I love Jackfruit.  LOVE.

Most people seem to have never heard of this delicious creature that tastes like a marriage between a banana and a pineapple that comes in a package that could only be described as an alien egg pod.  Okay, so it’s a really weird looking piece of flora.  And it does take a bit of practice and watching several YouTube videos to figure out how to even harvest the edible part from inside the pod.  Totally worth it! (I’m not going to recommend any particular video…watch several and decide which method works for your kitchen.)

I buy mine at an Asian grocer, 99 Ranch Market, whenever they have them fresh.  You can

also buy them prepped in a can or frozen….buy why??  I usually buy one that is about 35-40lbs.  No joke, these things are huge.

I spend that night breaking the whole thing down and tossing most of the fruit into the freezer to eat in smaller batches later.  I roast the seeds if they look in good shape, much like you would a chestnut and snack on those throughout the week that follows my purchase.

For the fruit pods, I just toss them in hot butter and add some salt, flipping the fruit every few minutes till its brown on both sides.  And then I eat it (and I’m eating a batch as I write this; wish I could share the aroma with you from here!).  Sure, you could add some cinnamon or a drizzle of chocolate, but I’m a purist and I enjoy this fruit on its own.  The aroma that comes off this plant is simply amazing!  It’s sweet and savory all at the same time and my mouth waters just thinking about munching on one of those juicy orange pods.

But recently I’ve been wondering how this might work in say, a Jackfruit upside-down cake?  Or cut up and tossed into a muffin mix?  I am going to need to experiment and see what recipes I can turn this lovely fruit into that could be included on a future Bed & Breakfast menu.  If I can first stop eating all of my ingredients!  I only have one small batch left in the freezer before I need to hunt down my next 40lb monster.  I’ll have to decide which experiment to try first before then…

via Daily Prompt: Scent