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My Aunt Bernie had a carambola tree by her front door and it was always loaded with fruit. She’d slice up the pretty stars on a glass plate for all of us kids. I loved how they looked, but I’d only eat a slice or two. I didn’t mind the texture, which is crunchy and juicy like a grape with a thin, waxy skin. But the taste is so unusual, like a green apple with strange grassy notes. I’ve grown to like them more, maybe because they take me back to Aunt Bernie’s house.Carambola, or star fruit, is a popular tree in Florida yards. They’re easy to grow and they’ll give you a boatload of fruit. It’s overwhelming, especially for a fruit that’s better in small doses. Case in point: Many go to waste, but sometimes you’ll find bins of free fruit at the end of a driveway. I really should get a basket for the front of my bike, but I make do.I hate to see good fruit go to waste. I’ve had friends ask me for more recipes, and I know I can always find fruit, so I started experimenting. Generally I think fruit is better raw, so I was pretty surprised after I tried these cooked. They’re delicious! I felt like I unlocked the secret of star fruit. Not only do they taste better, but cooking helps use up even more of them.These chips are a great place to start. I call them chips, but they lie somewhere in a gray area between dehydrated fruit and candy. They’ve got crispy edges and slightly chewy centers and the flavor is sweet-tart and spiked with a little hint of ginger. They’re perfect for snacking. You can make batch after batch, and I promise they’ll disappear. As an added bonus, you end up with starfruit syrup, which makes amazing cocktails and lemonade. My friend Paula came over with a huge wheel of brie after I’d just pulled a batch out of the oven. We put them together and it was magic. I’ve been scattering them on cheese boards ever since.