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.

Avocado 101

The most common type of avocado is Haas, notable with it's almost black, pebbled skin.  The other type most often available to the consumer is Fuerte, a smooth-skinned green avocado that is usually taller and more slender than the Haas.  I definitely prefer the Haas, because it's nutty flavor is more consistent, and it ripens better.

Depending on availability, I would use either variety, it is such a delicious food.

When purchasing avocados, do not overlook the value of the small size. 

Whatever the size, choose fruit that looks unblemished, with a rounded look on the surface.  Also check to see if the stem piece is still in place.  If the stem drops out, the avocado is soon a goner.  Deep dimples or dips are another sign the avocado is over-ripe, an indication that the surface is collapsing.

A perfectly ripe avocado has a slight give to the touch.

The smaller fruit usually has small a pit, so you are getting a lot of deliciousness for your money.  It is also just right for serving two people.

The flesh from  the larger avocado pictured at the beginning of this post weighed 8 ounces.  The flesh from the smaller avocado weighed 4 ounces.  The larger one cost a dollar, the smaller one cost twenty-five cents.  The ratio of weight to cost means the smaller one cost twenty-five percent of the larger one, and had fifty percent of the yield.  It is definitely the better buy.

Of course if you are making a large batch of guacamole, the regular or large sizes work well.  

Avocados can ripen in the store or at home, so time your purchase according to your needs.  If you buy a bag of avocados at a warehouse, you can hold or delay the ripening process by refrigeration.  Take out the amount of fruit you need, and let it complete the ripening process for a day or two after you have removed it from the refrigerator.  I have successfully delayed ripening for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.  They may last longer but they can go bad if refrigerated too long.

Begin preparation by cutting around the center of the ripe avocado.

Once the knife is inserted, keep it steady and turn the avocado to complete the cut.

Twist the halves gently apart.  There were bruises on both sides, so I cut them out.  They don't taste good, and were in my way!

I also cut along the stem end, to free the surrounding flesh of the fruit.

Leaving the fruit still in the peel, slice through to the skin of the fruit (not yours!)

If you want dices, then cut the other way.

Gently release the skin from the fruit with a spoon, turning the avocado as you go.

It will probably stay on the spoon, so just lift out those slices or cubes.

Put them on a serving plate, or put them directly where they belong in guacamole, sandwiches, salads, or garnishes.

Remove the pit from the other half by smacking the knife right into the pit.  Wiggle the knife to loosen the pit, and the job is done.  Be sure to keep your hands well away from the knife.

As demonstrated, a knife and spoon are all you need to prepare an avocado.  Here is a wonderful tool that will make the process even faster.  It is worth buying if you use a lot of avocados and if you have the storage space.

Place the tool against the end of the avocado and scoop as you pull.

In one scoop, you have a sliced half an avocado.  Scoop crosswise to dice

To keep the fruit from turning dark, spray with Pam. 

A coat of Pam works well with prepared guacamole, too.

Guacamole freezes well, so if the whole bag of avocados from Costco ripens at once, make a big batch and freeze in conveniently-sized containers.  I like to scoop out the halves with a spoon, then use a potato masher to prepare the guacamole.

Avocados are great in salads, sandwiches, dips, guacamole, and as garnishes for soups.  A bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is embellished to perfection with a few slices of avocado.  

Our family's favorite way to use an avocado is to spread the soft avocado on toast.  My husband and I disagree on the choice of bread and whether to butter the toast.  So I will settle the question by stating:  whole wheat toast, no butter, and mashed avocado with salt is a delicious, guilt-free treat!

Slicing Bananas the Easy Way

What could be easier than slicing a banana?  Read on.

Slice off the stem end.

Peel three sides, leaving the upwardly curved side.

This is the upwardly curved side, still attached to the banana.

The attached peel keeps the slices in place.

You can also slice them in half, they are so well behaved.  Hold on to each end of the peel and move your sliced fruit to its final destination all together.  Neat and efficient.

Chunks can be cut the same way. 

Escort those chunks directly to the ziploc on the peel.

Remove peel, and store fruit in ziploc bags in freezer.  Great for smoothies and for baked goods.

Because barely-ripe bananas are the only ones I will eat, I freeze what I can't eat within hours of purchasing them.  Ripe bananas are worthless to me.  I can't even tolerate smoothies, banana bread or muffins made with ripe bananas.

Preparing Fresh Pineapple

Cut up your pineapple within two days of arriving home, while it is still fresh.  You can refrigerate or freeze what you don't need right away.  Begin by wrenching off the fibrous leaf cluster on the top.  Just grab and twist.

Holding the pineapple upright, slice clear though the middle.

Use a good sharp chef's knife, it must cut through a large, firm section of the fruit.

Cut the halves into quarters.

Remove the core, and discard, unless it is a very sweet juicy pineapple, the kiddies love to chew on these, and if they are not around, cook's treat.

Switching to a sharp paring knife, slice downward on the end of the pineapple, until you get to the outer layer of the fruit.

Run the paring knife all around the edges, cutting through the center of the section you are working on.

The fruit will now be ready to slice and dice.  Turn it on a flat side and cut into ribbons.

Dice by cutting across those juicy golden ribbons.

Scrape the rinds firmly with a spoon to get every last bit of goodness out of that pineapple.

Fresh pineapple is great as a side dish, grilled (leaving it quarters or eighths)   and of course it is amazing in fresh fruit salad.  Remember not to put it in jello, as an enzyme in pineapple prevents the jello from thickening.

Freshly diced pineapple takes Hawaiian Haystacks to a whole new level.

Strawberries, Any Way You Slice Them

Strawberries are almost a universal favorite.

Fortunately, they are so delicious we don't mind the last minute prep work necessary for salads and desserts.

Stem the strawberries using a huller, or a knife.  Pictured are two different hullers.  They both work well.  The fancy strawberry one is more comfortable to hold in your hand.

A strawberry huller removes only the green!

Now you are ready to slice.

Using a good quality egg slicer, place the strawberries one by one on this "tiny mandoline slicer."  It is much quicker than hand slicing.

My two sisters and I once served fresh strawberry sauce on top of slices of cake for our nephew's wedding.  A whole flat of strawberries was sliced in a hour using this exact slicer, one by one.  Every bit of the 3-tiered cake was served, to about 250 people. 

I have had this slicer for 12 years.  Although a little banged up with wear, it still makes perfect cuts.

You can slice the strawberry sitting straight up in the slicer like these, or on their sides, so that the slices are round.  I think the upright cut resembles valentines.

There are commercial strawberry cutters on the market, too.  If the strawberry is too large to fit in this slicer, cut in half before using the cutter.

Either way, you have delicous strawberries to use in salads or desserts.  Yum!