BAKING

COLOURFUL FRUIT KABOBS…Cape gooseberry, Cheddar & Basil

2008/01/14 / 14 Comments
“A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”
P. J. O’Rourke
IMG 1418 CAPE GOOSEBERRY APPETIZERS

Its winter here in North India & many seasonal fruits are making a welcome appearance. One of them is my favourite, the cape gooseberry, or the ‘rasbharis‘ (meaning filled with juice). These little berries are sweet yet slightly tart, & are sold in bunches. In peak season, you will find cartloads of these lining the roads while driving…a sweet sight indeed. When we were kids, they would come each wrapped in its natural husky brown cover, which we would patiently peel & enjoy the fruit of our meagre labour. Times have changed….now they come in bunches (as pictured below), with their husks pulled back neatly & tied with strings to make life simpler. Somehow, for me, the charm was with the husk still on, because there was a certain joy in gently peeling the husk off! Thank heavens for small mercies; the taste is still the same!!

collage 2

Cape Gooseberry, Goldenberry, Husk Cherry, Peruvian Ground Cherry, Poha, Poha Berry.

The cape gooseberry is native to Brazil but long ago became naturalized in the highlands of Peru and Chile and became identified with the region. It was being grown in England in 1774 and was cultivated by early settlers at the Cape of Good Hope before 1807. Soon after introduction to the Cape the plant was carried to Australia where it quickly spread into the wild. Seeds were taken to Hawaii before 1825 and the plant is naturalized on all the islands at medium and somewhat higher altitudes. Only in fairly recent times has the fruit received any attention in the continental U.S.

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GOOSEBERRY, CHEDDAR & BASIL FRUIT KABOBS…nestled amongst basil flowers.

Every time I eat or serve fruit, the mind begins to think what more can be done with it. Dress it up, serve it with cheese; hmmmmmmm…do something different? So, this morning, while trimming the overgrown basil plants, I thought this might be worth the try. I made fruit kabobs using cheddar cubes, cape gooseberries & basil. The result was a fresh, fruity, sweet & tangy appetiser, entirely pleasing to the palette. Simple & nutritious too.

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Colorful, nutritious and fun, fruit kabobs are a big hit whenever they’re served.

My mind was working towards an easy appetizer for Mansi’s event at ‘Fun and Food’ for her ‘Game Night Party’…a fun blog event. She aims to get together simple yet delicious recipes that can help you plan a stress-free ‘Game Night’ with simple, vegetarian & ‘Quick-to-Make’ recipes! This recipe is stress free, needs next to no preparation, the fruit can be substituted…so off it goes to Mansi as promised. IMG 1441

Ingredients:

Cape Gooseberries – 200gms
Cheddar -100 gms / cubed
Basil leaves – a handful (30-40 leaves)

Method:

  • Skewer a basil leaf, then a gooseberry, followed by cheese & then basil again.
  • Prepare in advance. Keep covered; chill if you like.
  • That’s it…sweet & simple. ENJOY!!

    IMG 1438

The ripe fruits are considered a good source of Vitamin P and are rich in pectin.
Posted by Deeba @ PAB

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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