Friday 18 February 2011

I Lychee!

This week in the Devnaa kitchen we've gone completely crazy over Lychees! Having picked up a large crateful of the delicately perfumed sweet fruit on a trip down to our grocer's we've since been trying to put them in absolutely everything! From a lychee cake with coconut and rosewater buttercream to a strawberry and lychee panna cotta, lychee and pistachio kheer, a subtle key lime pie with lychee and coconut whipped cream, and lychee and ginger sorbet - you name it we've tried it!!!!

More oriental than Indian , the lychee was originally cultivated in Southern parts of China. From there it travelled to Burma in the 17th century and is said to have arrived in India in the 18th century. Now India is one of the largest producers of lychees even though they are cultivated around the world in places like South Africa, Florida and Hawaii.

Our top tip for serving lychees is to keep them refrigerated or better yet, frozen! Lychees taste amazing when they're icy cold, especially when blitzed up into iced tea or cocktails - on the menu for this afternoon - lychee and ginger fizz and a green tea infusion with lychee and mint. Can't wait!

We'll post some pictures (and recipes!) soon, in the meantime stock up on some of this fantastic fruit! It does come in cans but the fresh fruit is always better if you are able to get hold of it.

:) xx

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