Let me say from the start, that I will not comment on the supposedly fecal aroma, or custard-like texture that many Westerners find offensive in the durian. This gorgeous specimen just happened to be sitting in the kitchen this week, supplying a photo for my next book, and was just opened a few minutes ago. As you can see executed with my brand new shiny ten dollar machete-like kitchen hatchet from Thailand, which I adore. (It cut through a chicken bones and all in a few seconds.) I have eaten these beasts before, but I have never seen one with such clean and discrete sections, sweet flesh and unctuous texture. I apologize for saying it, but it was the best durian I have ever tasted. I was about to eat the whole thing but got through half and decided to try a recipe: Whizz it in the blender with some good pastis. Then freeze. Why not? A durian semifreddo. I just happened to be drinking Ricard and it brought out the flavor so nicely. OK, my family just walked in and is now throwing a fit from the stench. No accounting for taste or smell.
8 comments:
Ok, still never tasted one... love the machete idea. It's weird that some things taste so much better than they smell ... like that stinky fish last summer at Oxford. The taste was lovely but the smell.... UGH. I saw a sign at a fine hotel in the far east that said "no durian allowed" guess it's worse than a chainsmoker for the rooms!!!
It's really not a bad aroma at all. Just funky in the way that cheese can be. The reputation sort of perplexes me. But now, to taste the durian sorbet!
Okay, it's probably unlikely that I'll ever get a durian fruit into the house, as my wife would start testing kitchen appliances on ME....but from whence came that kitchen chopper? Methinks me want one. Or two.
And how did the sorbet come out?
SORRY....Best Durian = Oxymoron
Hey Glenn, It's at the Superking on El Dorado. Literally 10 bucks. I thought it would be good for finely chopping meat, but it's a little too unwieldy, and tires the wrist quickly. Still, makes a great cleaver.
Marco Polo Gelato out in the Sunset District (SF) has a durian sorbet, or gelato (I forget which). It was tasty. I think that since it was cold, you experience the taste rather than the smell. Perhaps, like revenge, durian is a dish best served cold :-)
Well I just tasted the durian sorbet, and it's quite good. Perfect frozen custard texture, which I think has to do with the alcohol. Still it has that weird garlicy aftertaste of durian, which is the only thing I don't much like about durian to tell the truth. In any case, I think it's going in the next cookbook. Cheers!
Dr. Albala, love your post on the durian. Personally, growing up in a Cambodian (Khmer) household, I've had my share of being subjected to the strong scent of durians due to my mother's love for it. Even as an adult, I find the smell of fresh durian to be too pungent to stomach, but I prefer the jack fruit which looks similar to it and has a much sweeter smell & flavor. For those who cannot stand the smell of durians, I think you ought to try it in ice cream or sorbet form. It isn't as strong, but it's definitely delicious. :)
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