Barbara Bretton: Wish You Were Here

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The Food Goddess is in the Kitchen! I am delighted beyond words to present my friend, my pal, Kali Amanda Browne (daughter of the beauteous and talented Marie) aka The Food Goddess. Enjoy!

Guava: Sweet, Mellow and Fragrant

When I was a small child, growing up in Puerto Rico, my own backyard was a Garden of Eden - possessed of fantastic marvels to experience and explore.

We had a small guava tree straddling the fence to the house on the west side. It didn't look like much, a sapling grown to pencil-neck awkward geekness in a world of big luscious trees and maddeningly beautiful shrubs, and I loved it. The bark would occasionally crack and peel like cheap paint, and then it would look even more pathetic with these faux leprosy lesions along the trunk.

Still I loved the little tree.

From its branches grew these bejeweled tiny emeralds, a pale green the color of the sea on the astern coast of the island. They'd grow, sometimes to the size of tennis balls, and turn a placid yellow signaling their ripeness. Inside, its center contained a sensual pink flesh dotted with cream colored tiny seeds. Both sweet and sour in the most amazing mellow way, there is an uncanny similarity between a fresh, wild guava and the perfect first kiss.

I remember leaning back against the small tree, after climbing it and stealing one of her fruit, shaded from the hot sun, its juice rolling down my face, and singing to it my little tree my gratitude and a tribute for all her gifts. Certainly, even Grammy-winner Ruben Blades sings a song about finding the perfect guava!

Whenever there was a particularly bountiful season, my grandmother would gather a couple dozen of them, peel and scoop them flesh out, cook the caps down and keep refrigerated in simple syrup - now available in jars in some specialty markets. We had it with queso blanco (a mild white cheese, such as farmer cheese) for dessert. This is a memory that still sends shockwaves of pleasure through my soul!

The best way that I have to explain a guava's unique taste and texture is this: imagine a combination of pear, strawberries and rose petals . . .

Depending on where you live you might find guava in the market as fresh fruit (there are over 100 varieties), processed, as a paste or as a juice or nectar.

Guava Daiquiri

1 can frozen guava nectar
15 ounces light rum
5 ounces lime juice
lemon wedges for garnish

Mix frozen nectar, rum and lime juice in blender for a few seconds. Freeze for at least an hour. Pour into cold, long stemmed glasses.

Guava Empanadas

If you are lucky enough to have a Goya segment in your market (disclaimer: my great uncle rose up the ranks in that international corporation and I am a Goya-groupie since childhood), find prepared empanada disks, guava paste and cream cheese.

Cut thin slices of guava paste and place in center of disk, top with a slice of cream cheese (it's easier to work with it if cheese is slightly frozen and you use a 1:2 ratio of paste to cheese), do this at least twice. Dampen the edge of the empanada disk, flip into a semicircle and seal by pressing down with fork tines.

Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 200-degrees.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Guava Sauces

Guava jelly and hot sauce, lime juice, a dash of vinegar are excellent enhancements to a grilling glaze.

You can email me at kali.templeofdoom@gmail.com.