More Tamarillos (and more of my son cooking!)

Tonights dessert was somewhat spontaneous. The last of the tamarillos needed using up and my son was itching to cook something. Earlier he had asked if he could do some baking, which I was totally fine with, only to discover that we had no butter. Gone are the days where we have 3 or 4 blocks in the fridge at any given time, it is one block a week now that it costs so much! That one block a week is barely going anywhere and has drastically diminished the baking around here! Since I had used the last of it making friands the other day, something not containing butter was required.
I had seen a recipe for poached tamarillos with coconut creamed rice, but couldn't remember where, so improvised and took another recipe I had found for poached pears in red wine (I also like this one here, but the one I used tonight is done on the stove top and is quicker) and I found a recipe for creamed rice in The Best of Annabel Langbein: Great Food For Busy Lives (revised and expanded edition) (my new favourite book!) which I adapted a little and reckoned Rex could easily make.
When Rex was instructed to stir for 20 mins, he didn't flinch, he just picked up the phone and got talking to a friend- my kind of kid!The combination of the two recipes is a match made in heaven, the tartness of the tamarillos went gorgeously with the rich creamy sweet rice, (Rex cooked it to perfection!) and we liked it so much we are going to do it again tonight!

Creamy Rice Pudding (adapted from Annabel Langbein)

6oo mls milk
400 mls coconut cream (1 tin)
1 cup short grain rice
3 tbsp honey or sugar (we used honey)
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
generous grating of nutmeg (or pinch of ground)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 c sultanas or raisins (optional)

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is creamy and rice is cooked through. To microwave, place all ingredients in large microwave bowl. Cover tightly and cook at 70% power for 8 minutes, stirring twice. Reduce power to 50% and cook a further 11 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until rice is cooked and creamy. Serve hot or cold. Serves 4.

Tamarillos poached in Red Wine (serves 4)

This recipe came from the NZ Gardener special edition "Homegrown 2", a fabulous collection of inspirational ideas on how to grow/cook/use your own homegrown produce. I have read it from cover to cover and love it, have bookmarked several pages for trying, I really want a vege garden again!!!!! The editor of the magazine decided to drastically reduce her food bills and turned her inner city section into a huge vege garden and along with fruit and nut trees she is eating healthy, homegrown food and has slashed her grocery bill! Check out her blog if you want to learn more about it!
http://nzgardener.blogspot.com/

12 tamarillos
1 bottle red wine
1 1/2 c sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise flowers
2 cardomom pods
1 vanilla bean
juice of 2 oranges and zest of one

In large pot combine all ingredients (except tamarillos) and boil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut a cross in the ends of each tamarillo and place tamarillos in bowl of bowling water, making sure they are all well covered. Leave for 5 or so mins and then lift out and peel skin off from the cut crosses. They should peel off easily this way.
Pop peeled tamarillos whole into pot, turn down and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, turning gently and basting every so often. Lift out of liquid with a slotted spoon and place on a plate, reduce syrup down so it thickens.
To serve I put the creamed rice in the bowl with the tamarillos and lots of syrup drizzled over.