Kiwi Fruit

[PastryLady]

Kiwi strawberry combo always works, but seems as original as a snapple on the shelf. Just thinking outloud, sorry. Thinking dark chocolate with pine nut or almond financier and kiwi foam (I know it is old now...) or even a kiwi granita type intermezzo sounds wonderful to me. Kiwi sorbet is always refreshing with something heavy.

[nyc]

As usual, the group came up with very stimulating ideas.

The creative logjam has been broken!

Thank you.

P.S. I've got some mycryo. How do you use the stuff?

Neal

[bkeith]

I just received the gift of nearly a kilogram of Cap Fruit kiwi puree.

At first, I thought: fruit charlotte!

Then I realized that the acid eats the gelatin in the mousse.

The disappointment has boggled my mind.

[GEEK MODE]

Actually it's not the acid -- you can set up lemon juice very nicely with gelatin. It's enzymes that turn your gelatin into goop. And enzymes are denatured by heating. That's why canned pineapple works in Jello salads, but fresh pineapple doesn't.

So if you want to do a Charlotte, you could heat the puree - not sure how hot, but I should think a simmer would be fine - hold it there a few minutes, then cool. Should work fine with gelatin after that.

[/GEEK]

[nightscotsman]

Isn't Cap Fruit puree pasturized? Maybe that would take care of the enzime?

[Daniel]

A customer of mine just gave me a case of kiwis..I really dont like to eat fruit, was hoping there was something i could cook or bake with it..

[monavano]

How about making sherbert or gelato with it? I saw a recipe for sherbert which calls for grand marnier, so how bad can that be!

[sadistick]

I agree...just make a nice Kiwi Ice

Very easy, puree them, put em through a strainer, get the juice...

Make some simple syrup

put it all in container - in freezer.

After about 1.5 hours in freezer take a fork through the Ice, mix it up, and back in

Cheers.

[Anna N]

Kiwi ice cream was one of the first and best ice creams I have ever made. Google for Ben and Jerry's recipe - really good!

[eje]

Sorry, responding kind of late to this...

The only gotcha with Kiwis, is, the uncooked fruit, like papaya, contains an enzyme which will break down things like custards and gelatins.

If I had a whole case, I might peel, blenderize, portion and freeze.

Per volume, Kiwis have one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin C of any fruit. I think they also have a fair bit of soluble fiber and other good things.

[Pweaver1984]

Not sure if you can get hold of squid? Its an excellent marinade Kiwi, will really soften the texture.

[Shalmanese]

My Kiwi sorbet gets rave reviews. It's a bit of a bitch straining all the seeds out but makes for a much nicer sorbet. The texture is incredible, thick and sticky.

[torakris]

I bought a huge box of kiwi from Costco and now my kids have decided they are sick of them and haven't touched one.

I have never cooked with kiwi before, any ideas for either savory dishes or dessert.

Can they be chopped up or pureed and frozen?

I tried making a smoothie with them but it had an odd fuzzy taste to it....

[sanrensho]

How about kiwi jam?

[helenjp]

Hi Torakris, the problem with the smoothie would have been crushing/cutting the seeds - they are OK left whole, but if cut they are irritating to the mouth/throat. If you have other ingredients, whizz them up first and add the chopped kiwifruit at the very end.

Meat tenderizer: kiwifruit is almost too good at this - mix kiwifruit (sliced or chopped) with meat for a couple of hours, then cook together, or fry meat, add chunks of kiwifruit, and cook till meat tender and kiwi pulpy, then hit it with soy sauce, little sugar etc. If you leave kiwi marinades overnight before cooking, the meat will become pulpy and raggy...

People use it with beef, but I really think it is better with pork or chicken, and some fish. Haven't tried it, but I bet it would make a good ceviche...

Because of the acidity, it is good in salsas, chutneys, relishes etc.

Kiwifruit jam - I like this made with a generous amount of finely shredded ginger. Some people also make it with pineapple and/or pineapple juice.

They can certainly be frozen, I'd chop them - I think they'd lose enough water that they wouldn't look so attractive in slices when thawed.

Kiwifruit is a surprisingly nice substitute for or combination with apple - like to add it chopped up to pound cakes.

As a dessert, I like to stew it with a very little sugar to a soft but slightly chunky puree, layered in glasses with bits of cake or crushed cookies, and other soft things like bavarian cream, bought mango pudding, real custard, etc. Chill lightly.

I didn't give recipes as they are probably easy to find, but I do have some if you want.

By the way, if those are NZ kiwifruit, your kids may have good sense - those fruit will be nearing the end of the season, and shops will be eager to move them before the Japanese kiwifruit comes on the market (late November???). They may well be better cooked or pureed than fresh.

