Cute, cuter, kiwi berry!
Have you met these cute little green things resembling miniature kiwis? They’re kiwi berries and I’m hooked on them! Kiwi berries are tiny and smooth and you can eat them with skins and all! I literally eat a box of these in one go. If I manage to slow down a little, I love to combine sweet kiwi berries with something salty. Like in these kiwi berry & whipped feta sourdough toasts!
Kiwi berry infatuation
Kiwi berry or hardy kiwi is the berry of Actinidia arguta, a perennial vine native to Northeast Asia. I absolutely love the flavor of kiwi. What better than a bite-sized version which you can eat with skins and all? I eat kiwi berries like candy – only stopping to breath… 😀 I have recently learned to eat kiwi fruit with their skins (well, at least when they’re drenched in tahini-za’atar salad dressing that is) but these smooth-skinned mini kiwis are just so fuzz-free!
For transparency’s sake, you should know that I got acquainted with kiwi berries through working with a company that imports them to Finland. I created a sponsored Instagram post on my feed with kiwi berries, but this blog post is not part of the deal. Kiwi berries are so cute and sweet that I just really wanted to talk about them also here on my blog. After all, not all my readers here have an Instagram account!
Whipped feta & kiwi berry toast
As I were developing a recipe for my Instagram, a kiwi and feta salad which I posted about last Spring came to mind. There’s just something irresistible about salty feta with sweet kiwis! Let’s try the combo on a toast? I’ve been meaning to try “whipped feta”, which has been trending online the recent years – this is the perfect opportunity to finally give it a go! Great idea. The toasts were delicious, even if the “whipped feta” turned out to be just a sort of soft feta spread.
Pretty and delicious sourdough toasts with kiwi berries, herbs, some cracked black pepper, toasted pine nuts and agave syrup came together fast. Whipped feta can be made in an instant with the help of a food processor, and you can make it in advance and store it in the fridge! That way a lovely snack is ready in 5 minutes (at least if you happen to have a toaster – I don’t). I “whipped” the feta with some Greek yogurt, and the resulting salty, tangy and nicely sour mixture was the perfect bed for the sweet kiwi berries. The acidity and salinity paired super well with the sweet and fresh flavors! I topped of the toasts with some edible flowers, because flowers just make me happy!!!
But I would definitely feel happy with these kiwi berry & whipped feta toasts anyway.
Kiwi berry & whipped feta toasts
Equipment
- food processor / blender
Ingredients
Whipped feta:
- 100 g feta
- 100 g Greek yogurt
- 125 g kiivimarjoja (tai kiiviä)
Toasts:
- 4 sliced of sourdough bread
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of basil, sage, chervil, perilla, shiso, or mint
- 2 tbsp agave syrup (or runny honey)
- 50 g pine nuts
- freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
- edible flowers (totally optional!)
Notes:
- I have not yet tried this myself, but I'm fairly sure you can use vegan feta and Greek style plantbased yogurt for the whipped feta 🙂
- If you're reading this recipe outside of kiwi berry season or they aren't available in your region, you can easily substitute the kiwi berries with kiwi fruits.
Instructions
- Crumble the feta to a bowl of a food processor and spoon over the yogurt. Blitz to a smooth and airy puree.
- Toast the pine nuts golden on a dry medium heat pan. Toast the slices of bread in a toaster and drizzle with olive oil (or reverse the order, if you're toasting your bread on a frying pan like me)
- Divide the "whipped" feta on the toasts. Wash, dry and slice the kiwi berries. Top off the toasts with the kiwi berries and fresh herbs. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and a drizzle of agave syrup (or honey). Finish the toasts with toasted pine nuts and edible flowers (if using).
Kiwi berries are in season from late August to early November. They are lovely eaten as they are, but also in sweet and savory dishes! They are best used fresh. I wash and dry them as I bring a package home, and store them in the refrigerator. Have you used kiwi berries yet?
I bought some recently and had no idea what to do with them.. googled led me here. Luckily I have two punnets of berries so I shall be definitely making these again and again until the feta run runs out x