After two and a half days of the flu and eating nothing but a handful of Saltines and a little Sprite, I was finally better. While pretty much any solid food would have been welcomed once the flu had passed, I was treated to an amazing lunch at Calafia, one of my favorite restaurants, that was so good it may never be replicated. Since the lunch, I've found myself daydreaming about kiwi popsicles and bee pollen smoothies. It was that good. And because Rocket was at home with nonnie, I was free to relax and enjoy the first three hour lunch I've had since becoming a mom. It was heaven.
The lunch was courtesy of Zespri, a collective of New Zealand kiwi growers, which is sponsoring a recipe contest (more on that below), therefore the menu was kiwi-centric. A friend giggled when I told her I went to a kiwi-centric lunch, but not only was it excellent, I realized kiwis can do much more than be peeled, sliced and eaten straight. Soon after I learned that peeling and slicing for wussies and there's such a thing as a spife (the spoon-knife cousin of the spork) and kiwis can quickly be cut in half and then cut into easy to scoop out chunks, making it portable food.
After the smoothie, Calafia Owner/Chef Charlie Ayers (commonly known as the Google Chef from his former gig), served kiwi gazpacho with lump crab meat and vanilla salt, Lomi Lomi salmon with kiwi salsa on won ton chips, crispy chicken breast (a Calafia standard) with kiwi honey mustard relish, a kiwi popsicle and a vanilla tapioca parfait with kiwi and banana. Everything was delicious and light. He also made up a kid's sandwich using golden kiwi, almond butter, honey and thinly sliced strawberries, so we could see it. I'm not a big fan of nuts, so I had to trust that it was sweet tasting, regardless it did look pretty.
The gold kiwi (right) has more of an egg shape than the rounder green.
The gold kiwi was new to me and most of the U.S. It's predominantly in Asian markets - apparently overall Asians eat more fruit and are more adventurous in the fruit they try - and should not be difficult to find in the Bay Area, at least until late July when the supply is expected to run out. It's sweeter than green and as long as the gold kiwi doesn't feel overly soft, it's good to eat.
Lunch discussion focused on how best to get kids to eat a packed lunch. Clover eats the same thing for lunch every day - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut into a circle shape - while Rocket likes a variety of foods. One tip is to aim for a (positive) visual impact when the kid opens the lunch box that makes the kid want to eat. We also got some small, but helpful advice like preheat a thermos with boiling water, then dump out the water and add the soup, noodles or whatever to the thermos. The pre-heated thermos will keep warmer whatever it is holding. However, when adding warm food to other containers, let the food cool a little before putting on the lid. If the lid is put on too soon, condensation forms, but it also makes it harder for the lid to be opened up later.
Charlie said that mostly vegetarian food was served at Google, helping to avoid the post-lunch crash and burn. Instead, he said the vegetarian diet gave Google workers an afternoon boost.
In between courses, Laptop Lunches gave us a peak at their new products unveiled this month. I always say that Crocs should sponsor Clover's school because all of the kids own at least one pair, but a close second for a ubiquitous product would be Laptop Lunches. So many of the kids have them, but not us as Clover's single circular sandwich doesn't quite work with a bento-style lunch box. However the new configurations actually have a much larger compartment that could hold the sandwich. I'm also considering it for Rocket because that kid loves a variety, plus they have a space-themed (okay, it's an alien) cover that makes me want to get it for him even more.
The big kiwi test was later that night when I cut a bunch of green and gold kiwis up as part of our dinner. Kevin thought it tasted close to a banana (it's high in potassium, maybe that has something to do with the taste similarities?), very picky Clover surprised us all by saying she liked it and asking for seconds, while Rocket, our football player in training, grabbed the plate and scooped up every last slice with his two hands...then after shoving them into his mouth, he asked me to cut more. The kiwis were a hit.
The Zespri recipe contest is for the best original kiwi recipe for a kid's packed lunch item. It could be a snack, entree, dessert...anything that uses a green and/or gold kiwi and can go into a lunch box. Six semi finalists will get a copy of Food 2.0 (I have it and it's awesome) and one of those people will win a $2500 grand prize. (See kiwiforlunch.com for more details on rules and how to enter.) For inspiration, here's the super simple and yummy popsicle recipe:
Charlie Ayers' Kiwi Popsicle
12 green kiwi *or* 12 gold kiwi
1 cup agave syrup
1 cup water
peel kiwi and puree with one cup water
add agave syrup
freeze for four hours
I missed this event. I may have to buy some kiwis now. Healthy lunches are a big issue for me. I am hoping to have some creative ideas before school starts next year.
Posted by: Pamela | July 09, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Glad you are feeling better (granted, I'm a bit behind on my reading). I'll have to look into Laptop Lunches; we're still a year away from packed lunches, but it will be here before I know it. Love the kiwi foods! I had great kiwi dishes in Australia but have never tried to make anything from kiwi.
Posted by: Suzy P | July 18, 2009 at 04:39 AM