Celebrate kiwifruit (+ recipes)

For years I have been lamenting that kiwifruit is given such a bad rap by most New Zealand chefs. Why is it that our internationally famous fruit hardly ever appears on New Zealand restaurant menus? Its colour (or colours - green and gold) and flavours complement so many other foods and dishes. It's also very healthy. One large peeled kiwifruit weighing about 100g contains twice as much vitamin C as the same weight of orange; it has five times more dietary fibre than 100g of grapefruit and it has just 61 calories (compared to a banana with 92). Weight for weight, kiwifruit also has twice as much vitamin E as avocado and more than twice as much potassium as an apple.
In France, large tarts and little tartlets are colourfully topped with kiwifruit. In Korea, it is served in salads; in Thailand it is combined with mango as a side dish to curries; in Germany, it marries with cherries; in Hawaii, it's a colada. Why then in New Zealand, can't kiwifruit be used as a sauce to accompany a lamb loin; or as a salsa with duck or salmon; or combined with sauteed scallops in place of lemon?
It doesn't take much imagination to create an innovative, colourful, modern dish with kiwifruit, combined with the special seasonal delights of our country.
In desserts, kiwifruit combines deliciously with apples in pies or crumbles; it makes excellent icecreams and sorbets to accompany these pies or crumbles; kiwifruit and persimmon parfaits are easy to assemble in wine glasses topped off with a dollop of mascarpone; and a decadent warmed chocolate brownie is improved with an accompaniment of kiwifruit soaked in Grand Marnier, and lashings of cream.
In this country of masterchefs we should be praising, promoting and prepping the one export product famously known as the "kiwi".
RECIPES
SMOKED SALMON WITH KIWIFRUIT & HERB SALAD
Green kiwifruit, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup mixed herbs (eg, mint, coriander, basil, flat-leaf parsley)
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 slices smoked salmonArrange  kiwifruit slices in a circle on two serving plates.
Combine herbs in a bowl. Whisk  vinegar, oil and seasonings until well-mixed. Drizzle one tablespoon over  herbs and toss.
Twist salmon and place in the centre of the serving plates, together with herbs. Drizzle a little  dressing on each plate just before serving. Serves 2.

JADE PRAWNS
Adapted from my New Zealand Kiwifruit Cookbook.
3-4 tbsp rice bran oil
500g raw prawns, shelled and deveined
Seasoning:
1 tbsp grated root ginger
1 tsp each: white wine vinegar, sugar
Salt to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp water
Greens:
1 cup mung bean sprouts, blanched
4 spring onions, diagonally sliced
3 green kiwifruit, peeled and julienned.
Heat  two to three tablespoons of oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Stir-fry  prawns until  pink. Combine seasonings. Add to  wok. Stir-fry for one minute, until thick. Remove  and keep warm.
In a clean pan, heat  remaining oil and stir-fry  sprouts and spring onions for about one minute. Add  kiwifruit and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Serve topped with  prawns. Serves 4.

KIWI COLADA TRIFLE
For extra flavour, soak the kiwifruit in two tablespoons of white rum, or drizzle the sponge cake with white rum.
2 tbsp custard powder
2 tsp sugar
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
3-4 tbsp white rum
4-5 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
200g sponge cake, cubed or sliced
1/2 cup cream, whipped
Grated kiwifruit chocolate, optional
To make  custard, stir  custard powder, sugar and a little  coconut milk in a saucepan until smooth. Add  remaining coconut milk and heat gently, stirring, until thickened. Simmer for one minute. Cool. Combine  rum with  custard.
Place some kiwifruit in  base of a serving dish or individual dishes. Top with  layer of  sponge cake and some custard. Add another layer of cake,  kiwifruit and custard. Top with  whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours. Garnish with  chocolate. Serves 6.

CAFE KIWIFRUIT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2  tsp baking powder
1 tsp each: baking soda, ground cinnamon
125g butter
2 tbsp manuka honey
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup peeled and diced kiwifruit
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cream  cheese  icing:
150g cream cheese
2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Extra kiwifruit for serving
Preheat  oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake pan and line base.
Sift  flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl.
Beat butter, honey and sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Slowly beat in  eggs and flour mixture. Fold in  kiwifruit. Spoon into  pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before removing from  pan. Cool.
Beat  cream cheese until smooth. Beat in  icing sugar and lemon juice. Spread over  cake. Great served with extra slices of kiwifruit on the side.