April

Autumn provides a wide range of new season fruits so why not indulge in Australian grown tropical fruits like custard apples, mangosteens and longans. Also, crisp new season apples include popular sweet Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and old fashioned Jonathons. Pears such as Josephine, Beurre Bosc, Red Sensation and Corella will never taste better than in Autumn so enjoy!


CUSTARD APPLES
This sweet sub-tropical fruit is grown in mid to north Queensland and Byron Bay area in northern New South Wales and is rich in Vitamin C. It has pale green skin with smooth creamy, custard-like flesh that contains dark brown inedible seeds. The unique flavour is often described as a combination of bananas, pineapples and strawberries. Usually picked while firm, custard apples are ripe when they yield gently to pressure, just like an avocado. So buy them firm and store at room temperature when they take 4-5 days to ripen. (It’s a good idea to place them on top of the fridge where the air is warm). Sometimes the skin can be weather-blemished, but this doesn’t affect the delicate flavour of custard apples. Two main varieties are African Pride which has a knobbly pale green skin that turns dark and soft when ripe. Pinks Mammoth has a smoother green skin, fewer seeds and is generally sweeter.
USES – break custard apples apart and eat plain or drizzle the flesh with fresh lime juice and Cointreau liqueur for adults. Turn custard apples into delicious smoothies, a creamy mousse or panna cotta, a baked custard, cheesecake or icecream, or feature them in an exotic fruit salad.


MANGOSTEENS This is an exquisite taste sensation and often described as the “Queen of Tropical Fruits”. Originating in Malaysia, this round fruit has a deep purple, bitter inedible skin with a pretty green calyx (cap) and contains several snowy white, segments. To extract the fruit, use a sharp-pointed knife to make a shallow cut around the ‘equator’ of each fruit. Gently twist and remove the top to reveal the delicious segments with their few brown seeds. Lift out the fruit with a teaspoon and enjoy alone or in fruit salads, slip them into in cocktails or serve mangosteens with cooked prawns.


LONGANS These are known affectionately as the ‘little brother of the lychee’ also as the dragon eye. Related to the tropical lychee and rambutan, longans grow in clusters on a stem, have a golden brown leathery skin with sweet and white faintly musky flesh and a small black seed. They can be substituted for lychees or rambutans in leafy green salads, in fruit salads, poached in a light syrup or served with cheese. Grown in far north Queensland, the Biew Kiew is one of the best varieties available. > Grower Link.




KNOW YOUR PEARS

Cinnamon-coloured BUERRE BOSC pears have a long neck, cream-coloured rich tasting flesh and a slightly granular texture. This classic brown pear is often preferred by chefs for poaching as it keeps its shape well. Chocolate sauce is a great partner for vanilla-poached pears.

JOSEPHINE PEARS have a green to yellow soft skin. Plump with a sweet and juicy yellow-white flesh they are excellent for cooking or for eating raw.

RED SENSATION PEARS arriving from Shepparton, are a member of the William family and have ruby-coloured, soft skin that turns bright crimson when fully ripe. These pears have a superb rich buttery texture and make a fabulous finale to a meal when served with cheese.



CORELLA PEARS are named after the colourful Australian Corella parrot and were developed by the German settlers in the Barossa Valley. Enjoy their mild flavour by eating them firm and crisp or fully ripe, when they have a softer texture. Great in salads with smoked chicken or prosciutto, baby spinach leaves and a chive dressing.

RECIPE: All pears are perfect served with cheese, walnuts and crusty bread. Slice them and serve in a rocket salad with virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Poach them in a light syrup with one of the following aromatics - vanilla beans, saffron threads, fresh or glace ginger, citrus zest, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, espresso coffee or cardamom pods. Try pears poached in a syrup with shiraz, cinnamon stick and a whole star anise and served warm or cool with lashings of our natural yoghurt. It’s a simple but delicious dessert.



Pears are tricky to identify because you don't eat them all year round but of course you know your apples as most of them are available. Left to right: Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Royal Gala, Bonza.

NEW SEASON APPLES

FUJI apples were developed in Japan and are sweet and luscious with a unique ‘honey-core’ located around the seeds. While they make a superb eating apple with their high sugar content, this also means they hold their shape well in cooking. Cut Fuji apples into thick slices and cook slowly in a little butter to serve with pork. Slice them finely and arrange on squares of puff pastry to bake for quick apple tarts.

JONATHON’S are an old-fashioned eating apple favoured by many of our ‘seniors’ who treasure their crisp, juicy flesh and tangy flavour. Jonny’s are perfect for packing in school lunch boxes too. Excellent chopped finely and added to a spicy muffin mix.

GOLDEN DELICIOUS have a greenish-yellow skin, sometimes with a pink tinge and has crisp, sweet flesh that keeps its shape when cooked in apple pies, comforting apple crumbles and that fabulous French dessert Tarte Tartin.

GRANNY SMITH is one of the best cooking apples with a sensational tart, tangy flavour. When fully mature the sweetness level of this popular apple increases.

RECIPE: Quick Stuffed Apples – core 4 Granny Smith apples, remove peel from the top third of each apple and place fruit in a heatproof dish. Combine chopped raisins and dried apricots, almonds or walnuts and soft brown sugar and cinnamon and moisten with orange juice. Stuff apples with this mixture. Dot with butter and microwave on High for 8 minutes, or until apples are just tender. Serve warm with our yoghurt.


Regards,

David Harris. © Harris Farm Markets P/L