Exotic Fruits

Explore fresh new tastes and inject colour on your plate with these easy-to-make sweet treats

Sharon Fruit

Resembling a slightly orange tomato in appearance, delicious Sharon fruit tastes like a mix of tropical fruit and squashes. Also known as persimmon, they are a source of vitamins A and C, both of which help maintain a healthy immune system. Eaten in the same way as a plum, Sharon fruit work particularly well in salads and pies.

Sharon fruit galette

A parcel of juicy Sharon fruit with a kick of spicy cinnamon and sweet jam

SERVES 8 | READY IN 45 MINS | PRICE PER SERVING 48p | V

● 5tbsp caster sugar

● ¼tsp cinnamon

● 2tbsp cornflour

● 4 ripe Sharon fruit*, peeled and sliced

● 2tbsp lemon juice

● 320g Jus-Rol Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry Sheet

● 1tbsp unsalted butter

● 1 egg white, beaten

● 2tbsp apricot jam

● 8 scoops vanilla ice cream, to serve

1) Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2) Mix 4tbsp of the sugar with the cinnamon and cornflour. Add the Sharon fruit slices and stir to coat. Stir in the lemon juice.

3) Lay the pastry on the tray. Heap the fruit on top, leaving a 5cm border. Loosely fold in the pastry to create a circular shape. Pour over any remaining juice.

4) Dot the fruit with the butter, brush the pastry with the egg and sprinkle over the remaining sugar. Bake for 30 mins until golden.

5) Stir 1tsp water into the jam, microwave for 10 secs, stir, then use to glaze. Serve warm with the ice cream.

Pomegranate

One of the most beautiful exotic fruits, pomegranates are bejewelled with edible, ruby-red seeds. Great in both sweet and savoury dishes, the seeds are a source of fibre and are rich in vitamin K, which contributes to bone maintenance.

Pomegranate & pineapple no-bake cheesecake

A sweet and tangy spin on a traditional creamy cheesecake

SERVES 14 | READY IN 45 MINS, PLUS CHILLING | PRICE PER SERVING 31p

● 100g malted milk biscuits

● 50g unsalted butter, melted

● 2tbsp desiccated coconut

● 435g tin crushed pineapple

● 12g sachet Dr. Oetker Gelatine

● 250g Asda 50% Less Fat Light Original Soft Cheese

● 300ml Greek-style yogurt with honey

● 50g icing sugar

● 2tbsp demerara sugar

● ½ small fresh pineapple, peeled and sliced

● 4tbsp pomegranate seeds

1) Line a 20cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with baking paper.

2) Whizz the biscuits in a food processor. Add the melted butter and coconut and blitz to mix together. Spoon into the cake tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge.

3) Drain the pineapple in a sieve, pressing out the juice with a wooden spoon. Reserve the juice and flesh.

4) Put 4tbsp of the juice into a glass bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Heat over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until dissolved and the liquid is clear. Cool for 5 mins.

5) Mix, not beat, the soft cheese, yogurt and icing sugar. Stir in the tinned pineapple flesh and cooled gelatine until smooth. Pour over the biscuit base and chill for 2-3 hrs until set.

6) Put the demerara sugar in a small frying pan; heat gently until melted. Add the fresh pineapple slices, increase the heat and cook for 2-3 mins, turning once, to caramelise. Leave to cool then halve.

7) To serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin. Arrange the pineapple slices on top with the pomegranate seeds.

Papaya

When ripe, this tropical delight – also known as pawpaw – has an edible orange flesh that is beautifully sweet and fragrant and not unlike a peach. It’s high in vitamin C, which helps to maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones. Try papaya in salsa and salads.

Papaya & lychee rice pudding

Sweet papaya combines with tart lychees for a tropical take on this classic dessert

SERVES 6 | READY IN 40 MINS PRICE PER SERVING 75p | V

● 200ml Rubicon Lychee Juice Drink

● 200ml light coconut milk

● 50g caster sugar

● 150g Arborio or pudding rice

● 200g Grower’s Selection Lychees**, peeled and stoned

● 2tbsp demerara sugar

● 2tbsp chopped pistachios

● 1 small papaya, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1) Put the lychee drink in a pan with the coconut milk, caster sugar and 400ml cold water. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat.

2) Put the rice in a small pan and stir in ⅓ of the hot liquid. Simmer for 4-5 mins, stirring continuously, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add the rest of the liquid 1 ladle at a time, stirring – don’t add more until the previous lot has been absorbed. Chop ½ the lychees and stir into the rice.

3) Heat the demerara sugar gently in a pan until melted. Remove from the heat and swirl in the pistachios to coat. Spoon onto baking paper to cool, then chop.

4) Divide the rice between 6 bowls and top with the rest of the lychees, the papaya and pistachios. Serve warm.

Mango

Juicy and bursting with flavour, mangoes are tropical stone fruit with an orange flesh that’s wonderfully sweet and fragrant. Rich in vitamin C, they are delicious in trifles and add a fresh tang to curries.

Mango & raspberry tart

Sharp fruits combine with the sweetness of vanilla, chocolate and cream

SERVES 12 | READY IN 45 MINS | PRICE PER SERVING 55p | V

● 320g Jus-Rol Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry Sheet

● 50g white chocolate, chopped

● 250g fresh raspberries

● ½tsp vanilla extract

● 3tbsp icing sugar

● 300ml whipping cream

● 1 ripe mango

1) Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

2) Unroll the pastry on a floured surface, then roll out to line a 22cm shallow, fluted tart tin. Trim the edges, cover with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind for 10 mins. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 mins.

3) Scatter the chocolate in the base of the hot pastry case. Leave for 5 mins to melt, then spread over the inside of the case with the back of a teaspoon – this will help to keep the pastry crisp after you add the filling. Allow to set.

4) In a bowl, mash 200g of the raspberries with the vanilla extract and icing sugar. Whisk the cream into stiff peaks then fold in the raspberry mixture. Spoon into the pastry case and level the top.

5) Peel the mango and cut the flesh from either side of the stone. Slice thinly and arrange on top of the tart in a flower shape. Scatter with the remaining raspberries and serve.