Kiwi-keels-over-rita – An Alcoholic Kiwi with Zespri Kiwifruit

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Hendricks gin, that lovely infusion of gin with Bulgarian rose and cucumber, is my current favourite tipple of choice. The best and simplest way to drink it is on ice, topped up with tonic water and served with a couple of slices of cucumber. Of course, to make it healthier, why not add some kiwifruit as well? And maybe a shot of tequila too. Kiwi-keels-over-rita sounds about right. Delusional, you say? In fact, all this drinking has put me in the mood for a limerick or two.

There was a fat baker from Bangsar
Whose fame reached up to Kuala Kangsar
“The kiwifruit”, he said,
“is quite like my egghead
They’re both furry and seedy, how bizarre!”

So off he traipsed to a physician
To cure his seedy furry melon
“It’s quite clear,” said the doc
“You’ve consumed too much cock
Please refrain from eating kiwi birds by the dozen.”

It will make perfect sense after three kiwi-keels-over-ritas. And now for the fabulously healthy concoction:

40ml Hendricks gin
20ml elderflower cordial
20ml tequila
20ml tonic water
3 slices of Zespri kiwifruit

Mix the first 4 ingredients together, then pour over ice cubes. Garnish with kiwifruit.

Guaranteed to lift the spirits.

For more information on Zespri kiwifruit, check out their website. The above post is part of the Zespri 14-Day Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge.

The Battle of Good vs Evil – Zespri Kiwifruit

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Did you know that Zespri Kiwifruit is a great source of Vitamin C? In fact, it has TWO times the Vitamin C of oranges. Maybe they should start making green Vitamin C tablets instead of orange, eh?

Here’s to a healthy and infection free Tuesday!

Note: The above post is part of the Zespri 14-Day Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge. For Fatboybakes’ (aka Fatboy Orange in this comic strip) take on this challenge, check out his blog.

Homemade kiwifruit, apple, lemongrass and chilli jam with Zespri Kiwifruit

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Lyrical Lemongrass

What do you do when the kiwifruit gods bestow upon you a ton of kiwifruit to do as you please? You could be lazy and just eat it as a simple and satisfying snack, straight out of its natural receptacle, or you could make jam. The process is simple, and what you will end up with is a lovely jam that is sweet, sour and slightly savoury that is full of goodness from kiwifruit (which incidentally has double the quantity of Vitamin C compared to oranges).

You can probably tell that I am obsessed with lemongrass, so after brainstorming with my mum and sister-in-law, we agreed that lemongrass would be a good complement to the kiwifruit jam. Apples contain pectin, which can be used as a thickening agent for jam, so I decided to add that as well. And why chilli? I like a little heat in my food, and I wanted to see if it would work well in a jam, and luckily it was good!

The following recipe makes 1 jar and a bit.

Ingredients:

4 Zespri kiwifruit, skin removed and cubed
1 apple, cored and quartered with skin on
1/2 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
juice from 1 lime
1 chilli, cut lengthwise, seeds removed

Method:

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil for between 30 to 45 minutes (stir intermittently) until the right consistency is achieved. Once the apples have softened, remove skin and discard. Discard lemongrass and chilli, and transfer cooked jam into a sterilised jar.

The jam can be used as a spread on bread, or as a chutney for meats. It will go wonderfully with roast pork. Enjoy!

Note: Kiwifruit kindly provided by Zespri Malaysia.