Forbidden Fruit Sorbet

Until late July of 2007, the Malaysian fruit known as the Mangosteen was illegal in the United States. Seeing this tropical rarity in my local market last night, I naturally had to have four. The fruit, about the size of a tangerine, is encased within a hard, round skin that has the consistency of wood and a dark red/purple color. Opening them requires finesse as the fruit inside is extremely delicate. In other words, not a fit subject for a saber. Inside, the fruit is milky white, with small segments like an albino mandarin orange and slimy to the touch. Being a rare fruit, there are precious few recipes for how to prepare and serve the Mangosteen. One recipe that I did find was for a Mangosteen sorbet made from the pulp of the fruit, champagne, sugar and egg whites. The fruit's flavor is so delicate that it is nearly undetectable. The champagne (in this case, I used Chandon Blanc de Noir sparkling wine) made it even harder to taste the fruit. It would have been better to eat the Mangosteen plain. Or better yet, to have skipped the Mangosteen and spent the extra money on a better bottle of bubbly!