Pawpaw Pie or Parfait

Pawpaw is the largest fruit native to North America, and one of the most criminally underused. The flesh tastes like a cross between mango, banana, and custard, and it grows wild from Florida to Michigan along streambanks and forest edges. This recipe puts pawpaw pulp where it belongs: front and center in a chiffon-style pie or parfait that highlights its tropical flavor.

A chiffon filling is built in two stages. Egg yolks, brown sugar, milk, and unflavored gelatin cook together until thickened, then the strained pawpaw pulp goes in and the whole mixture chills until it just starts to mound. Beaten egg whites with sugar fold in next to lighten the mixture into something almost mousse-like. Pour into a graham cracker crust or layer in parfait glasses, then chill until firm. The texture lands somewhere between a cream pie and a fruit mousse, with the bright tropical perfume of the pawpaw doing the talking.

Pro Tips

• Pawpaw browns fast once cut. Strain and use the pulp the day you collect it, or freeze immediately for later use.
• Don’t let the milk-yolk mixture boil hard. Gelatin loses its setting power above a sustained boil.
• Fold gently and stop the second the streaks disappear. Overmixing deflates the egg whites and you lose the mousse texture.
• Watch the chill. The mixture should mound when spooned but still flow; rock-hard gel won’t fold cleanly with the whites.

Variations

• Layer the chiffon in parfait glasses with whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps for a no-pie presentation.
• Substitute mango pulp if pawpaw is unavailable; the texture is similar enough to work.
• Add a tablespoon of dark rum to the cooked custard for an adult, tropical-tinged version of the filling.