresh, and when I use durian in desserts, I tend to go with the applications that allow you to retain as much as possible of the fruit’s original custard-like texture. Continue Reading →
