Trifling with tamarillos

Press, 16 July 1980, Page 15

Trifling with tamarillos

Tamarillos can be used in all sorts of interesting ways. ■ -

They don’t have to be cooked, of course. One of my favourite ways with tamarillos is to peel -and slice them, sprinkle them with sugar, and pour orange or grapefruit juice over them. Leave them to stand for several hours, until the sugar dissolves and the flavours blend. TAMARILLO TRIFLE If you feel that tamarillos have rather a strong flavour by themselves, try them in a trifle. Slice and stew the tamarillos using 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water. Sprinkle cubed sponge with sherry, then spoon the fruit and syrup over it. Top with vanilla custard and garnish with toasted almonds.

For a quick trifle make an instant pudding topping

instead of a cooked custard.

TAMARILLO TOPPING Tamarillos make an excellent, interesting topping which you can use to dress up bought cheesecake or ice-cream.

6 tamarillos, chopped or pureed 1 cup water I cup sugar, / / } cup vanilla custard powder J cup orange juice or sherry red food colouring (optional) raspberry essence (optional)

Chop the tamarillos finely, or puree them in a blender or food processor. Simmer for five minutes in the water. Mix the sugar, custard powder and orange juice or sherry until smooth. Add to the tamarillos and -stir until mixture thickens. Add red food colouring and raspberry

Alison Hoist’s Food Facts

flavouring to taste, if desired.

Serve warm or cold over ice-cream, on cheesecake, or with muesli and cream or yoghurt. TIPSY TAMARILLOS The following recipe is particularly easy. You can make it then keep it for several weeks in a jar in the refrigerator. Serve i\ for special occasions, with plain or whipped cream, or ice-cream. Halve ur.peeled tamarillos and cut off the stem end. Place tamarillos, cut side down, on a baking dish sprinkled thickly with sugar. (Use k cup sugar to 500 g tamarillos.) Add a sprinkling of cinnamon or several pieces of cinnamon stick, if desired.

Bake uncovered at 150 1 degrees Celsius (300 ■ degrees Farenheit) for 30 ' minutes, until the skins ( rise and can be lifted off > the cooked fruit easily. ; Transfer the fruit to a • serving dish or jar, leav- I ing the heavy syrup in the , baking dish. Add dark rum or brandy to the warm, but not boiling, syrup. 1 use two to three’ tablespoons for each 500 g fruit. Mix well, and pour over the fruit. Leave the cinnamon sticks in with the fruit, so the cinnamon flavour intensifies. Use ripe 'imarillo for this recipe. or you do not get such a good flavour.

I have made it using a blackberry liqueur instead of rum or brandy; . this was delicious too.