Well, there were no suggestions out there on a Twitter plea for what to do
with these gorgeously coloured lilly pilly berries !
The
delicate creamy, puffy blossoms are followed by this mouthwatering
fruit tasting of a cross between a Jamaican otaheiti apple and a
crunchy pear with cinnamon and allspice overtones.
Oh
but wait, that is why Ms Tagalong is reminded of otaheite apples;
they are from the same family. When in doubt look up those botanical
names!
Lilly pilly - Syzygium oleosum
Otaheite
apples - Syzygium
samarangense. Well I never.
Both have their origins in the South
Pacific and are delicious stewed or crushed with ginger.
So
what did Ms Tagalong do with hers?
She
boiled and simmered them in water for about 10 minutes just covering
the fruit in the pan.
She
drained them.
She
made a syrup of brown sugar, mixed peppercorns, bayleaf and some
grated ginger and boiled until thickened.
She
de-stoned the fruit, once cooled, easy as they were now very soft.
Finally
the berries were placed back in the syrup and blended to form a sort
of thick sauce. (Bay leaf extracted of course!)
Finished
product, a jar of piquant sauce to be enjoyed hot or cold with lamb
chops, vegetable kebabs or anything you like really!
Any
other ideas for this wonderful abundant fruit gratefully received!
It's great to have some feedback, so please leave me some comments.
Received this comment from Lizardland in Bellingen about improving the colour! Thanks for that, will do so next time.
ReplyDeleteif you remove brush cherry seeds before cooking you get a really clear
pink result and
- good in salads, colour and flavourwise
They also make marvelous wine! Soak, cook, crush, and strain the liquid. Add sugar and ferment. YUM!
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