Recipe

Stuffed Dessert Chayotes

Ingredients

3 small chayotes (about 6 ounces each)
One-half cup almonds
One-half cup sugar
†3 eggs
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
†2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
One and one-half cup crumbled sponge or pound cake plus 2 tablespoons for topping (it is totally okay to use store-bought cake)
One-half cup golden sultana or black raisins
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 cup lightly whipped cream, barely sweetened

Cut the chayote in half lengthwise and steam until just tender, about 35 minutes. Do not overcook. You don't want the shells to collapse when you scoop them out. Meanwhile, combine the almonds and sugar in a food processor and grind until the almonds are fairly fine.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. When the chayote is cool enough to handle, remove the seed, and scoop out the pulp, leaving a one-half-inch-thick shell. Set aside. Place the chayote pulp in the processor with the ground almonds; add the eggs and process to a puree. Add the brandy, vanilla and milk or cream. Blend. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in nutmeg, cake crumbs and raisins. Spoon the pudding mixture into the chayote shells (you will have about one and one-half cups left over) and place them in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds and the reserved cake crumbs over the tops. Bake for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining pudding mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream.
(The pudding loaf serves 4.) PER SERVING: 420 calories, 10 g protein, 54 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (7 g saturated), 192 mg cholesterol, 141 mg sodium, 3 g fiber. From an article by Jacquiline Higuera McMahan in the San Francisco Chronicle, 6/2/93.