Cuisine – New Zealand citrus proves fresh is best

As we see the first of the locally grown oranges and other citrus fruits start to trickle into the stores, it’s a timely reminder to always try to buy New Zealand produce. I noticed the Californian oranges hanging around but a taste test demonstrated that old adage, ‘fresh is best.’

Oranges grown in Kerikeri and the Gisborne orchards are full of juice, naturally sweet and beautifully firm to the touch right now. I have read so many international recipes that state that you must first wash your oranges or grapefruit as they are waxed before their long journey to the stores, to exclude the air and preserve the skins. I don’t think local fruit are waxed as quite often they soften too soon, so do keep your citrus well refrigerated.

Luckily for us New Zealand’s research and development apples and pears for long storage periods has led to a distribution chain for seasonal harvesting that ensures pip fruit reaches the customer as crisp and fresh as the day it was harvested. When you buy apples, look at the colour of the skin close to the stalk and check it has a greenish tinge. Once you have purchased apples, the best place for them is not in the fruit bowl but in the refrigerator, preferably in the chiller drawer if you have one.

Pears are a different story as they are picked before they’ve reached peak freshness. Pop them in the fruit bowl and once they are ready and ripe to eat, pop them into the refrigerator too. My favourite variety of pear is the Packham pear, a bumpy green skinned pear which when ripe, turns a pale lemon shade and has creamy white flesh. They are good for eating raw or can be used in poaching, baking or in any dessert.

New Zealand walnuts are one of the ingredients in this week’s recipe. Like all those fruits, I prefer to buy locally grown walnuts but they can be hard to find. They appear around this time of year and are more mild and sweeter than any of the imports which are filling the shelves. I find those imports can often be quite bitter, and sometimes also rancid. A sweet local fresh walnut can change your thinking about this nut. And a tip for keeping walnuts; buy lots of local shelled walnuts if you can find them and then store in the freezer for best keeping.

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Rustic Apple Pie with Lemon and Walnuts

6 small apples (suggest Rockit)
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
1 lemon, zest and juice
6 tbsp cream cheese softened
500g ready rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp fresh walnuts
1 egg, beaten

Wash the apples, removing the core and pips and cut into thick slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the apple slices. Cook very gently for about 5 minutes, then add the sugar and cinnamon. Toss well over the heat and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Add the grated zest and lemon juice, toss well again and allow the apple mixture to cool.

Cut six 12cm squares of pastry and lay them on a greased oven tray. In the centre of each square, spread about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese. Divide the apples into six portions and place on the cream cheese. Scatter walnuts over the apples. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Pull the corners up and crimp with your fingertips around the edges of the pies to form a very rustic parcel. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg.

Place the pies in the fridge to rest the pastry for at least an hour or overnight. When ready to bake the pies, preheat the oven to 200C. Place the oven tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pies are crisp and the bottom of each is golden and cooked. Serve warm with yogurt or whipped cream.

Serves 6.