Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

Tamarillos are like the fruit equivalent of broad beans: you either love them or hate them.

I can recall from my childhood this unusual fruit, called a tree tomato (a relative of the tomato, eggplant and capsicum and potato), originating from Central and South America.
A lost food of the Inca Empire, tree tomatoes have all but disappeared from their native habitat.
Introduced into New Zealand in the 1800s they were purple and yellow, and in the 1920s the red variety was developed in Auckland from South America sourced seeds.
The fruit's commercial name was changed in 1967 to avoid confusion with the common garden tomato.
Today, the demand for the fruit remains strong as an awareness of its unique flavour and nutritional qualities grows.
For this week another quick pudding recipe, similar to the lemon pudding, but gluten free.
The tamarillos are hidden in an almond-flavoured sponge.

Stealth Tamarillo and almond surprise
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients
½ cup milk
¾ cup yoghurt
3 eggs separated
1 whole egg
3 heaped Tbsp fine Polenta
½ cup maize corn flour
1cup ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup caster sugar
½ cup brown sugar
5-6 tamarillos, peeled and thick sliced
½ cup flaked almonds (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180c and sprinkle most of brown sugar over thickly sliced tamarillos.
Place milk yoghurt, egg yolks, 1 whole egg, vanilla, all but two Tbsp of caster sugar, polenta and corn flour in a food processor and mix until smooth.
Pour some of batter into a deep, well-greased baking dish (about 1cm) and bake for about 7-8minutes until set.
Whisk egg whites until stiff, gradually adding the two Tbsp of caster sugar, carefully fold in ground almonds and add to the rest of the batter.
When the base has set, add the pre-sugared slices of tamarillos add extra brown sugar on top of the fruit, then top with the now lightened batter.
Bake topped with flaked almonds for 35-40minutes. Serve hot, dusted with icing sugar and runny cream – a great way to have tamarillos!