A Fruity Affair

En-route to Bandung: Fresh fruit for fritters & cake

I remember a dinner conversation in Auckland in the 1980s, centering on Japan making fish-flavoured ice cream. While there was some debate on whether the Japanese flavour would be as enjoyable as rum and raisin ice cream, I’d sensed there was a general respect that the land of the rising sun was also living off their land. After all, New Zealanders were already proudly filling their really dark chocolate with a surprising dash of kiwi fruit liqueur.

But the unique Kiwi creation I took a particularly fancy with back then was their fruit-laden sandwiches. And it was a culinary twist that I fondly brought back with me. For who wouldn’t be taken with the joyful sensation of succulent strawberry zest bursting out with crisp fresh greens and crunchy streaky bacon? Especially when it’s washed down with ice cold home-made lemon barley?

That orchestrated concerto is in the same culinary league as generously lacing delicate shavings of granny smith apples in a slaw, tastefully balanced with a few handfuls of freshly picked koo chyes – a refreshing accompaniment to a crispy skin sautéed pork belly liberally drenched with a sweet yet tart apple sauce.        

But a cut above this is the divine berry compote served with a feather-light chilled vanilla panna cotta that’s perfect for the hot tropics. A dainty mouthful brings back memories of the punnets of farm-fresh strawberries I’d bought stopping along the back roads on the North Island in kiwi country and the sun-ripened blackberries I’d picked from patches growing wild at the fringe of Tasmania’s bushlands.