Recipes

Ingredients

  • 8 cactus pears, peeled and sliced
  • 150g goats cheese, crumbled
  • Handful of micro-greens
  • Splash of balsamic glaze

Cactus Pear, Goats Cheese and Caramelised Macadamia Salad

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4 - 6

Preparation

  1. Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water, soak the couscous in the boiling stock in a covered container for 10 – 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Fluff out the couscous with a fork.
  3. Toss all the ingredients together and serve garnished with snipped chives.

Ingredients

  • 6 cactus pears, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cup tomato sauce
  • ½ cup chutney
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons honey or dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon prepared English mustard
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 small chillies deseeded and chopped (optional)

Piquant Cactus Pear BBQ Marinade and Sauce

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 3

Preparation

  1. Reserve 2 cactus pears.
  2. Whizz the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pour into a sauce pan, cook over medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes. Strain and cool.
  3. To use, pour over meat and marinade for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight for best results.
  4. To cook, scatter remaining cactus pears over meat and bake or grill according to requirements.

Ingredients

  • 8 ripe cactus pears, peeled and sliced
  • 200g assorted berries or seasonal fruit
  • tablespoons breakfast seed mix
  • 200ml double thick Greek yoghurt

Cactus Pear Breakfast “Salad”

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Preparation

  1. Arrange fruit on plates, sprinkle with seeds and a big dollop of yoghurt.
  2. Serve immediately.

Syrup Ingredients

  • 15 ripe orange or red flesh cactus pears, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice

Sorbet Ingredients

  • 2 cups cactus pear syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup castor sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3-5 drops orange food colouring (optional)
  • 2 egg whites

Macadamia Nuts Ingredients

  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried crushed chilli

Cactus Pear Syrup Sorbet

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 3

Preparation

  1. Place chopped fruit and water in a large pot over medium heat on the stove.
  2. Stir occasionally and allow fruit to cook down to a pulp, about 20 – 30 minutes.
  3. Use a potato masher or stick blender to mash pulp.
  4. Strain pulp through a fine sieve, and discard pips.
  5. Return liquid to pot and add the sugar, bring to the boil and skim the foam from the top, and add the lemon juice.
  6. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 -40 minutes until reduced and syrupy.
  7. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
  8. If using immediately, allow to cool otherwise cover and refrigerate for up to one month.

Preparation

  1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
  2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Place the syrup, food colouring and egg whites in a food blender and whizz for 2 minutes until combined and frothy.

Preparation

  1. Place the macadamia nuts in a frying pan and dry-roast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until very lightly coloured. Watch carefully as they burn quickly!
  2. Add the butter. When it has melted add the sugar. Use a wooden spoon to stir constantly to coat the nuts in the sugar as it caramelises.
  3. Lastly stir through the salt and dried chilli. Turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and allow to cool. Chop roughly.

To serve

  1. Arrange the cactus pears on a platter, with the goat’s cheese and micro-greens.
  2. Before serving scatter with macadamia nuts and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 ½ cups boiling water
  • 1 chicken (or vegetable) stock cube
  • 2 cactus pears, peeled and diced
  • 1 Israeli cucumber, diced
  • 50g pistachio nuts
  • 50g pomegranate seeds
  • Chives to garnish

Persian Jewelled Couscous Salad with Cactus Pears

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Salsa Ingredients

  • 4 cactus pears, peeled and chopped
  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 large sprigs mint, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon mint sauce
  • 1 tablespoon red currant jelly
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Burger Ingredients

  • 4 lamb patties
  • ½ cup hummus
  • Handful of baby lettuce leaves
  • 4 hamburger buns

Cactus Pear & Mint Salsa on a Lamb Burger

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Preparation

  1. To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow the flavours to blend and “marinade” while the burgers are cooking.
  2. Grill or cook the burgers according to preference.
  3. Spread each hamburger bun with hummus, top with lettuce, the burger patty and finish off with cactus pear salsa, serve immediately.
  4. Pour into a freezer container and freeze for 4 hours.
  5. For a very smooth sorbet, scoop the semi frozen sorbet into the blender and blend again.
  6. Return to container and freeze overnight.
  7. Serve with sliced cactus pears and other seasonal fruit

Ingredients

  • 3 Cactus Pears, peeled and chopped
  • 1cm knob fresh ginger (optional)
  • ½ English cucumber
  • 2 sprigs mint

Cactus Pear, Cucumber, Ginger & Mint Juice

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 1

Preparation

  1. Feed all the ingredients through the feeder tube of a juice extractor.
  2. Discard pulp.
  3. Serve juice garnished with sprigs of mint.

Ingredients

  • 15 large Cactus Pears peeled and chopped
  • 500g shallots, peeled and chopped
  • 2cm knob of fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 150ml white vinegar
  • 150g white sugar

Cactus Pear Chutney

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: Makes 3 jars

Preparation

  1. Simmer the Cactus Pears in a large pot over medium heat until soft
  2. Strain and remove pips.
  3. Place strained pulp with remaining ingredients in the pot and bring to the boil, remove foam from the top.
  4. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 – 3 hours until reduced and thick, stirring regularly to prevent sticking (add a little water if necessary).
  5. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and cool.

Serving suggestions:

  • Serve with cold meats, roast pork or on a cheese board.

Ingredients

  • 15 ripe Cactus Pears, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice

Cactus Pear Syrup

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: Makes approximately 1.5 litres

Preparation

  1. Place chopped fruit and water into a large pot over a medium heat on stove.
  2. Stir occasionally and allow fruit to cook down to a pulp, about 20 – 30 minutes.
  3. Use a potato masher or stick blender to blend pulp.
  4. Strain through a fine sieve, saving the liquid, discard pips and pulp.
  5. Return liquid to the pot, add sugar and bring to the boil.
  6. Skim foam from the top.
  7. Add lemon juice.
  8. Decrease heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until reduced and syrupy.
  9. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and refrigerate – will keep for up to one month.
  10. If using immediately, allow to cool first.

Serving suggestions:

  • Use as a syrup on waffles, pancakes or ice-cream.
  • Add to soda water for a refreshing spritzer.
  • Mix with vodka and lemonade over crushed ice for a cool cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 4 Cactus Pears, peeled and chopped
  • ½ red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • ½ yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • ½ chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 15g coriander, chopped
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Cactus Pear Salsa

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Preparation

  1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, toss well to combine and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions:

  • Serve with grilled fish, BBQ chicken or roast pork loin.

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 Cactus Pears peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup castor sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salad Ingredients

  • 2 yellow Cactus Pears peeled and sliced.
  • 2 pink Cactus Pears peeled and sliced.
  • 2 green Cactus Pears peeled and sliced.
  • 4 sprigs mint leaves, washed.

Three Colour Cactus Pear Salad

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Preparation

  1. Blend the sauce ingredients together in a food processor or blender.
  2. Strain, save the liquid and discard pips and pulp.
  3. Arrange sliced fruit on a platter.
  4. Pour Cactus Pear sauce over sliced fruit.
  5. Garnish with mint leaves and serve with custard (optional).
  6. Add berries for variation

Ingredients

  • 8 Cactus Pears, peeled and sliced
  • 2 fennel bulbs, washed and thinly sliced
  • 2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
  • 150g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Cactus Pear & Orange Salad

Prep Time: ... minutes

Cooking Time: ... minutes

Serves: 4

Preparation

  1. Arrange Cactus Pears, fennel and oranges on a platter or individual plates.
  2. Scatter crumbled feta cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
  3. Serve with pita bread or grilled flat breads.