Two weeks ago I opened the front door to be greeted by a favourite fragrance. On the doorstep was a surprise gift from a friend: a carton of fresh feijoas. Their aroma set my tastebuds tingling.
Unlike me, my feijoa bushes did not appreciate the hot, dry summer - they're laden with fruit that resembles little bullets and they are not going to swell and ripen before Jack Frost arrives.
Feijoas are addictive. Their perfume should be encapsulated in a bottle as a cosmetic scent. However, it's their flesh - either raw or cooked - that is the true delight.
Feijoas complement many other fruits, in particular strawberries, blueberries and bananas. They are excellent in savoury salads; they can be added to muffins and cakes; and they make great chutneys and jams.
I love them in salsas, and they add interest to hot desserts such as crumbles and pies. They make mean smoothies and icecream, and my latest fad is feijoas on crostini with labneh or goat's cheese.
As with many of our more unusual fruits, feijoas are native to South America. Introduced to this country from Australia just after the turn of the 20th century, the feijoa was not highly regarded until the 1960s.
New Zealand is the only country that grows this popular fruit in worthwhile commercial quantities.
In Australia and the United States they are commonly known as pineapple-guavas.
Because feijoa skin is tart it is not usually eaten, although the unpeeled fruit is great in jams or pickles.
Feijoas are ready to eat when slightly soft.
The centre section of the freshly cut fruit should be clear and jelly-like.
If the centre is hard and white it is unripe - if it is brown and translucent it is past its prime.
Store at room temperature to ripen, then refrigerate.
RECIPES
FEIJOA & WALNUT MERINGUE CAKE
Feijoas and cream marry well with gewurztraminer.
100g (3/4 cup) walnut meal or finely chopped walnuts
3 egg whites
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup lemon or lime curd, eg, Barkers
300ml cream, whipped until stiff
4-5 feijoas, peeled and sliced
Preheat oven to 160C. Place walnuts in a roasting pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Stir 2-3 times during baking. Reserve 3 tablespoons for garnishing the top.
To make meringue layers, beat egg whites, until stiff. Add 1/2 the caster sugar and beat until smooth. Carefully fold in remaining sugar and walnuts.
Cover a baking tray or trays with baking paper and make three even circles of meringue mixture about 18cm in diameter.
Bake for about 1 hour, until dry and crisp. Cool on a cake rack.
To assemble, place one meringue layer on a serving plate, top-side down.
Spread with 1/4 cup of lemon curd. Top with 1/3 of whipped cream, then slices of feijoa. Top with another layer of meringue. Spread with remaining lemon curd, another 1/3 of the cream, and more feijoa. Place the top layer on and cover with remaining cream and fruit. Garnish with the reserved walnut meal.
Best served while crisp but also excellent the next day when the meringue has softened.
Serves 8.
FEIJOA & CHEESE CROSTINI
Lime or lemon juice help prevent peeled feijoas from discolouring.
1 French baguette, cut into 1cm slices
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt to taste
6 feijoas, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
215g jar lemon labneh cheese, drained, or
200g soft goat's cheese
Coriander leaves to garnish
Preheat oven to 180C. Brush each bread slice with olive oil. Season with salt. Place on a baking tray and toast for about 8 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool.
Combine feijoas and lime juice. Spread crostini with cheese then top with feijoa salsa and coriander leaves. Serves 6-8.
DATE & FEIJOA MINI LOAVES
Mini loaf pans are available as a joined set, similar to muffin pans. This mixture could also be made into muffins.
2 cups pitted dates
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
125g butter
1 cup peeled and diced feijoas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour
Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease an 8-hole mini loaf pan.
Place dates, orange juice, sugar and butter into a saucepan. Bring to boil. Add feijoas and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Cool. Whisk in eggs then mix in flour.
Spoon into prepared loaf pans. Bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a wired rack. Makes 8.
FRESH FEIJOA RELISH
2 tsp canola oil
1 small red onion, diced
3cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
4 large feijoas, peeled and diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook onion in oil until soft. Add ginger, chilli and mustard seeds and cook until the seeds begin to pop. Stir in feijoas and cook for a minute more. Add lemon juice and season.
Great served with pork. Serves about 6.