kiwifruit & lemongrass slushie

This recipe works best when you use over-ripe kiwi fruit, since the sweetness levels are high and the seeds have a delicious nuttiness. It’s a great way of using up excess fruit.

You can either use lemon juice or, for an adult version, lemon vodka. I prefer the vodka version to be honest.

Kiwifruit & Lemongrass Slushie

Anna’s very own recipe. Makes 2.

Ingredients:
2 kiwi fruit
90ml lemon vodka (or lemon juice)
90ml lemongrass syrup (see note)
1 cup crushed ice

Method:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Taste for sweetness levels and serve immediately.

Note: use this syrup recipe and replace kaffir with 4 bruised lemongrass stalks

The Kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa, is actually a berry and the vines grow over trellises, just like grapes.

Although people associate kiwifruit with New Zealand, they originated in the Yangtze River valley of northern China and Zhejiang Province on the coast of eastern China. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, in 2005 the top ten global producers were (in order): Italy, New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan, Iran, United States, Canada and Cambodia.

Unlike many fruits which grew in popularity over millennia, the kiwifruit had a very quick rise to fame. Mary Isabel Fraser, a principal of a girl’s school, had been visiting mission schools in China and returned to New Zealand with kiwi seeds. The seeds were planted in 1906 and the first fruit appeared in 1910. By the 1950s New Zealand was ready to export and the name changed from Chinese gooseberry to kiwifruit as a marketing tactic.

In China the kiwi has many names such as macaque peach (獼猴桃: míhóu táo); macaque pear (猕猴梨 míhóu lí); vine pear (藤梨 téng lí); sunny peach (阳桃 yáng táo); wood berry (木子 mù zi); hairy bush fruit (毛木果 máo mù guǒ) and unusual fruit or wonder fruit (奇異果 qíyì guǒ).

A study conducted at Rutgers University “found that out of the 27 most commonly consumed fruits; kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense”. It is rich in folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and chromium. Its high levels of dietary fibre cause it to have a mild laxative effect.

Like papayas and pineapples, raw kiwifruit have a “protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin” which acts as a meat tenderiser but can also cause allergic reactions such as “sweating, tingling, swelling of the lips, tongue and face; rash; vomiting and abdominal pain; and, in the most severe cases, breathing difficulties, wheezing and collapse, although the most common symptoms are unpleasant itching and soreness of the mouth”.

The presence of this enzyme means any dairy or gelatine based desserts containing kiwifruit need to be eaten soon after making or the enzyme will begin to break down the proteins.

The kiwi is my theme ingredient for my first Weekend Herb Blogging of 2009. Our host this week is Pam from The Backyard Pizzeria.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwifruit
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/kiwifruit.html
http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/kiwi.html
http://www.kiwifruit.org/KiwifruitEducation-i-20-20.html

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb kiwifruit slushie kiwi slushie cocktail slushie drink kiwi kiwifruit cocktail recipes slushie recipes drink recipes kiwi recipes kiwifruit recipes