Tarting up float

Kiwi float, anyone? I am far from being fancy, just trying to use up a bunch (Hayward variety, better known as fuzzy) that were starting to turn mushy in the refrigerator. They were supposed to go into a salad but Jenny forgot about them. A float was the only recipe that came to mind, and by that I mean the easiest and cheapest. Recreating the aforesaid salad would have meant buying the rest of the (numerous) ingredients, and I really only wanted to get rid of the fruit.

I have nothing against kiwi, but I have no history with it, too. Do I even like the way it tastes? Well, I don’t not like it, if you get what I mean. Just how should  kiwi taste, anyway? By comparison, when Pa said that the mangoes we had were no good, I knew he meant they were not the kind you put in a float, so I didn’t.

What is a float, you ask? You’re not Filipino, I assume. It’s a popular frozen dessert comprised of layers of graham crackers (oft crushed), sweetened cream, and sliced mango. Some Internet sources say it is traditional, which it most definitely is not. If I have to guess, it started out in a corporate test kitchen, like the equally popular cathedral window. Do not put kiwi in your cathedral window, BTW: it contains the enzyme actinidin, which liquefies gelatin proteins. Dairy, too, except in the case of the float they are laid on a bed of crackers which (I think) absorbs most of the enzyme leaching out. In any case, my float froze fine (alliteration alert!).

There are many species of kiwi, the ones we are most familiar with being Actinidia deliciosa, of the fuzzy, dull-brown skin. They are not even native to New Zealand but to China (where it is also the national fruit, also known as Chinese gooseberry), and the largest producer (as of 2012) is Italy. Care to know more? You should. Kiwi is responsible for no less than 10% of food allergies in children, so keep that in mind if you want to tart up your float.

Tart my float certainly was, if in a subtle and pleasing way, offsetting the sweetness of the condensed milk (I put in half a cup for two cups of cream). Should I mention that I sprinkled ground cashew nuts on top instead of the usual graham crackers? That made no appreciable difference, as with the chocolate truffle shavings. So keep it simple, or stick to mango altogether. But this one sure looks nice, no?