Cooking
The first time I had prickly pear fruit was in a Mexican popsicle or "paleta". It was a bright cherry red and sweet as could be. Mexican summers can get so hot you need something, anything ice cold, never mind what the flavor is. But I think that was the first and last time I tried prickly pear fruit.
So what do you do with prickly pear fruit? Until today, I honestly didn't know. Not that not knowing stopped me from buying some. When I find something unusual at the grocery store I often feel compelled to give it a go. Prickly pear fruit is in season from spring until fall, but I only just noticed them in the store.
Prickly pear fruit is also known as tunas, barbary fig, Indian fig or Indian pear. The flesh can be yellowish green in addition to the beet red color mine were. They are popular in Latin America and Italy and also grown in Australia and Africa. A great source of vitamin C, each cactus fruit contains approximately 50% of the vitamin C found in an orange (22 to 30 mg. per 100g serving). Soft inside, packed with hard little seeds, flavor-wise they are exceptionally bland. Which is surprising given how brightly colored they are, you just expect them to be flavorful. But they are awfully pretty.
After hacking into one and having a nibble, I decided to toss it in the blender with a little water. I then strained out the seeds and mixed the pulp and juice with half a lemon, two teaspoons of sugar and some sparkling water to make a kind of fizzy prickly pear lemonade. It was quite delicious and made a nice fancy drink. If you are looking for a mildly exotic beverage, this could fit the bill. My curiosity satisfied, I think I may wait until I'm back in Mexico to try them again. Then again they could make an interesting margarita...
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It's pear season right now so if you haven't had a poached pear in a while, treat yourself to a taste of Autumn. Pear season kind of snuck up on me this year. I was surprised to find a dozen Seckel pears in my organic produce delivery last week....
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A couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law Stephanie mentioned a pie she'd heard advertised on the radio that really appealed to her. It was an Apple Pear Chardonnary Pie. A week or so later when I was planning what to bring to their house for Thanksgiving...
Cooking
All About Prickly Pear
The first time I had prickly pear fruit was in a Mexican popsicle or "paleta". It was a bright cherry red and sweet as could be. Mexican summers can get so hot you need something, anything ice cold, never mind what the flavor is. But I think that was the first and last time I tried prickly pear fruit.
So what do you do with prickly pear fruit? Until today, I honestly didn't know. Not that not knowing stopped me from buying some. When I find something unusual at the grocery store I often feel compelled to give it a go. Prickly pear fruit is in season from spring until fall, but I only just noticed them in the store.
Prickly pear fruit is also known as tunas, barbary fig, Indian fig or Indian pear. The flesh can be yellowish green in addition to the beet red color mine were. They are popular in Latin America and Italy and also grown in Australia and Africa. A great source of vitamin C, each cactus fruit contains approximately 50% of the vitamin C found in an orange (22 to 30 mg. per 100g serving). Soft inside, packed with hard little seeds, flavor-wise they are exceptionally bland. Which is surprising given how brightly colored they are, you just expect them to be flavorful. But they are awfully pretty.
After hacking into one and having a nibble, I decided to toss it in the blender with a little water. I then strained out the seeds and mixed the pulp and juice with half a lemon, two teaspoons of sugar and some sparkling water to make a kind of fizzy prickly pear lemonade. It was quite delicious and made a nice fancy drink. If you are looking for a mildly exotic beverage, this could fit the bill. My curiosity satisfied, I think I may wait until I'm back in Mexico to try them again. Then again they could make an interesting margarita...
- Grilled Cheese, Pear & Smoked Turkey Sandwich Recipe
Recently I've been having some fun in the kitchen creating recipes using products from Dulcet Cuisine including my favorite, the Madras Curry Mustard. I'm not the only one to have fallen in love with it, it was chosen the grand champion at the...
- Pear Pecorino Potato Soup: Recipe
I know what you're thinking. What kind of still life is that? In addition to being a study in ingredients that start with the letter "P"; pear, potatoes, pecorino and pepper are also the main ingredients in a most delicious soup. You don't have...
- Poached Pears: Recipe
It's pear season right now so if you haven't had a poached pear in a while, treat yourself to a taste of Autumn. Pear season kind of snuck up on me this year. I was surprised to find a dozen Seckel pears in my organic produce delivery last week....
- All About Pears
Summer is fruit season. But one special fruit is in all it's glory in the wintertime--pears. Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits. They probably originated in Asia but they have been cultivated in Europe since at least 2000...
- Happy Thanksgiving!
A couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law Stephanie mentioned a pie she'd heard advertised on the radio that really appealed to her. It was an Apple Pear Chardonnary Pie. A week or so later when I was planning what to bring to their house for Thanksgiving...