Amazing Fruit Recipes Part 2

Tropical fruit makes up a significant part of the UK diet. From bananas and pineapples to kiwi fruit and passion fruit, our mealtimes would be less interesting without a little taste of the exotic now and again. The recipes in this article are designed to get your taste buds into gear, and think about using tropical fruit in interesting ways. Instead of blackberry and raspberry jam, why not try spreading kiwi fruit on your toast in the morning? Or barbeque pineapple to provide an interesting addition to summer parties. Tropical fruit is as versatile as our home-grown fruit, and these recipes are just a small sample of how many varied ways there are to eat it.

Below is a selection of delicious recipes you can make using exotic fruit:

Avocado, Apple and Feta Salad With Mustard Dressing

2 avocados (peeled, stoned and cut into slices)
2 apples (cored and cut into slices)
4 tomatoes (quartered)
100g (4oz) feta cheese (cubed)

For the dressing

1 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sunflower or light olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

• Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
• Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small jug and drizzle over the salad
• Serve immediately

Banana Wraps

2 bananas (peeled)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp caster sugar
2 x 2.5cm (1 in) strips of puff pastry, rolled out
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas mark 7
• Sprinkle bananas with cinnamon and sugar
• Wrap strips of puff pastry around bananas
• Whisk egg yolks and salt together and brush over the pastry
• Place the wraps on a baking tray in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden

Griddled Mango Pieces

1 mango (peeled and cubed)
2 tbsp sugar
2tbsp white wine
Icing sugar
Sprig of mint
Dollop of whipped cream or Greek yoghurt

Method

• Heat a non-stick griddle pan on high heat
• Add the mango pieces and sprinkle with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• Cook until the mango pieces begin to caramelise
• Pour in the wine to release the mango from the pan
• Garnish with the sprig of mint and serve hot

Kiwifruit Jam

2kg (4lb) kiwi fruit (peeled and chopped)
1 box fruit pectin or 2 apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
1.5 kg (3.3lb) sugar

Method

• In a large pan, heat the fruit for 3 minutes with a dash of water
• Add the pectin or apple pieces and mix well
• Add all of the sugar and bring to the boil, then boil for 1 minute
• Take off the heat, skim any foam from the top of the mixture and place the hot mixture in sterilised jars

Barbecued Pineapple Pieces

1 pineapple (peeled and cut into chunks)
Rind and juice of 1 orange
1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

• In a bowl, mix the orange rind and juice together, and add the sugar
• Stir in the pineapple chunks, making sure they are coated in the mixture (add more orange juice if necessary)
• Cover the bowl and leave to marinade for one hour in a cool place, such as a fridge
• Spoon the cool mixture into a foil parcel, and place on the barbeque grill for 10 minutes
• serve hot

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

1 banana
2 passion fruits
1 mango, cut into small pieces
1/2 a pineapple, cut into small pieces
100ml pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime

Method

• Scoop out the pulp from the passion fruits
• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth
• Add ice cubes if the consistency is too stiff, and another banana if the consistency is too runny
• Serve immediately

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