Recipe: Spiced Litchis (or, a sweet little something for your sweet little somethin')

Happy almost-Valentine's Day!  Look what I've got for you:

Don't they look perfect for V Day? All red and pink and gnarly and gorgeous?  They're litchis!  A yummy little fruit that I had never tasted before.  Tough and leathery on the outside; soft, white and sweet on the inside (a metaphor for love? hmmm ...)

I'm not sure if you can get fresh litchis (or even canned litchis) back in the states, but this is just such a delicious, simple dessert that I felt I had to share it.  For Valentine's Aaron and I always make a nice meal at home and this would be the kind of dessert I'd make (easy, make-ahead, yummy and yet a bit exotic.)

And heck, if you can't get canned litchis, I bet the spices used here would be fantastic with pears, apples or stone fruits like peaches or plums.

This is based on a recipe from the Africa Cafe Cookbook.  I've modified it a bit; the version in the book is much too sweet for my tastes.  I also upped the spice quotient considerably.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (565 grams undrained) litchis -- OR, about 20 peeled fresh litchis.  (If you use them fresh, add  3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar -- or to taste) *
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
• Whipped cream, to serve
  
  * If you can't find litchis subsitute fresh peaches, cherries, apples or pears.  Add water as above and sugar to taste.
  
  

Method:

This couldn't be easier.  Put all of the ingredient in a saucepan except the pistachios and whipped cream.  Make sure to include all the syrup that the litchis come packed in.  Boil 15 minutes on a very low heat (if you're using fresh fruit you might need to boil it a bit longer to get the fruit tender and infused with the spices.)

Let the stewed fruit cool, sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve with softly whipped cream.

So gorgeous and so delicious.  And the spices not only give the dish great flavor, but they are so wonderfully aromatic that your whole house will smell heavenly!

Enoy ... and have yourselves a lovely Valentine's Day!