On the matter of tamarillos – theories and suggestions

[ChrisTaylor]

The past week, I've been going through a(nother) phase of buying random fruits and etc just for the sake of trying them. Things I haven't had before (at least not in some heavily prepared/modified form at a restaurant) just, really, for the sake of trying something new. Anyway. Tamarillos. I've seen them around supermarkets at differrent times of the year for, well, years but I've never got around to trying them. A quick Google told me I could cook them and use them on cheese platters and etc, but that also I could eat them raw. Just spoon out the flesh and eat it straight. And that seemed like the logical starting point.

But man. Maybe these supermarket tams are over or under ripe. Maybe they're just bad. And I like, I really do, things that are more bitter or sour or savoury than they are sweet. But these were unpleasantly sour. Not in that citrusy way of biting into a lemon, but there was a certain unfriendly tang to the aftertaste that I'm pretty sure would be tempered by cooking. Long, long, long cooking. Probably.

But the question is are they worth bothering with? What are some nice applications for them? I mean, the official tamarillo growers' page I found (they're grown in New Zealand and imported into Australia) mentioned about ten thousand different potential uses for them, but I'm unsure if any of their ideas were good ideas. After all, these are the same guys who told me to try eating the fruit raw.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Supermarket Tamarillos are always going to be underripe, Chris, which is really too bad as I'd consider that one of life's great pleasures is actually eating ripe tomate de arbol (which is what we call 'em here, in their native land) fresh off the tree with a little salt. Perfectly ripe to slightly over, there's a definite tomato flavour along with hints of cucumber and tropical fruit, and a pleasant sort of tamarind-ish sourness. When under, they're heinously sour and have the weird tang you're describing. Also, you shouldn't be eating the peels - if you were, then that's also a source of ugly flavours.

So, if you've got some that are a little green, I'd suggest treating them as a fruit. Poach them in simple syrup with some cinnamon, cloves, and star anise, until they're quite soft, then peel them and serve them whole, stem-on, with ice cream. This is the Ecuadorian treatment for slightly green tamarillos; it bleeds the bitter/sour off into the syrup but retains the unique bouquet of the fruit.

As they ripen for you (judge this by how soft they are - ripe tamarillo should feel like perfect avocados), you can start to think of them as a cooking veggie. They're very good as part of "normal" tomato sauces (and they will really thicken any sauce you put 'em in), and I'm also fond of them as a base for curries.

ETA - if you do ever chance across ripe ones in the supermarket (stranger things have happened), they're hands-down fantastic as a juice. Halve them and squeeze the flesh into your blender, then pulse with some water until the pulp has broken down. Add a bit of sugar, pulse a bit more, and strain out the seeds. Mmmm, tomate.

Now I'm going to have to pick some off my trees and have that for brekkie....

Edited May 27, 2012 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[Jenni]

Maybe try a green-mango-ish way of eating them - sprinkle with salt and chilli powder and devour? Also can add a little crumbled jaggery to that if you are so inclined.

Signed, a person who likes sour things

[lesliec]

Yep, nothing like a sour one for ... sourness. If you're eating them straight from the skin (and be assured; that's a good thing to do with them), a nice sprinkle of sugar makes a lot of difference.

But try them in a cocktail. This is one of Wifey's specialties so I'm a little vague, but essentially - use a stick blender to blast three or four tamarillos (preferably ripe, skin removed. Leave the seeds in). Add vodka, Cointreau and sugar syrup to taste. Strain over shaved ice (the straining bit is entirely optional). Enjoy, but don't spill it on your best white shirt - the colour is amazing.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

OK, Leslie, now I'm super curious - NZ grows primarily the red-seed-gel types, don't they?

[lesliec]

I haven't thought about it, but yep, I guess we do. I have seen yellow ones, but not often and not recently.

I like the things, particularly in the cocktail above, but they're getting freakin' expensive - NZ$15/kg last time I looked.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Holy cow. They're 15-20 for USD 1 down here, but I rarely even pay that, since I've got them growing in my yard.

[lesliec]

Want to send me a Red Cross parcel?

No, don't - our regulations on fruit crossing the border are VERY strict.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Leslie, do you have a yard? Or a balcony that you can put a pot on? Tamarillos are extremely easy to grow from seed, and they're pretty nifty plants to boot.....

[lesliec]

We had a 'wild' one (seeds in the compost, I suspect) spring up and start taking over the garden a couple of years ago but it succumbed to a bit of nasty wind. You're right, we should look at growing one again somewhere more sheltered and not quite so close to the clothesline. You didn't mention ... they can get quite big!

[Kouign Aman]

I had one in NZ that was pronounced "perfect" by the person who took it over from me. To me, it tasted like rotten meat smells, plus sour.

It was horrible.