Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

That's some scary lookin' stuff. However if the Slicemeister ever institutes Slice Awards, this should win the Slicie for most colorful post.

Ciao,

Paulie Gee

I loveeeeee the sweet potato mousse on the pizza... oh man the shrimp crusts were really good too.

Funny Durian story: My husband works for the airport here in Atlanta, and one day there was a curiously heinous smell being reported in one of the terminals, and it was so pungent and offensive that he received several complaint calls from workers and travelers alike...they had no idea what the source of the stank was and some even worried that something had died and was rotting in the walls or that some sort of chemical had been deployed. The police and TSA were called in to investigate (in case of foul play or terrorist activity). After several minutes and much ado, an older gentleman was discovered sitting in the corner, happily slurping on his Durian.

Another durian person here. My vegan friend at work came back from NY with a whole durian and brought some in for us to try. I only had a little bit, but that was more than enough.

Ours wasn't so bad...okay, the smell was bad, but the taste was equal parts onion and melon. Not overwhelmingly horrible.

I've had that one in the picture! It's a kiwano melon?
I found it tasted like a cucumber but more sweet and sour.
Interesting...I might use it in a salad next time I guess.

apple custard..yum..its custardy and appley...but too many seeds!

@pthom The photo is of a kiwano melon.
@ Stephanie The US embargo on mangosteens was lifted last spring.

The most exotic is probably rambutan - I lived in Kuala Lumpur as a kid. I actually like mangosteen better but it seems less "exotic" since I've been reading about people buying it in Canada. Does the US embargo it for some reason? Does anyone know?

Franciesmom: Ooh, check out the canned version first -- it's a lot closer to the original and yums =)

karlamei: Pulasans can be hard to find and a fair bit pricier than the rambutan, so you're lucky!

randomeater: You're right, which is a shame... I tend to gorge myself on these when I'm back home in Asia =p

fuuchan: I'm with you! There's a whole wide world of fruit that have been ignored by chefs for too long... But I'm thinking that maybe it's because bottled lychee essences and syrups are readily available in bakery stores, but I've yet to see a longan equivalent for people who can't get hold of the fresh fruit?

On a tangent, another fruit -- the Japanese yuzu -- is everywhere, yet I see no trace of the fragrant kumquat! I was in Hong Kong this week and tried the most amazing kumquat pastries and jellies. I can only hope I'll be seeing it on menus soon...

johnnytakes5: They call small seeds in lychees "chicken tongues"... I wonder if the same applies to small-seeded longans?

White on Rice Couple: I LOVE jackfruit! I've been trying to get a pic of the massive green fruit -- in its entirety -- for SE. And I'd love to have neighbors like you and your dad ;)

Emily Koh's friends love going to Emily for all of their food outing recommendations :)

oooh. for some strange reason, my regular dim sum place in provy only bakes 2 dozen of these every weekend. patrons sacrifice their weekend sleep-ins to place their orders (no phone reservations), so imagine how annoyed i was when a friend's snotty girlfriend "wasted" one by taking a bite, making a face, and pronouncing it "too eggy." we've not invited her since. there's nothing worse than seeing someone's sour face as you try to enjoy a yummy weekend brunch!