Guavas!

I got a lovely bag of fresh guavas from my friend at A Sydney Foodie. I've never eaten fresh ones before, only the nectar in a bottle. The first thing that stuck me is the perfume - they smell so absolutely divine! The flavour is all tropical - hints of banana, passionfruit...but they won't keep long so the best thing is to cook them into something delicious.


First up is an asian-inspired dessert, then a simple cake with macadamias and guavas.


Pandan and Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Guava Jelly


Tapioca is one of those love-hate things. I love the bubbly chewy texture of the little pearls in desserts and drinks. You can cook tapioca the same way you would cook a rice pudding with milk, sugar and vanilla, or you can go with more asian flavours like coconut and pandan. I find cooking the pearls separately gives you a better result, with more control over the starchiness. This dessert is also dairy free and gluten free!


1/2 cup sago(seed tapioca), cooked and rinsed
100ml coconut cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon tapioca flour
2-3 drops of pandan essence (optional)


Mix the tapioca flour with the coconut, sugar and tapioca pearls in a small saucepan. Cook for 3-5 minutes over a medium heat until the mix thickens. Add the pandan essence and remove from heat, Pour into heat-proof serving glasses and allow to cool.


Pulp from 5 guavas (or use guava nectar)
150ml water
1 tbsp sugar
½ tablespoon of gelatine powder


Blend the guava pulp with 50ml of water, and then strain to remove the seeds. Mix the gelatine and sugar with 100ml boiling water and mix into the guava pulp. Allow to cool slightly then pour over the tapioca layer and chill for at least 2 hours. I made 2 servings.


Guava and Macadamia Cake

Not a great picture

Based on this recipe by Steve Manfredi, but with a couple of modifications - green ginger wine is great for cooking (and drinking - it's yummy!) This is a pretty basic cake recipe. You could swap the macadamias for other nuts, and swap the fruit for anything you have that needs cooking up.


6 guavas, peeled
80g macadamia nuts, processed to a rough meal
150g flour
100g sugar
125g softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp Stone's green ginger wine
Jam for glazing


Chop 2 of the guavas and place them in a blender or food processor. Scoop the seedy flesh out of the other 4 guavas and add to the food processor. Slice the 4 guavas and set them aside.
Add the ginger wine to the guava pulp and blend, then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.
Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the guava puree, then beat again. Mix the baking powder with the flour and add this gradually to the cake mix, beating in between. Finally, stir in the ground macadamia.
Pour the mix into a round cake pan and place the guava slices on top. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. To glaze the cake, warm a tablespoon of jam in the microwave, then brush over the top of the cake.