It wasn’t very long ago when a number of tropical fruits just weren’t available in local grocery stores, but now we can easily buy mangos, papayas and other fruits we aren’t accustomed to eating on a regular basis.
It’s nice to have more options when it comes to serving fruits. Now that we can buy mangos and papayas, we can experiment with recipes featuring these fruits.
We’ve had kiwi fruit available for a much longer time and may be more familiar with more options for this fruit, but I thought kiwi should be included in this selection. It’s flavor mixes well with many other fruits.
I hope you’ll try and enjoy some of these suggested dishes.

Tropical Fruit Salad
3/4 c. lime juice
3/4 c. orange juice concentrate
6 tbsp. honey
6 c. cubed honeydew (1 med. melon)
6 c. fresh pineapple slices, quartered (1 med. pineapple)
3 c. sliced kiwi (about 8)
3 c. cubed papaya (1 med.)
1 1/2 c. cubed mango (2)
1 c. grated fresh coconut or unsweetened shredded
3/4 c. chopped fresh mint
(Although the fruits in this salad are tropical, if your local stores don’t have papaya, mango or kiwi, just use more honeydew or pineapple or substitute cubes of cantaloupe, peach or nectarine.)

In a small bowl combine lime juice, orange juice concentrate and honey. Stir until well blended. In a large bowl combine all fruits and 3/4 cup of coconut. Pour on lime juice mixture and toss until fruit is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Sprinkle the fruit salad with the mint and the remaining coconut and serve.

Fruity Kiwi Cheesecake
1 (9 inch) frozen pie crust, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
4 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

Bake pie crust after pricking with fork according to package directions. Allow to cool completely.
In a small mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until mixture is creamy and smooth. Spread evenly onto cooled pastry. Arrange fruit in a decorative pattern over cream cheese layer. Chill until ready to serve.

Papaya Pie
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups (about 1 medium papaya) fresh papaya cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Whisk together brown sugar and white sugar. Add papayas and toss to coat. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Place papayas with its juices in a heavy saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Continue to cook about another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit is softened, but not falling apart.
Remove papaya mixture from the heat and let cool until lukewarm. Stir in beaten egg with a large fork until well-combined, taking care to leave the fruit in chunks.
Pour papaya filling into graham cracker pie crust. Bake for about 45 minutes. Let papaya pie cool before serving.

Mango Cake
1 (15.25 ounce) can mango slices, with juice
1 2/3 cups candied mixed fruit peel
2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

In a medium saucepan, combine mango slices and juice, mixed fruit and rum. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir gently on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until completely cool. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Mix together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine fruit mixture with egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.