The super-short pawpaw season is upon us, and if you're lucky enough to find America's forgotten fruit at a farmers market or in the wild, make the most of it! I had the good fortune to secure a handful from my sister's neighbor.
Similar in taste to a mango-y banana, this unique fruit with a custardy texture often is eaten out of hand. But it also lends itself to any dessert that uses bananas, such as pudding, custard, ice cream and bread.
I used toasted walnuts in this recipe, but pecans also would work beautifully. It took about five medium-sized pawpaws to get 1 cup of pulp. The smaller the fruit, the harder it is to separate the pulp from the seeds. Rather than pick them out one at a time, I found it easier to place everything in a bowl, mash it with a potato masher and then remove the seeds. You also could halve the pawpaws with a knife and squish them through a colander into a bowl.
Pawpaw pulp keeps six months in the freezer but only a day or so in the fridge.
