Recipe collaboration with Nourishing Nosh
Papaya Paste - accompaniment to cheese
This papaya paste is a spin on quince paste, the slightly tart, sweet spread that pairs so beautifully with cheese. Quince has a very short growing season and can be quite a challenge to prepare. Papaya on the other hand is a much easier beast to conquer and is available all year round. You can make a large batch of papaya reduction and freeze it for other recipes. 1kg fresh papaya will yield around 450g reduced papaya. Makes 3 x serves.
Ingredients
500g fresh papaya flesh (to yield 220g reduced papaya)
80g raw sugar
50ml lemon juice
zest 1 lemon
1 tablespoon (20ml) chia seeds*
Method
Cut the papaya in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds (These can be dried and sprinkled on salads). Peel the papaya and puree it in a food processor.
Weigh a large saucepan and record its weight. Transfer the papaya to the saucepan and weigh it. Record the weight of the Papaya.
Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the papaya has reduced by over half - 220g is what you are after (around 45 minutes).
Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and zest and cook a further 30 minutes. It will spit and splutter so take care.
Stir in the chia seeds and transfer to 3 - 4 silicon muffin cups. Tap gently to remove any air bubbles and spread the top until it is smooth.
Place on a cookie tray and set in a very low (90C) oven for 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes.
By this time the paste should be set. You can decant the paste and store it in the fridge for a month.
Serve on a platter with a delicious range of cheese, nuts and crackers. To eat, cut a thin slice of paste and pair with a strong cheese such as blue or cheddar.
*if you have less time or want more anti-inflammatory goodness, add more chia seeds. Chia seeds absorb a lot of liquid so more seeds will decrease the setting time.
