There is always a mad rush to the base of the feijoa trees in our cul de sac. When we hear a rustle in the trees at early hours of the morning we know Aunty Wai has beaten us to the green ovals of perfection. Feijoas are a quintessential flavour of our childhood and it is an undeniable flavour of New Zealand. Here are a couple of our favourite recipes using this amazing fruit.
Cinnamon bircher muesli with feijoa
Serves 4
2 cups/150g rolled oats
1¾ cups milk
¼ cup apple juice
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 apple, cored and grated with the peel
2-4 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp cinnamon
8 feijoas, halved and insides scooped out
In a large bowl combine rolled oats, milk, apple juice and lemon juice and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
In the morning add the grated apple, maple syrup and cinnamon. Top with the feijoas and enjoy.
Feijoa and pear crumble
Serves 4
4 pears, cored and chopped into cubes
1 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp sugar
2 cups feijoa flesh
For the crumble
1/2 cup flour
150 cold butter
2 Tbsp oats
1/2 cup coconut threads
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 180C. Place pears, water, lemon juice and sugar into a medium sized pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the feijoa and cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place the crumble ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
Transfer the drained fruit to a greased ovenproof dish or individual ramekins, filling to three-quarters. Sprinkle over the crumble.
Cook for 20-25 minutes. Serve with cream or ice cream or both.