Edited September 9, 2006 by helenjp (log)

[Tapenade]

I've made several fruit salads with kiwi: two favorites are fresh strawberries, halved or quartered (depending on size) and sliced kiwi, to which you can also add some sliced carambola (starfruit); and a salad of fresh melon chunks or balls, kiwi as above, fresh figs cut into eighths, fresh mango and fresh nectarine; preferably with some liqueur on top and a few mint leaves.

I've also had wonderful fresh kiwi and pineapple juice at juice bars here. Although both fruits are fairly tart, they mix really well.

Hi Torakris, the problem with the smoothie would have been crushing/cutting the seeds - they are OK left whole, but if cut they are irritating to the mouth/throat. If you have other ingredients, whizz them up first and add the chopped kiwifruit at the very end.

Meat tenderizer: kiwifruit is almost too good at this - mix kiwifruit (sliced or chopped) with meat for a couple of hours, then cook together, or fry meat, add chunks of kiwifruit, and cook till meat tender and kiwi pulpy, then hit it with soy sauce, little sugar etc. If you leave kiwi marinades overnight before cooking, the meat will become pulpy and raggy...

People use it with beef, but I really think it is better with pork or chicken, and some fish. Haven't tried it, but I bet it would make a good ceviche...

Because of the acidity, it is good in salsas, chutneys, relishes etc.

Kiwifruit jam - I like this made with a generous amount of finely shredded ginger. Some people also make it with pineapple and/or pineapple juice.

They can certainly be frozen, I'd chop them - I think they'd lose enough water that they wouldn't look so attractive in slices when thawed.

Kiwifruit is a surprisingly nice substitute for or combination with apple  - like to add it chopped up to pound cakes.

As a dessert, I like to stew it with a very little sugar to a soft but slightly chunky puree, layered in glasses with bits of cake or crushed cookies, and other soft things like bavarian cream, bought mango pudding, real custard, etc. Chill lightly.

I didn't give recipes as they are probably easy to find, but I do have some if you want.

By the way, if those are NZ kiwifruit, your kids may have good sense - those fruit will be nearing the end of the season, and shops will be eager to move them before the Japanese kiwifruit comes on the market (late November???). They may well be better cooked or pureed than fresh.

←

[torakris]

lots of ideas, thanks everyone!

Helen thanks for the tip about the smoothie. Maybe I will freeze some and try popping them frozen into the blender right at the very end.

I think I see a fruit salad on the menu for after dinner tonight.

[Pat Churchill]

I bought a huge box of kiwi from Costco and now my kids have decided they are sick of them and haven't touched one.

I have never cooked with kiwi before, any ideas for either savory dishes or dessert.

Can they be chopped up or pureed and frozen?

I tried making a smoothie with them but it had an odd fuzzy taste to it....

←

We New Zealanders are accustomed to kiwifruit gluts!

You can make a nice sorbet. If you're pureeing kiwifruit, though, use the plastic blade in a food processor as the steel blade cracks the seeds. Or sieve or discard the seedy centres.

Kiwifruit also make a good chutney. And salsa! And slices can be used for tenderising meat, though don't leave the meat exposed to the fruit for too long or you'll end up with liver consistency.

Here's a link to Zespri which is the brand name of kiwifruit in New Zealand. This goes in to the recipe pages : http://www.zespri.com/moreinfo/zgreen4.asp...oreinfo2id=1001

And a kiwifruit a day keeps you regular!

Edited September 11, 2006 by Pat Churchill (log)

[Shalmanese]

Kiwifruit sorbet has a really nice, sticky jammy texture. I like to serve it with another fairly clean sorbet as well like orange or lemon to really get the contrast. It works really well:

Kiwifruit & Lemon-Mint Sorbet with Dark Chocolate

Kiwifruit & Orange Sorbet.

What you don't want to make is this

[helenjp]

Kiwi sorbet - good call!

As for things not to make with kiwifruit, I'm way ahead of you there...I thought I'd make a layered kiwi and yogurt bavarois, and heated the mashed kiwi so it wouldn't attack the gelatin so much...

but then...

I got distracted by my son's excessively relaxed attitude to his exam study, and the kiwi boiled itself into a thin mess. So I cooked it some more with pureed onion, sugar, vinegar, blended in some green chilis, sudachi (a green citrus) juice and peel, and made sauce. I call it "Lamia" - green and seductive, but it bites!

I'll encourage son1 to pour plenty on his grilled chicken tonight, when he tells me he's too sleepy to study after dinner...

[Hiroyuki]

I came across dried kiwi.

[Shel_B]

What's the best way to ripen kiwi fruit? Thanks!

Shel

[andiesenji]

Put them in a paper bag with a banana peel or an apple.

[Hassouni]

If you're not in a rush, they don't even need to be in a bag, they'll just take a couple days

[Shel_B]

Thanks! Seems like a lot of fruit can be ripened in a paper bagwith a banana or an apple.

... Shel

[AlaMoi]

how do you peel kiwis?

 

will a 'std' vegetable peeler work?

just a sharp knife?