Pawpaw recipes

A silky, spreadable fruit butter that cooks down ripe pawpaw with warm spices into a jar of pure Appalachian autumn. Spread on biscuits, stir into oatmeal, or use as a glaze for roasted pork. The result is concentrated, complex, and utterly unlike anything store-bought.

This no-churn pawpaw ice cream lets one of North America's most overlooked fruits take the spotlight. The fruit's natural custardy texture and tropical flavor make for an extraordinarily creamy, scoopable treat that needs no eggs and no ice cream machine.

A silky, custard-like baked pudding that showcases the pawpaw's tropical-banana-mango flavor. This is Appalachian comfort food at its finest — rich, warming, and deeply satisfying. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A vivid tropical salsa made with diced pawpaw, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro, spooned over smoky grilled shrimp. The pawpaw's fruity sweetness perfectly offsets the char of the shrimp and the kick of the jalapeño. This is summer backyard cooking at its most unexpected and delicious.