14th September 2015 a) 30 mins or less

NERGI® with Pecan and Goat’s Cheeseballs

Name: Nergi with Pecan and Goat’s Cheeseballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 300g (10oz) goat’s cheese; 100g (3oz) pecan nuts, crushed; handful of chives, finely sliced; 10 Nergi/kiwiberries, halved

Looks can be deceiving. Especially when it comes to the NERGI®fruit berry.

While scanning over the vibrant array of fruit at the greengrocer I wouldn’t have given this fruit a second glance. Surely, with their deep green skins they must be as sour as vinegar! When they are soft to the touch, they are ripe and when you halve them they look like baby kiwis. Although it’s a berry fruit and not part of the kiwi family, there are some similarities in flavour. One marked difference between this berry and the kiwi is that the former isn’t nearly as acidic as the latter, which in my books makes it the more pleasant fruit.

NERGI® is sustainably farmed, handpicked and there’s no need to peel them. A quick rinse under the tap will do. They can be enjoyed any time and anywhere but they are particularly ideal for kids’ lunch boxes and healthy snacking. Apparently, you can cook them too but for me, as with most fruit, NERGI® is best enjoyed in their prime simply on their own, unsullied by other flavours.

On that note, here is another easy way to enjoy them – with cheese and nuts. In this case, goat’s cheese was used but blue cheese, albeit in smaller amounts, would work too. My 5 year old daughter loved preparing these little balls with me and skewering them with the fruit afterwards.

Whizz up the pecan nuts into little pieces that they resemble fine gravel. Finely chop a handful of chives and mix in with the nuts. If you’re wondering why the goat’s cheese has a slight grey tinge to it, I used goat’s cheese logs that had special ash rind and blended them coarsely. Roll little balls, about 3cm (just over 1 inch) in diameter, with the cheese and then dunk them in the nut mixture to cover.

For an extra splash of colour, I alternated the kiwi berries with sweet piquanté peppers, which worked really well. Grapes can be used too with the cheese balls.

These canapés are excellent to serve at a cocktail party but whatever you do, don’t forget Aperol Spritz!

Fancy the beautiful crockery in the photos? You can buy them here at the Rex London.

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