Rhapsody in feijoa

The greatest book ever written about the feijoa may well be the only book ever written about the feijoa but there is no doubting that the recently published Feijoa by Kate Evans qualifies as a New Zealand natual history classic, a deep and knowledgeable dive into the life story of that strange, generous fruit tree, right now dropping its bounty on the lawns of the nation; if the book fails to qualify for next year’s Ockham awards, I will eat a feijoa-lined hat.

It’s also inspired a range of mostly wonderful and sometimes bizarre recipes supplied by ReadingRoom readers in last week’s giveaway contest. A free copy of Feijoa by Kate Evans was up for grabs. Readers were asked to send in a feijoa-based recipe – a cake, a tea, a chutney, anything – and it proved to be one of the most popular contests we’ve ever staged. In the spirit of the school holidays, right now beating on the drum of parents’ will to live, we present the best recipes and urge families to get their beloved infants to work in the kitchen.

The winning entry came from Karin Bathgate. Her crumble recipe was published on Friday. To be completely honest I got confused – I was in surgery last week; my mind is given to wander – and meant to choose another recipe for feijoa crumble, by Sheryl Clark. Sorry Sheryl! Karin won the book you ought to have won. I shared Sheryl’s recipe with my great-niece Alice, and her daughter, my great-great niece Willa; they made it, and loved it. Meanwhile I made Karin’s crumble in the weekend and gave plates of it straight from the oven to my daughter Minka and my friend Finlay. They said, “Good! But a bit tart.”

FEIJOA CRUMBLE (recipe by Sheryl Clark)

180g butter, melted / 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp caster sugar / 2 eggs / 2 ½ cups self raising flour / 1 ½ cups desiccated coconut / 8-10 feijoas, peeled and sliced

“Preheat your oven to 170°C fan bake. In a large bowl mix together the butter, ¾ cup sugar and eggs until well combined. Sift in the flour, add in the coconut along with a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Then evenly press two-thirds of the mixture into a lined slice tin. 

“Toss together the feijoa with the remaining sugar and spread out in an even layer over the base. Then crumble the remaining dough over the top.  

“Place into the middle of the oven to bake until golden brown, for about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before slicing.”

FEIJOA ICE-CREAM (recipe from Robyn Martin)

In a food processor or mixer whizz together for 3-4 minutes: 250g feijoa flesh / 2 egg whites (at room temp) / 1 cup sugar / 1 tablespoon lemon juice

“The mixture should be smooth and glossy.  I find it is best done in a bowl with electric beaters as it beats the egg whites better.  Rub a little mixture between your fingers – the sugar should be dissolved and not gritty.  If it is, beat a little longer.

“Spoon into a plastic container with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours.  It will keep in the freezer for at least a month. This recipe also works well with 250 g fresh strawberries.”

FEIJOA CHUTNEY (recipe from Trudy Calder)

1kg feijoas / 1kg onions / 500gms sugar / 1.2 litres vinegar / 1Tbsp salt / 1tsp ground cloves / 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper / 1 cup raisins

“Trim feijoas. Chop finely. Chop onions finely. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil and gently simmer for approximately 11/2 hours until thick. Sterilise jars and lids. Bottle chutney.

“This recipe is good for using up all the little feijoas. I’m in the process of making this chutney at the moment and openly admit to being a feijoa addict.”

FEIJOA JAM (recipe by Anne Jamieson)

1kg of prepared feijoas (flesh scooped from skins) / 4 tablespoons of lemon juice / 3/4 cup sugar

“Put lemon juice and fruit into a saucepan and heat uncovered over quite a high heat and cook fruit until soft. Add sugar to each cup of pulp. Bring to the boil over a low heat  stirring  frequently until all the sugar is dissolved, then boil briskly over a higher heat until jam is cooked to setting stage. Test at 3 minute intervals, then bottle in clean hot jars. This jam is delicious, and carries the joy of feijoas into the winter months. The recipe is adapted from the wonderful Alison Holsts’ basic jam recipe.”

PRESERVED FEIJOAS (recipe by Jocelyn Service)

“Peel feijoas whole and as thinly as possible, poach them for 2-3 minutes only, in a very light syrup and bottle them. All their lovely juiciness remains held inside. An amazing treat with icecream on winter nights.”

FEIJOA SALSA (recipe by Tracy Lee)

3 Feijoas diced up / 1 Red Onion sliced & diced / Half a can of sliced pineapple diced / 2 Tbsps Brown Sugar / Freshly ground black pepper/ Fresh mint chopped / Optional :  Chilli with seeds removed, finely diced and sliced

“Chop, slice & dice feijoas, red onion and pineapple. Sprinkle over brown sugar and a few good grinds of black pepper (to taste). Mix in a few torn mint leaves and chillies for an extra kick if desired. Pop into the fridge for 1 hour or so to let flavours combine into deliciousness. Can be used as a side dish on its own, or as a topping for fish, chicken or steak.”

The final two recipes conform to that great New Zealand need to reach for the top shelf. Parents, don’t try this at home with your children. Wait til they’ve gone to bed.

BOOZY FEIJOA PUDDING (recipe by Madeleine Satchell)

200 grams mascarpone / 1 heaped tbsp brown sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / 250 mls of cream, softly whipped / 2 cups of feijoa, chopped / 1/2 cup sherry or marsala / 1 packet gingernuts / Grated chocolate to sprinkle over the top

“Beat the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and feijoa, be sure not to over mix.

“Pour the booze into a small bowl. Select a medium-sized serving dish, I use a loaf pan.

“Dunk each biscuit briefly in the booze, then spoon the cream/feijoa mixture on one side and place in the dish (cream both sides of the first gingernut so it sticks to side of dish).

“Repeat with the remaining gingernuts, dipping in booze, creaming, then placing against the previous in the dish. Make rows to fill the dish.

“Spoon remaining cream mix over top and smooth. Cover and chill for 1 hour or preferably overnight.

“Garnish with the chocolate and serve in generous spoonfuls onto plates or small bowls.”

FEIJOAS IN GINGER WINE (recipe by Chris Berman)

400 gms Feijoas / 1 cup water(start with 1/2 cup- 1 cup makes a lot of liquid) / 100 gms Brown sugar / Juice 1 orange & 1 lemon / 2 tablespoons ginger Wine

“Make Syrup with water, sugar, juice & wine. Boil gently for 5 mins. Add peeled and halved fruit. Simmer 5 mins until tender. Cool and serve, or bottle.”

Ginger wine! God almighty.

Feijoa by Kate Evans (Hachette, $39.99) is available in bookstores nationwide