Appalachian Pawpaw Muffins

Pawpaw fruit with dates make a very  unique muffin.

Appalachian Pawpaw Muffins

By Sue Lau | Palatable  Pastime

It’s Muffin Monday again and for September I am really excited as I came across some Appalachian Pawpaws which we have a lot of  in Ohio and decided to try my  hand  at using the fruit in muffins.

Around the world  pawpaws can be different things- sometimes people  think  of it as a papaya. But that isn’t the kind of fruit I am referring to here. Pawpaws actually resemble a kidney-bean shaped ataulfo mango, but the similarity ends on the outside. Inside, instead of the huge center pit of the mango, or the core of tiny seeds like a papaya,  the pawpaw has a series of bean-shaped seeds that resemble lima/butter beans or fava beans. They can make extracting the pulp interesting,   but the end result is worth it.

Now pawpaws don’t ripen very well off the tree, so  growers generally collect them from the ground. And the ripe pawpaw is a bit ugly, having dark marks on it- so if you go  to choose your pawpaws, don’t go for the pretty ones. The uglier the better.

As fruit ripening go, test your pawpaws for give the way you would an avocado. They should be ever-so-slightly soft. In fact, the fruit inside is quite like an avocado- creamy and smooth like custard. But just like avocados, pawpaws don’t  last very long but will keep in the fridge a few days. If you need to hold the fruit longer, extract the ripe fruit pulp and freeze. It tends to  oxidize quickly,  as avocados do so freeze that right  away if you do. That doesn’t affect the taste at all.

The flavor is remarkable- it has that hint of banana,  but not just banana- it tastes like a banana dessert, also with hints of vanilla and a touch of something citrus. It’s so good- hopefully you won’t gobble up all  your fruit before you get it into the muffin batter. But I can imagine whoever first found this fruit to have been in love with it, perhaps easier to eat out of hand than getting the seeds out for baking, I picture them sitting around beneath a pawpaw tree,  spitting seeds out like a kid with a slice of watermelon.

They can be a bit hard to find- I doubt you will find them in a store. They are available in Ohio, throughout Appalachia down towards Florida, and probably a few other places. If you don’t know a grower, you will probably have better luck at a farm market. I got mine at a grocer at Findlay Market in Cincinnati  (Madison’s Market). They occasionally get produce in from specialty growers, such as Morel mushrooms in the spring,  and etc.

I hope you get a chance to try these! Bill wanted to keep them all for himself. And he was right in thinking so. Thay are that good.
~Sue

• Appalachian Pawpaw Muffinsfrom Palatable Pastime
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• Sweet Pineapple Muffins from Food Lust People Love
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