- Yield: 6 servings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Poached red guava
The author of The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, loved guava but you could hear a bit of frustration in her voice when she described the seeds as scattered buckshot. But she must've loved the fruit as witnessed by the number of red guava recipes in her Florida cookbook. Her recipes always poached or boiled the fruit.
I've always thought of poaching red guava as the way folks got the seeds out before food processors. Not being a fan of poached eggs, I hesitated to put a guava to the same "test." However, guava came through the test with flying "tastes" with a depth of flavor that poaching seems to give it. Perhaps I should try poached eggs again; guava's that good.
Ingredients
- Red guavas - 3
- Sugar - 1/3 cup
- Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
- Star anise pods - 6
- Cinnamon - 1 tbs
Instructions
- Option: peel the red guava.
- Slice the guava across the middle. Cut just enough off the ends for the guava halves to stand up by themselves. Put aside.
- In a large saucepan on high heat add 2 cups of water and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add the vanilla and anise. Bring to a boil.
- With tongs, add the guava halves to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
- With tongs, remove the fruit to a large bowl. On high heat, continue to cook the water and sugar mixture until it thickens, which takes about 10 minutes.
- While waiting for the water and sugar mixture to thicken, scoop out the guava seeds or the entire seed center. Discard.
- When the water and sugar mixture is thickened, remove from the heat and let cool.
- Serve, pouring the syrup over the fruit that's been placed in individual bowls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and maybe an anise pod. Also tastes great when topped by ice cream.
