Ponthier Frozen Soursop Puree

In the Vavatenina district of Madagascar, soursop trees flourish and bear fruit almost all year round, even though the peak season is between June and August. The trees start to fruit once they are 3 years old, then the yield varies between 50 and 100 kg. These trees need rich, well-drained soil and their roots can extend up to one metre underground. They are cultivated by small-scale growers, whose plantations are never larger than 100 feet. Ponthier soursop purée is produced from the delicious, fleshy pulp of the fruit, which is beautifully white in colour. To produce the purée, the soursops must first be peeled, which is a difficult, technical operation due to the rough rind and prickly spines on the surface of the fruit. The inedible black seeds are also removed before the fruit is processed. The next stage is to sieve and flash pasteurise the pulp, then add ten percent of pure cane sugar, to produce a tasty purée that can be used for cooking as well as for pastries, sweets, jams, biscuits or cocktails.