When you visit the rainforest, native Amazonians will often offer you Cupuacu to taste the Amazon – not because it just happens to be a potent health resource with unique antioxidant phytonutrients called polyphenols. The important thing about the discovery of polyphenols in Cupuacu (theograndins) is that they are totally unique and had never been seen before. Like Açaí, Cupuacu is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids on top of having nutritive, energizing and tonic properties. It tastes divine and with at least nine other antioxidants, including the powerful vitamins C and A

it’s something we simply have to eat if we need to replenish our antioxidants. And if you thought it couldn’t get any better, it just did – it’s also rich in Vitamins B1, B2, & B3 (Niacin) as well as the essential fatty acids and amino acids. Indigenous tribes and the local communities along the Amazon River have cultivated Cupuacu as a primary food source for generations – while they use the fruit’s juice to help women in labour, the fruit’s seeds are utilized by the indigenous Tikuna people for abdominal pains and the antioxidants are so potent that they take help to provide some cardiovascular and immune system benefits, lower cholesterol levels and because of this boost the old libido. Like the Açaí, the naturally occurring carbohydrates in the Cupuacu fruit help to provide the  body with sustained energy and stamina. Cupuacu pulp is used throughout Brazil and Peru to make fresh juice, ice cream, jam and tarts. The fruit ripens in the rainy months from January to April and is considered a culinary delicacy in South American cities. The seeds contain a sweet-smelling, white butter, which can also be used to make excellent-quality white chocolate.

Ingredients

• 230 g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 500 ml heavy cream
• 250 ml whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks
• 3 tbsp Cupucao pulp
• 130 g sugar
• 6 cm piece of fresh grated ginger, peeled

Method

• Slice the ginger thinly, cover it with water in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes, drain away the water but return the blanched ginger to the pot and add the sugar, the milk and 1 cup of heavy cream to the pot and re-warm the mixture.
• Cover this and steep for at least an hour, or until you are satisfied with the ginger flavour.
• Put the chopped white chocolate in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and then gradually add some of the ginger-infused cream mixture, whisking constantly as you pour in the warm cream, pour the warmed egg yolks back into the pot.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
• Strain the custard into the white chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
• Discard the ginger, add the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and the  Cupucao pulp and put in the fridge to chill completely and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.