Dragon fruit recipes
Pitaya or pitahaya is commonly sold as dragon fruit. It is the oval spiky, bright pink or yellow fruit of a cactus. Inside lie tiny edible black seeds embedded in juicy, sweet pink or white flesh.
So there’s a smidgeon of butter on (and in) the pastry, but otherwise these fruity little minxes are a rare guilt-free treat and if you get a wriggle on they can be made in under an hour. Impeccable.
Equipment and preparation: You will need a 12-hole muffin tin or cupcake tin.
More dragon fruit recipes
Buyer's guide
Pitaya is widely grown in the tropics and, when eaten near to where it is harvested, is incredibly fragrant. It loses some of its delicacy with shipping. It is sold in UK supermarkets.
Storage
Store at room temperature.
Preparation
Pitaya skin is inedible, but its seed-filled flesh can be easily removed with a teaspoon, or cut away from its skin and diced or sliced into rounds. Add lime juice to bring out the flavour of pitaya and combine with other tropical fruit such as watermelon, lychee, rambutan and star fruit in fruit salads or fruit drinks.