One way to beat the heat this summer is to cool off with some refreshing juicy exotic fruits that are towering with billowing clouds of Rambutan flavored whipped topping.
Fresh fruits in the summer are abundant but let me introduce you to a few new ones that you may or may have not tried before. Have you ever tried a rambutan, sapodilla or salak?
If you can’t get rambatan, sapodilla or salak fruits in your home country, keep on reading because I have some great alternatives and simply fresh ideas for keeping your summer a fun and easy one in the kitchen.
Here is the sequel to “Exotic Desserts Without Breaking a Sweat”. For those of you that might have missed my first edition to the series please check out http://bamskitchen.com/2011/09/01/exotic-fruits-desserts-without-breaking-a-sweat/
A rambutan is a member of the lychee family. It is native to warmer tropical areas like Asia. It is hairy on the outside and usually has a red, purple color and slightly gives to the touch, when ripened. To describe the taste I would say they are slightly floral sweet and juicy. They have one large seed in the inside that must be removed before eating. I have watched many people try to open to eat this fruit and it is always amusing. The best way to open a rambutan for me is to put my thumb nail into the skin and they holding the rambutan in both hands squeeze and turn until the skin gives ad then it comes out in one easy movement.
A sapodilla is a fruit that originated in the central American rain forests but is now readily found in Asia in the tropical regions. The exterior of the fruit is light brown like a potato and when you cut it in half it has a soft flesh on the inside that is not really juicy but very sweet kind like a date, it is a starchy fruit in texture.
Some of my friends said they kind of look like a pair of kidneys when sliced in half. (so they have that going for it) There are several little brown/black seeds inside that need to be removed before eating. The easiest way I have found to eat them is to cut in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh while picking out the seeds.
A salak also known as a snake fruit because of the reddish-brown scaly skin.
It is native to Indonesia. On the inside of the fruit it has several light yellow-white bulbs that look like huge garlic heads.
I think they taste like grape sweet candy, I used to nibble on in Japan. The texture of the fruit is crispy. I have found the best way to eat a Salak is to first peel off the skin, then separate the bulbs then just pop the bulbs in your mouth and then spit out the seeds. They are little bit of work to eat, but they are super tasty.
However, I have teenagers! Really do I need to say anything more! Do you really think teenagers are going to try a fruit they can’t even pronounce? My goodness I have laying on my table fruit that has hair, exotic fruit that looks like a snake and one that looks like a pair of kidneys. (So in these particular cases it is imperative to come up with dessert plan B for the restless natives. I swapped out strawberries, mangos, oranges, blueberries and grapes and they were happy campers.)
Whipped topping is like a little cloud of happiness for my yummy fruit. However plain or with just a little vanilla is so BORING. I decided to give my whipped topping a little facelift and summer time freshness by adding some the pureed rambutan. You can really add any flavoring you like to whipped topping maybe some fresh lemon oil, orange oil or mint. You can puree any fruits you like such as strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, the sky is the limit. (Shhh. I chose rambutan as they are clear and the teenager QA testers would not know until they tried it that I added some exotic fruit to their dessert) They loved it and kept on asking for more. Keep on reading to find out how to make this super easy 5 minute Tutti Frutti with Billowing Clouds of Rambutan Whipped Topping.
Tutti Frutti with Billowing Clouds of Rambutan Whipped Topping
Serves 4 adults or 2 hungry teenagers
- 4 cups of assorted tropical fruit (whatever is in season where you live and whatever your family likes)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (or 2 packets of sugar alternative)
- 2 tablespoons of rambutan fruit puree (or any fruit you like pureed)
- 4 martini glasses
Step 1: Make sure your bowl and your beaters and everything that is going to come in contact with your whipping cream is ice-cold (I put my bowl and beaters in the freezer for a minute just to help with the process as if they are warm your whipping cream will not whip into fluffy clouds but will be a liquid mess)
Step 2: Cut up your fruit and mix and place into cool martini glasses and out into the refrigerator to chill.
Step 3: Puree about 4 rambutan in the food processor blender until really smooth.
Step 4: Put really cold whipping cream into the really cold bowl and whip with the super cold beaters until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and rambutan puree and mix thoroughly.
