I’m not a big lover of fruit, and never have been. There are a few select fruits I enjoy on rare occasions, including sliced red apples with cheddar cheese, tart green apples with salt, pomegranates and kiwi. I also like blueberries, but mainly as the star ingredient in recipes (muffins, pancakes, preserves).

 

Kiwi is an altogether odd fruit, but I enjoy the taste and texture. According to Star Chefs:

With its brown, fuzzy skin and egg-like shape, the kiwi fruit doesn't look too appealing from the outside. But beneath its rough exterior is an exotic treat – bright green flesh studded with tiny black seeds.

 

Originally from China, the fruit was introduced to New Zealand in 1906 as the “Chinese gooseberry” and later became known as “kiwi” after the fuzzy, brown, flightless bird of the same name. With more than 40 varieties of kiwi available worldwide, it’s a wonder this nutrient-packed fruit didn’t show up in American markets until the 1960s. Kiwis are now grown domestically in California and are available year round thanks to the opposite summer seasons of Chile and New Zealand – two major producers of the fruit.

The web site Just Fruit Recipes also has sixty-seven kiwi-based dishes, the following of which I found to be the most appetizing:

Fruit Medley with Pomegranate Seeds

2 Oranges

1 C green grapes; seedless, halved

2 Kiwi fruit; peeled and sliced

1 Banana; peeled and diagonally

1 C Pomegranate seeds

2 TBS Grand Marnier; or other orange-flavored liqueur

Fresh mint sprigs; (optional)

 

Peel oranges; cut each orange in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. Combine orange slices and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with Grand Marnier; toss gently. Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

Sounds like a much better dessert than a cake oozing with sweet frost, doesn’t it?