March Rolls

March Rolls are so named because we first made them in March. Since then we’ve made April Rolls and June Rolls and all kinds of rolls using whichever kinds of fruit were in good shape at the grocery store at the time. Adjust the fruit combination to suit the time of year. We don’t recommend using frozen fruit because the large amount of liquid given off makes frying difficult; if you must try it, drain the fruit well while thawing it. This recipe makes a great breakfast as well as dessert!

Ingredients

• egg roll wrappers, one package of 24 (or appropriate recipe)
• 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large bananas, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• a small bowl of cold water
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 starfruit (carambola), sliced finely, optional
• strawberry-kiwi sorbet, optional

Directions

Stir the kiwi, banana and mango well in a bowl. Cut and add the banana last or it will discolor. Stir in the sugar, vanilla and spices. Taste the mixture and adjust the spices and sugar to suit your tastes.

Lay out an eggroll wrapper in front of you so that one of the points is toward you. Put a small amount of filling in the middle of the wrapper — maybe two tablespoons (you’ll get a feel for how much will fit comfortably in the wrapper as you progress). Fold the point nearest you up over the filling. Fold the points that are off to the sides up over the filling. Rub a little cold water along the sides of the last point (the one pointing away from you), and fold it up to seal the package. The water should cause the wrapper to form a seal.

If any of this is confusing, check the recipe you used or the package of egg roll wrappers you bought; it should have diagrams and directions very similar to the above.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. (Use enough oil to reach just over halfway up the sides of the rolls.) Lightly fry the rolls–however many will fit comfortably in your skillet — until golden brown. Remove to a serving plate and garnish with slices of starfruit. Serve with sorbet.

Serving notes

This can be served with almost any kind of sorbet. It can also be served with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, or a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Reheating

Toast them for 2-3 minutes at the top temperature of a toaster oven and they’ll crisp up again reasonably well. They’ll never entirely recover appearance and texture-wise, but they taste just wonderful. They’re also good cold.

Alternate filling (April Rolls)

• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, or 1 pint strawberries and 1 cup blackberries
• 4T dark brown sugar
• (Alternatively you may use three bags of mixed frozen berries, thawed and well-drained.)
• Blueberry-raspberry sorbet (Ben & Jerry’s “Doonesberry” sorbet) for serving, optional

If you haven’t noticed yet, almost any mixture of fruits that tastes good tog ether can be used as a filling for these rolls. Experiment. Banana makes a good sweet filler; if you aren’t using it you may need extra sugar. It’s a great way to make other more expensive fruits stretch farther. Experiment with the spices and flavorings you use. For example, you could use a little hazelnut syrup instead of vanilla extract.

Do be careful not to make the mixture too wet, however. You may notice if you use any thawed frozen fruit that leaking juices from the rolls tend to make frying a little more painful, since it causes the oil to splatter.