Step 5: Place rambutan whipped topping into a piping bag and decorate top of fruit with tall twisty swirls of bellowing clouds.
Step 6: Enjoy cool and refreshing Exotic Tutti Frutti with Billowing Clouds of Rambutan Whipped Topping while viewing the sunset.
Have a super Day!
BAM
Those huge billowing clouds on a bed of fruit – that is fantastic
And I love how exotic they are!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I know there is not any chocolate in this recipe CCU. I promise next time! Take care, BAM
What a gorgeous looking dessert and I love all the exotic fruit in it!
Mandy
Exotic fruit for mom and basic normal fruit for the kids.
Love it, so impressed that you manage to get all those exotic seasonal fruits, in my country sapodilla is known as “sawo” the shape is slightly rounder than the one in your picture, now I know the English name
I also noted that I had a rounder one like this when I was traveling in Indonesia. Are you currently living in Indonesia? Have a great day. BAM
I wonder if I would be allergic to rambutan skin as I am allergic to lychee peel! Yum recipe
Lychee and rambutan are from the same family so stay clear of this fruit if you have an allergy to lychee. However you can add absolutely add any kind of fruit in the whipped topping. Adding some strawberries makes it a pretty pink color. Take care, BAM
Thanks for the lesson in Exotic Fruit 101…I’ve passed on some of these at the store because I had no idea what to do with them, or who to ask!
Great photos, too.
Thank you. I love trying new fruit. Even if I do not know its name or what it is I usually give it a go. I ask in the market and after about 5 good minutes of my bad Chinese and their even worse English we just call it a deal and I ask how much for the bag of them. I have found some amazing fruits this way. The only fruit now that I have a dislike for is durian.(With all those other delightful options who needs to eat dirty socks smelling fruit)Take care, BAM
Love your beautiful fruit dessert. Mango is about as exotic of a fruit that you can find in New England.
That is great my teenager boys would be happy to hear this as they were not ready or willing to try any of the exotic fruits I had to offer them. So they had a grape, strawberry, blueberry mango one instead. Just as lovely and just fun for a summery dessert. Take care, BAM
I will have to look out for some of those fruits – although I have to say, I might even be afraid to buy them too! Fortunately my kids love any kind of fruit, so I have that going for me.
Sometimes you have to walk on the wild side to really enjoy the culinary experience. I promise these 3 fruits will not disappoint. Take care, bAM
I am familiar with rambutan and sapodilla but not salak, thanks for the introduction. Gorgeous photos and very creative topping. Love you writing style too, will be visiting again. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thanks for stopping by Norma and looking forward to keeping in touch. I love cooking many Chinese dishes and dim sum so looking forward to learning some new hints from you. Take care, BAM
Presentation is gorgeous! The one fruit looks like lychee a little..is it same taste? http://www.glitzgirlzglamourguide.com
Thanks for stopping by. A rambutan and a lychee come from the same family and their taste is very similar but I think the Rambutan are a little bigger in size and juicier. Take care, BAM
Ok, thanks!
Super light on that top photo – really good. And an entertaining read! Thanks for introducing me to some fruits that are new to me. There are so many great foods in the world, and I only know a small fraction of them. One of these days I need to travel to your part of the world so I can experience firsthand some of the really wonderful things I’m missing. Plus I need to be more diligent about visiting my Asian markets – I’ll bet some of those are there right now! Fun post – thanks.
I really want to get more into the photography end of food blogging this year- my goal. I will be consulting with you later for some lighting ideas.
Take a walk on the wild side in the Asian markets as I found some amazing things to try. You have to be a little fearless and be willing to buy them without really knowing what they are. However, I promise you will be enlightened.
Take care, BAM
Right up my alley… love all fruit! The topping looks great too!
My kids are a lazy eaters when it comes to fruit but if I cut it all up they love it. Take care, BAM
I’ve had the rambutan, similar to lychee, though since I grew up eating and loving lychee so that’s definitely my preference. The other 2 are very exotic looking, can’t believe I’ve NEVER seem them before at Taiwan…
I would LOVE to have that tutti fruitti right now!
