Kiwi

Did you know that the kiwi is not a tropical fruit? It actually needs cold weather for a time to be able to produce fruit. The kiwi originated in southwestern China, but it later found its way to New Zealand where it was called the Chinese gooseberry. The New Zealanders renamed the fruit the kiwi, after their national bird. The United States gets its kiwi fruit from California in November through May, from Chile in April though November, and from New Zealand in June through December. Thus, kiwi fruit is always in season in the supermarket.
Some people eat the fuzzy brown peel try it-does it tickle your throat? Buy kiwi when it is firm and then set it out at room temperature to ripen. If you want to speed up the ripening process, place the kiwi in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple. Once slightly soft, the kiwi can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. Kiwi is high in vitamins C and E, fiber, and the mineral potassium.

Kiwifruit Caipiroska

Here, the Brazilian caipirinha uses vodka in place of the usual cachaca. Kiwifruits give it a punch of flavor.
6 peeled kiwifruits
3 c. tonic
1 c. Limeade
1/2 c. vodka
Ice cubes
Peeled kiwifruit slices - for garnish
Muddle kiwifruits in a bowl or pulse in a food processor until chopped and juice is extracted. Strain fruit through a fine sieve; discard solids. Transfer to a large pitcher. Stir in tonic, limeade, and vodka. Fill pitcher with ice cubes. Garnish with peeled kiwifruit slices.

Kiwi Fruit Muffins

2 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 c. sugar
3 firm kiwifruit peeled and finely chopped
2 eggs
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. milk
Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add sugar and mix; stir in kiwi.
Combine eggs, oil and milk; gently stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Do not over mix.
Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans or use foil/paper liners, until 2/3 full. Bake in 350 F oven 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks. Makes about 18 medium muffins.
Fresh Fruit Pizza Cookie
1 pk - (20 oz) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 pk - (8 oz) light cream cheese
1/3 c Sugar
1 t Vanilla
1/2 Fresh pineapple - cut in thin wedges
2 Kiwifruit - peeled and sliced
1 Banana - peeled and sliced
1/4 c Raspberries
1/4 c Apricot jam - melted
Press small pieces of cookie dough into 14-inch pizza pan. Bake in 350 degrees. oven 12 to 15 minutes or until browned and puffed. Cool completely on wire rack.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Spread over cooled cookie.
Arrange pineapple around out edge of cream cheese. Arrange kiwifruit, bananas and raspberries in flower patter over pineapple. Brush with jam.

Aloha Cheesecake

1 c Vanilla Wafer Crumbs
1/4 c Margarine - Melted
16 oz Cream Cheese - Softened
1/3 c Sugar
2 T Milk
2 Large Eggs
1/2 c Macadamia Nuts - Toasted
8 1/2 oz Crushed Pineapple - Drained
1 Med Kiwi Peeled - Sliced
Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sugar and milk, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts; pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F., 45 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Before serving, top with fruit.

Banana & Fruit Breakfast Splits

2 bananas - cut in half, quartered and sliced
1 apple - peeled and diced
1 can mandarin oranges - drained
1 c. honeydew melon - cut into bite-sized pieces
1 c. cantaloupe - cut into bite-sized pieces
1 c. blueberries, strawberries - (cut in half) or raspberries
1 (8 oz.) container berry flavor yogurt
6 t. wheat germ
2 kiwi fruit - peeled and sliced
This is an attractive way to present fresh fruit to your guests. We use it as an “appetizer” with coffee and juices before serving our entree of the day. You may vary the listed ingredients with seasonal fruits when they are the most flavorful. The “Splits” may also be served on a salad plate if dessert dishes are not available.
Place prepared fruit into four stemmed individual crystal dessert dishes in the order listed. Top each mound of fruit with 1/4 of the container of yogurt. Top the yogurt with the wheat germ. Place a kiwi slice on top.

Chicken with Kiwi Fruit

4 c Chicken broth
1 3/4 lb Whole chicken breasts
1 Stalk celery - chopped
1 Leek - white part only, chopped
4 Kiwi - peeled and cut in 1/4” slices
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 T Butter
1 T Sugar
1/8 t. Salt
1/8 t. Cayenne pepper
Bring chicken broth to a boil in large saucepan. Add chicken and simmer 10 minutes, skimming as needed. Add celery and leek. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Arrange kiwi in fan shaped pattern on serving dish. Wash orange in hot water, then dry and peel one half very thinly. finely shred peel and sprinkle over kiwi fruit. Squeeze juice from lemon and orange. Melt butter in saucepan and add sugar, stirring until caramelized. Gradually add orange and lemon juices, stirring well. Boil until sauce is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Take chicken off bone, remove skin, and slice. Arrange on platter with kiwi slices, pour sauce on top and serve. 4 servings. Print this post