L is for Lychee - A to Z Challenge 2015

I first discovered Lychees in the Chinese restaurant called Hong Kong in London many, many years ago. In those days one only ever saw them canned but I always enjoyed them. Today in most markets you can buy fresh Lychees if you are so inclined. The fruit originated in China but is now cultivated in many places in the world with China and India being the leading growers. According to Wikipedia a lot of the delicate floral smell and delicate sweet flavour is lost in canning so the choice is to eat the fruit fresh. It’s cultivation goes back to 2,000 BC. It was first described and introduced to the west by a Polish Jesuit missionary in 1656. How come I never heard of it til my 20s if we knew about it in the west for so long. Mind you I guess the war wouldn’t have helped. We didn’t get bananas or pineapples til well after the war years so Lychee would have been the same. I loved the flavour out of a can so imagine the fresh fruit would be delectable.

The first recipe I came across had canned fruit so I abandoned it.

Pineapple, Strawberry, and Lychee Parfaits

Crushed fresh pineapple infused with mint serves as a refreshing base for summer berries and lychees in this cool parfait. The leftover pineapple syrup would be great in rum cocktails or mixed with seltzer for a nonalcoholic drink.

Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

SERVINGS 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 medium ripe pineapples (about 3 pounds each)
  
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 cup small fresh mint sprigs; more for garnish
  
• 4 cups ripe strawberries, hulled, halved lengthwise if large
  
• 16 fresh lychees, shelled and pitted, or one 20-ounces can lychees, drained, rinsed, and halved lengthwise if large
  

1. 
Trim the pineapples and quarter them lengthwise. Cut away the cores and rinds of each quarter and cut the pineapple into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Working in batches, pulse the pineapple in a food processor until crushed or about the size of grains of rice (it's fine if a few pieces are larger or smaller).
2. 
In a large nonreactive saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of the sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pineapple and let the mixture return to a hard boil. With a spoon, skim away and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Boil for 1 minute and then remove the pan from the heat. Add the mint sprigs and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the mint. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
3. 
One hour before serving, in a small bowl, mix the strawberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate.
4. 
To serve, drain the liquid from the pineapple in a sieve set over a bowl. Divide the pineapple into clear glasses, saving the syrup for another use. Top with the strawberries and lychees and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Have a great day