I have only had the really fresh Salak in Indonesia but sometimes they import them to HK. Saprodilla in Thailand but they also sometimes import to HK. I guess one of the perks of living in Asia is all the beautiful tropical exotic fruits. Each country has their fruits that are beautiful and bountiful when in season. The “fruit” I am craving the most (that is non-existent in HK) is an heirloom homegrown tomato.
I am off to the land of the free and the home of heirloom tomatoes for a couple of weeks and looking forward to catching up upon my return.
Take care,
BAM
Wow! I have never seen/heard of these fruits before – thanks for sharing!
You are welcome. Very yummy indeed. Each one is delightful for different reasons. If you do ever see them in a supermarket, you know they may have traveled a long way to get to your destination. Take care, BAM
These are such wonderful fruit cups and soooo exotic! Never had any of these….
I guess you will have to come and visit me in Asia…. now that would be fun!
These look amazing!! And I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Congratulations!!
http://hurdlestohappiness.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/the-very-inspiring-blogger-award-2/
Thank you very much for thinking of me! Have a super day. Take care, BAM
What colors! What fluff! The height on that whipped topping is simply unreal.
Oh woooooooow! I’ve never tried Rambutan, Salak, and Sapodilla!! Are they expensive or pretty accessible? Asia has lots of nice fruits that are not common here. I want to eat this! Thanks for sharing this dessert. Next time I see it I know where I learned it.
Hello Bam, oh my I love this, fruit and cream is totally my kind of thing. I love rambutans and I can just imagine how delicious that cream is. Send me a few glasses, ya?
It was so interesting to see all of these fruits…none of which I’ve ever heard of or seen before (except the strawberries and mango of course!) Thanks for teaching me about them!
I have fond memories of traveling through Asia and buying fresh lychees from street vendors. They were so sweet and so delicious. I still love them but usually settled for canned. Loved the exotic fruit photos!
What lovely, puffy swirls!
What colorful and healthy fruit parfaits…you’re eating the rainbow! ;D I love the rambutan whipped cream…it looks like a swirl of soft-serve vanilla ice cream on top..beautiful! However..the more I look at the photo of the rambutan with the seed popping out..the more I think ‘alien hatching’ LOL Great photos and explanations of all the other exotic fruits. I’m dying to try Salak! Have a wonderful time in Michigan!
Oooh, those all look so exotic! I’d definitely have to hide them while preparing to get anyone to try them.
I love adding fruit puree to whipping cream! Great summer dessert
Wow I love the use of exotic fruits here
So lovely and exotic. In summer months, who needs chocolate?!
Oh, Bam.. I really loved reading through this post.. I learned so much about some of the exotic fruits I find (on rare occasions) in our grocery stores. I won’t be afraid to pick up one or two and give them a try next time. I also love the whipped topping with rambutan.. awesome idea!! xx
Beautiful displays and photos of fruit. I think I’ve seen sapodilla in our Wegmans here in Corning NY. Will check for sure. The snake skin fruit!!!! Looked eerily like an open snakes mouth when you cut it. Shake, shudder. I like snakes but not in my fruit!
Keep writing…
Wow that rambutan is one intense looking fruit!
I love how something so simple like a fruit salad can be jazzed up with exotic fruits. Looks amazing!
I’ve not heard of any of the fruits you’ve described, BAM, and I’m thankful for the introduction. I need to take a trip to my area’s Asian markets and do a little research. If any are to be found, it will be in these markets. My local groceries certainly won’t carry anything so exotic. Still, even without the rambutan, those fruit “cups” look so tasty and fresh!
These fruits look pretty wild – as if you might have to hunt rather than just gather them.
Looks delicious! I’ve only ever seen the hairy fruit in an Asian grocery store, maybe I should be more adventurous and buy one next time
Hello Leslie, Go ahead and give it a try. I know your will like it. Take Care, BAM
I am so glad you filled us in on all of these beautiful and exotic fruits. The rambutan flavored whipped cream sounds dreamy and perfect for the scorching summer we are currently having. Have a very safe and happy trip Bam!
Thanks Geni! I just came back late last night returning from cool and comfortable Michigan. Today’s temperature in HK at 6am is 33 degrees Celsius and 100 percent humidity. Once the jet lag subsides a bit I promise to post some more refreshing beat the heat treats. Take Care, BAM