Homemade ice cream recipes seem to focus mainly on the basics, vanilla, chocolate, Rocky Road, etc. We just got an ice cream maker and while I was excited to try it out, I didn’t really want to go with dull vanilla my first time trying it . . . so I picked up a lovely fruit that is currently in season and turned it into something a little more exotic.

Dragon fruit or pitaya is a very bizarre looking fruit, but tastes great . . . rather like kiwi without the bite.

Inside, it can be white or bright purple. The purple kind is the one we want, since it is sweeter and also gives the ice cream its appealing pink color.

If you have an ice cream maker, this is a very simple recipe to make.

Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

makes 2 liters

1 c. sugar

1 c. milk

1.5 c. cream

2 c. dragon fruit, mashed (about four dragon fruits)

First, make sure that your dragon fruit is very well mashed. You could even blend it, but I just used a fork.

Mix all ingredients in the freezing canister of the ice cream maker until the sugar is dissolved. Then follow your machine’s instructions for freezing. The ice cream will be fairly soft when it comes out, so you can just pop it in the freezer overnight to firm it up.

Enjoy! Next up, I’ll be trying Choco-Banana Ice Cream, so stay tuned. Better yet, click on that orange button up in the right hand corner and subscribe to receive all the recipes to your feed reader.

Dragon fruit or pitaya, is a bizarre fruit, indeed. The outside looks, well, kinda like a dragon, with thick, leathery red skin that forms large, green-tipped scales. Cut this fruit open and you`ll find either white or bright purple-red flesh, speckled with tiny black seeds.

You`re most likely to find dragon fruit in the Oriental markets, though it is actually native to Central and South America. Dragon fruit grows on cacti that thrive in the drier tropical areas, but has been cultivated with great success in Asia.

So, now that you know what this sucker is . . . what do you do with it?

The best way to eat dragon fruit is to simply peel it and eat it raw. The taste is similar to a kiwi, but less acidic and usually sweet. Since they don`t last long, you`ll want to eat it the day you bring it home from the market. The flesh should be fairly firm, but give with a squeeze of the fruit.

For something a little more exotic, try one of the following recipes:

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

1 dragon fruit, peeled and diced

1 banana

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

Blend all together in a blender and serve. This is infinitely more colorful if you use the red variety.

Fruit Salad in Dragon Boats

2 dragon fruit

2 kiwis, peeled and cubed

1 cup sliced strawberries

Sugar to taste

Vanilla ice cream

Cut the dragon fruit in half, lengthwise and carefully remove the fruit without damaging the skins. Cube the flesh and toss with remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Place a small scoop of ice cream in the center of each dragon fruit skin half and heap the fruit salad on top. serve immediately.

Want more? Make a dragon fruit pizza, jelly mooncake, or a simple salad.

Photos in order are by: J. Fisher, Denise Soong, Jerry Daykin