These little green gems herald the start of autumn in the most delicious way. While feijoas are great as a snack on their own, these baked beauties take them to the next level.
Warm, spiced feijoa doughnuts
Makes about 14
These easy, light puffs of deliciousness are a real treatfor those having to stay away from gluten (or not). They have little nuggets of warm feijoa and great served with a vanilla bean custard for dipping.
Ingredients 1¼ cups plain, gluten-free flour (or regular plain flour) ½ tspbaking powder (gf) Pinch salt ½ tsp each ground cinnamon and mixed spice 3 Tbsp caster sugar 1 egg 3 Tbsp milk 1 Tbsp melted butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 medium feijoas, peeled and diced 1cm pieces Vegetable oil, to cook Cinnamon sugar ½ cup caster sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1. Put 5cm of vegetable oil in a deep, medium-sized saucepan and heat to 170˚C on a sugar thermometer or until a piece of bread dropped into the oil turns golden within 30 seconds.
2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside for rolling cooked doughnuts.
3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, butter and the vanilla together then stir into the flour along with the feijoas until well combined.
4. Carefully drop tablespoons of the batter into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until a good golden colour and puffed, turning to cook on all sides. Don't overcrowd the pan as the oil temperature will drop rapidly and the doughnuts will be heavy.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Roll in the cinnamon sugar then place on a wire cooling rack in a 100°C oven until all the doughnuts are cooked. Eat immediately.
Cook's tip: To peel the feijoas, slice off both ends and stand upright on a cutting board. Cut down the sides with a sharp knife making sure you remove all the green skin.
With lots of fruit, a crown of lemon icing and toasted coconut, this is a big treat to share with friends.
Ingredients
250g butter, at room temperature 2 cups caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 6 large eggs, size 7 1 cup plain gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill), or plain regular flour 1 cup ground almonds 1 cup desiccated coconut 2 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp ground ginger ⅓ cup roughly chopped crystallised ginger 1 cup plain yoghurt 1 large lemon, finely grated zest 2 Tbsp lemon juice 2 cups peeled and chopped feijoas Lemon icing 1 cup icing sugar 2–3 Tbsp lemon juice Toasted shredded coconut, for garnish
1. Grease a 26cm spring-form cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 150˚C fan bake.
2. For the cake: Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until very light and pale, this will take at least 5 minutes.
3. Whisk the eggs together then gradually beat them into the butter mixture until very well combined.
4. Combine the flour, ground almonds, coconut, baking powder, the ground and crystallised ginger together. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold this into the butter mixture along with the combined yoghurt, lemon zest and juice. Fold in the feijoas.
5. Pour into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, covering the top loosely with foil after 40 minutes to prevent the top over-browning. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the tin.
6. For the icing: Combine the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but pourable icing. Place the cake on a serving plate and drizzle over the icing. Scatter with toasted coconut.
Feijoa, coconut and ginger cake. Photo / Claire Aldous
Feijoa and apple pie
Serves 8
A classic fruit pie that only takes two sheets of pastry, some feijoas, apples and spices to produce a crispy, delicious tart perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
2 sheets pre-rolled puff pastry (25cm x 25cm) Plain flour, for rolling 1 egg, beaten Raw sugar, for sprinkling Filling 4 braeburn apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 10 firm but ripe feijoas, peeled and thickly sliced* 3 Tbsp plain flour 1 tsp each ground cinnamon and ginger ½ tsp ground all spice ⅓ cup light muscovado sugar
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. fan bake. Roll out each sheet of pastry on a lightly floured bench to make it a little thinner and larger. Place one sheet on a lined flat baking tray and brush the edges with egg wash.
2. For the filling: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, tossing the fruit so it's all really well coated in the spice mix.
3. Tip the fruit onto the pastry, spreading them evenly and leaving a 2cm border all the way around.
4. Place the second piece of pastry over the top. Pull the edges of the bottom piece of pastry up over the top piece and crimp the edges together to seal well. Cut a few small slits in the top of the pie. Brush the whole pie with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
5. Bake for 30–35 minutes until a good golden colour and the pastry is really well cooked.
6. Slide onto a serving platter and dust with icing sugar. Best served warm with cream or ice-cream.
