Kiwifruit

The kiwifruit or kiwi is a relative newcomer to the American table. Discovered in China in 1847 by an English botanist, it is now grown mainly in New Zealand. It was originally known as a Chinese gooseberry, but became so popular in New Zealand that it was named for its resemblance to the plumage of the Kiwi bird, native to New Zealand. Americans found its lovely green fruit with small, edible black seeds akin to strawberries and melon (some say pineapple as well) delightful and took to it immediately.

One kiwi delivers double the vitamin C of an orange and as much potassium as a banana. Now that they are grown in California, the opposing seasons in two hemispheres provide us with year-round availability. And the price has been fairly stable during this rising-price period. They are generally $.33-.45 per kiwi; I found them for $.28 this week.

The kiwi is one of the few fruits that become sweeter after picking. They are perfect for eating when they give slightly when touched but are not wrinkled or bruised. You can store ripe kiwis in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you bring some home that aren’t ripe yet, ripen them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana; but watch carefully as they are mushy when over-ripe.

Everyone loves a kiwi cut in half crosswise and spooned out of the skin as an eat-in-hand food, but it is becoming very popular as an add-in to fruit salads and as a garnishing fruit. Now there are more and more recipes showing up on line and in cookbooks and cooking magazines for unusual combinations. Here are a few to try:

Strawberry-Kiwi Salad with Basil (Cooking Light, April 2001)

¼ cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3 peeled kiwifruit, each cut into 6 wedges
2 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 pint)
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add kiwifruit and strawberries; toss well. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Stir in basil just before serving.
Yield: 4 servings of ¾ cup; 90 calories

With the summer fruits coming into the market, this next recipe really appealed to me as a garnish for our breakfast plates.

Watermelon-and-Kiwi Skewers with Starry Strawberry Cream (Cooking Light, July 2000)

¾ cup sliced strawberries
½ cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. powdered sugar
24 (1/2-inch) watermelon balls
2 kiwifruit, each peeled and cut into 12 pieces

Place first 5 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and chill. Thread 1 watermelon piece and 1 kiwi-fruit piece onto each of 24 skewers. Serve with sauce.

Calories: 40 per serving; serving size: 3 skewers and 2 Tbsp sauce.


Here’s a fast and Easy dessert that makes a lot—again a great recipe for our inn—and you if you’re serving a large group.

Makes 12 tartlets

Lemon Tartlets with Pineapple and Kiwi (Health, September 2005)

Lemon Curd Filling:
6 Tbsp. fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. grated lemon zest
24 mini pastry shells such as Clearbrook Farms Mini Sweet Tart Shells
1 sliced peeled kiwifruit
½ cup finely chopped pineapple

Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest with a whisk until blended. Place shells on baking sheets. Fill a zip-top plastic bag with lemon mixture. Snip off one of the bottom corners and fill pastry shells to ¾ full. Bake 7 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and let cool. Top tartlets evenly with the kiwi and pineapple. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until served.

If you’re entertaining a back-yard barbeque—why not use a tropical theme and serve these for starters?

Kiwi Colada (Coastal Living, November, 2006)

1 ½ cups small ice cubes or crushed ice
3 Tbsp. light rum
3 Tbsp Midori liqueur
¼ cup cream of coconut
2 kiwifruit, peeled
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
Kiwi slices

Process ice and next 6 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Garnish with kiwi slices, if desired. Makes 2 ½ cups

The favorite way to serve kiwis in New Zealand is in a meringue baked until crisp, filled with sweetened whipped cream and topped with peeled and thinly sliced kiwi fruit.

Meringues

3 large egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 275. Using 3-inch diameter cardboard round or 3-inch cookie cutter, trace 6 circles on parchment sheet, spacing evenly. Invert parchment onto baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl at medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt and beat to soft peaks. Add vanilla and beat to blend. Increase speed to high. Add sugar 2 Tbsp. at a time and beat until stiff and shiny. Spoon meringue into pastry bag fitted with plain ½-inch tip. Dab some meringue under corners of parchment to anchor paper to baking sheet. Starting in center of one traced circle, pipe meringue in spiral pattern to fill circle. Pipe 2 layers of meringue atop edge of circle to form sides. Repeat with remaining circles to form 6 meringues. Bake about 35 minutes. Turn off heat and let dry in closed oven 1 hour. Cool completely at room temperature. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days.