Foods

This delicious dessert fruit is the result of a cross between a cherimoya and a sweetsop, or sugar apple. From the outside, an atemoya looks something like an artichoke carved from clay; inside, it has cream-colored flesh with the flavor and texture of a vanilla or fruit custard. Unlike custard, however, the fruit is practically free of fat and sodium, and rich in potassium.

Atemoyas are grown in south Florida and are also imported from the West Indies; they are usually available from August through October.

Look for a pale-green fruit that is slightly tender to finger pressure but that has not cracked open (which the fruit often does as it ripens).

Keep the atemoya at room temperature for a day or two if it is not already softened and ready to eat when you bring it home. Once it is ripe, you can refrigerate the fruit for a day or two. The atemoya tastes best chilled.

To serve, cut the atemoya in half through the stem end and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Alternately, you can use cubed atemoya in a fruit salad.