Overflowing with feijoas? Put them to good use with this syrupy upside-down dessert where they meet vanilla, lemon and ginger and this loaf that’s great for morning tea with a decent spread of butter or dollop of yoghurt, suggests Angela Casley.
PHOTOS: BABICHE MARTENS
Upside-down feijoa tart
If you don’t have a heavy-based frying pan that can go in the oven, pour the butter and sugar mixture into the base of a cake tin. This pastry is a quick home-made number that will settle nicely on to other fruits as they come into season. Try guavas while they are here.
Serves 8
Ingredients
25g butter
80g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon zest
8 feijoas, peeled, halved lengthways
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Pastry
150g flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
80g butter
1 tsp ground ginger
½ cup yoghurt
Ice cream or whipped cream, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180degC.
2. In a heavy-based frying pan 22cm in diameter, melt the butter with the brown sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon zest. Arrange the feijoas on top, cut-side down. Squeeze lemon juice over.
3. For the pastry, place the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter and ginger in a food processor, blitzing until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the yoghurt, mixing to form the dough. Tip on to a bench and press with your hands into the shape of your pan. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Set the dough on top of the feijoas, tucking in the sides, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
4. Remove and carefully tip on to a serving plate.
5. Serve with icecream or lightly whipped cream.Do make this cake gluten-free if you like. Browning a slice in a frying pan a day or two after will bring it back to life. The cake also freezes well so you can enjoy it when all the feijoas have gone.
Almond & feijoa loaf
Do make this cake gluten-free if you like. Browning a slice in a frying pan a day or two after will bring it back to life. The cake also freezes well so you can enjoy it when all the
feijoas have gone.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 cup yoghurt
½ tsp baking soda
140g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
½ tsp almond essence
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
200g almond meal
40g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups chopped peeled feijoas
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170degC. Line a 1-litre loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Combine the yoghurt and baking soda in a bowl, allowing it to fluff up.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light in colour. Add the zest, eggs and almond essence, mixing well. Then fold through the ginger, almond meal, flour and baking powder. Lastly add the yoghurt and the feijoas. Spoon batter into the loaf tin.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft and spongy to touch.
5. Serve sliced with butter or a dollop of yoghurt.
— viva.co.nz
