The Key to Kiwi

Homely on the outside and beautiful on the inside, the kiwi is a delicious fruit.  It is hard to believe that thirty years ago, they were almost unknown in the U.S.

Preparation is a little tricky.  Kiwis quickly soften to the point of flabbiness after the peel is removed.  A friend carefully peeled and quartered kiwis the night before her daughter's wedding celebration for a dramatic fruit platter.  Alas, they turned out a little too dramatic:  the kiwis were inedible after twenty-four hours in the refrigerator, and had to be tossed out just before the reception.

Some cooks serve ripe kiwis cut in half with a little spoon inserted as an appetizer for guests to walk around with in hand.  That eliminates the need to peel the fruit, and is a novel treat.  

For juiciness, include a napkin.

Most of the time, however, you need to deal with the peel.  When the outside slightly gives to the touch, it is ready to use.  Begin by cutting the fruit in half.

Isn't it beautiful?

Using a spoon, gently scoop out the pulp, all in one piece.

Slice, dice or puree the delicious half-domes.

Kiwis are delicious by themselves, on fruit plates, added to fruit salads,  in cream pies, to garnish cakes or other desserts, or pureed to use in fruit sauces, smoothies, or jam.

I recently discovered a tool designed to prepare kiwi.  It is manufactured by Zyliss.   It has a cutting edge and a scooping edge.  I found the scooper is useful to remove split or stubborn pits from peaches or plums.  It also cuts and scoops seeds out of pears. 

If you have the space, I would recommend this tool, as it is so multipurpose.  However, it does not do any better job than the  spoon and knife method I demonstrated above.

Here is the cutting edge, and it does a nice job of slicing the fruit.

Here is the scooping end.  Place the tool across the kiwi, scoop down, to insert at the top edge, then pull the handle upward, which propels the scoop fully down into the kiwi.  Turn the fruit as you cut until the circle has been completely cut.

With a little practice, you can get a smooth half dome out of the skin.  You can see I needed a little more practice here, but after doing a few, it became second nature.  If you learn how to quickly remove the skin, you are more likely to prepare, serve and eat this delicious fruit.  I made pancakes topped with Kiwi Strawberry jam, and added a sliced half dome of kiwi as a garnish.  It was delicious to have bites of fresh kiwi along with a tender bite of pancake and the homemade jam.

Cooking enhances the flavor of the kiwi.  Try makingg kiwi jam.  Here is a recipe for low sugar strawberry kiwi jam.  

Warmed in the microwave, this becomes a wonderful sauce for cheesecake.  Garnish with kiwi slices!

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Low-Sugar Kiwi Strawberry Jam

5 cups strawberry puree, using strawberries washed and hulled 
3 cups kiwi puree, using kiwis scooped from the half shell
2 boxes No or Low Sugar pectin
¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter (butter keeps foam from forming)
3-4 cups sugar, depending on the sweetness of the pureed fruit

Yield:  6 pints

1. Puree the kiwi and strawberries separately in a good blender so that you can add each fruit until you have the correct amount pureed.  Dump each into a large cooking pot.
2. Add pectin, butter, and zest to the last batch of puree, then add to the pot.
3. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.
4. Add the sugar and return to a full rolling boil to allow the sugar to completely dissolve. Stirring constantly, continue to boil for another minute.  The color of the fruit will brighten to a nice red color.
5. Pour the jam into sterile jars. You will need 6 pint jars or 12 half-pint jars.  Leave at least a 1/4 space at the top of each filled jar. After they cool, store jars in the refrigerator for a few weeks, or store in the freezer.