Paw Paw Pudding Recipe
Paw Paw’s are a true East Cast delight this time of year, I harvested a few just outside Washington DC. They grow along forest edges from Maryland to Georgia. Its’ pulp is sweet and meaty, and it each pod has quite a few large seeds in it. It is not easy to cultivate and the pods bruise easily, so they get brown spots after a few hours of being handled or after they have fallen from the tree which is usually how they are harvested. You cannot climb a paw paw tree as it is too skinny. Picking them up off the ground usually means they are at their optimal ripeness. They have large seeds. If a paw paw is truly ripe, you can eat the skins too. But not the seeds.
Paw Paw Pudding
This is my own recipe, no cooking or heating necessary. Serves 4.
Base Ingredients
4-5 large paw paw’s or more medium ones
1 Cup of cream ~ I use organic coconut cream
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tablespoon of agar, a seaweed based thickener
1-2 tablespoons of honey. (this is not necessary, as they can be sweet enough on your own. I only use honey when there is a no-heat recipe, as honey should never be heated if you want all it’s healthy properties)
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
Squirt of lime juice
1/16 teaspoon fine Celtic sea salt (do not use anything less superior, salt either adds or takes away from your health, this stuff adds to your health)
Sprigs of chocolate mint or whatever fresh mint is growing in your garden
To Make
Add the chia seeds and the coconut milk Cut the paw paw pods in half, careful not to slice through the seeds. Squeeze the pulp and seeds out into a strainer that is mounted over a bowl. You will need a soft spoon or spatula to mash the seeds against the sides of the strainer to release all the pulp from the seeds.
Add all the ingredients in the blender and blend on low for about 5 minutes.
let chill or serve right out of the blender.
Optional - you can blend some finely minced mint right into the mix, if you like to play.
Note: this food is raw, so it is naturally full of nutrients. It will only last 3-4 days max in the fridge.
