Summer is here - and with it, a new array of delicious fruit on the shelves.
Warm days and humid evenings make me crave sweet and succulent fruit from the tropics, preferably chilled so its extra refreshing.
Ripe pineapples, fat fragrant mangoes and juicy lychees are all delicious, as is passionfruit which is just beginning to appear in the shops. There are many more exotic examples such as rambutans, custard apples and mangosteens, but today my focus is on the more commonly available options in the shops.
Mangoes from Queensland are sunset red and have the most divine scent and sweet flesh. You can smell a good mango as soon as you walk into a shop.
Try whipping it into a lassi with the water from a Thai drinking coconut, then top with roasted cashews and a spoonful of passionfruit. This makes a delightful drink to start the day with or to enjoy as a dessert alternative.
The pancakes also work at different times of the day. They're perfect brunch food but are also nice when made smaller and served in the evening. Adding buttermilk to them gives good flavour and texture, and spooning on a little mascarpone adds richness without being excessive.
Grilling the pineapple adds a caramelised flavour while the diced watermelon provides colour and a nice little crisp note.
Lychees are a favourite - even the ones in the can - but do keep your eyes open for fresh lychees in their beautiful pink shells. They are very easy to peel and the fruit is considerably sweeter and juicier. Also worth finding are bags of lychees frozen in the shell which I have bought from Asian supermarkets - just defrost and peel.
Pairing the flavour of lychees with the richness of duck is a winner. Fresh mint and a soy and orange dressing finish off a salad bursting with summer flavour.
Chef's tip
If you pull a leaf from the top of a pineapple and it comes away easily, it is ripe. The leaves are often cut off these days, so as with mangoes, trust your nose. Ripe fruit smells good - simple as that. Also remember that there are many varieties of mango, so it doesn't pay to judge ripeness by the colour of the skin. Shop where people know what they are selling.
