I remember when kiwi fruit first started showing up in the market and were a real novelty. It's funny to think they were originally named for their brown exterior, because I now think of kiwi as the vibrant green color of the fruit inside. Back in the 80's they seemed to appear exclusively in fruit tarts, providing a bright color contrast. Kiwi fruit is in season at the moment and thanks to a surplus, I've been experimenting. It turns out, they are surprisingly versatile and can take the starring role in many recipes.
There are two kinds of kiwi fruit commonly available and they are different both in look and taste. The green variety is tangy and has a citrus like flavor. The yellow version is a little more elongated and tastes sweeter with tropical notes. Technically both are berries, refreshing and juicy with a little crunch of seeds. They are full of vitamins and good both raw or in recipes. One kiwi has more than 100% recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and contains potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E and is low in carbohydrates.
Because of the tangy flavor, kiwi is great in salsa, vinaigrettes and frozen in popsicles or sorbet. I made a terrific guacamole last week with some kiwi fruit and avocados, but ate it before I could snap a picture. I think you can use them almost anywhere you might use a fresh slice of tomato.
If you have too much kiwi and it starts to get soft, use it in this pretty green cake. It's a quick bread in the style of banana bread. It's tangy and moist, not too sweet, and great with a cup of tea. The matcha and lime just complement the kiwi but are not dominant flavors. You could leave out the matcha if you want, but if you are interested in finding ways to use matcha in baking, this is a good one. More great ideas and information about kiwi fruit are available on the Zespri site.
Kiwi Matcha Lime Tea Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup peeled mashed very ripe kiwi fruit, green, yellow or combination
Zest of one lime
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan, preferably non-stick. Whisk together flour, baking powder baking soda, matcha powder and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture and thoroughly combine. Stir in mashed kiwi fruit and lime zest. Fold in dry ingredients, stirring until batter is completely moistened. Spoon batter into pan and bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.
Enjoy!