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Stone Fruit Variety or Snack Food Flavor?

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:50:44 -0700

Today Party and I were talking about Summer stone fruits, and she remarked that she thought many of the season's fruit varieties had funny-sounding names that reminded her Gatorade flavors! I have to agree - some of the fruit names bear a striking resemblance to names that you might come across in the snack-food aisle. Are you able to identify whether the name is a stone fruit variety or a snack food flavor?

Take the quiz

Make Eating Fruit Fun With a Taste Test

partysugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:15:49 -0700

The other day I got a call from a family friend. "Would you be interested in a peach taste test?" she asked. My answer was an enthusiastic yes! She purchased four types of stone fruit from the farmers market and thought it would be entertaining to taste them all. While she's researching what kind of peach to plant in her garden, I thought the taste test would be a great way to get my dad excited about eating fruit! Normally when I offer him a slice of peach, he politely declines, but when I told him it was a taste test, he was eager to try all four fruits. Conducting a taste test is also a great way to encourage kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. With the farmers markets over flowing with in-season produce, it's an opportune time to purchase several varieties of one item and taste the differences. Here's what we did:

Use all your senses. Before you slice open the peach (or whatever fruit), touch and smell it.
Cut the peaches in half and look at the flesh. Compare and contrast the colors of each fruit.
Slice into pieces and taste. Note how the flavors of one can affect the taste of another. For example, the white nectarine, when paired with the other peaches, tasted horribly bitter. Later, when I went back and took another taste of it, not after eating the others, it tasted sweet and juicy.

Have you ever performed a taste test? What are your tips for getting nonfruit eaters to consume more fresh produce?

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Barbecued Salmon With Nectarine Salsa

partysugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:50:58 -0700

One of the ways my dad first introduced our family to fish was by serving it with a fresh fruit salsa. He would take a mild flaky fish, like mahi mahi or halibut, and top it with a mixture of pineapple, strawberries, and melon. This recipe applies the same technique to grilled salmon. The sweetness of the nectarine and blueberry salsa balances out the spiciness of the barbecue sauce. Pecans - an interesting addition - provide a much-needed crunch. For a complete meal, serve with a side of lightly dressed mixed greens. Check out the recipe here

Throw Some Fruit on the Barbie

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:15:41 -0700

I've always loved barbecued fruit, such as grilled pineapples and peaches. So for a recent dinner party, I fused shish-kebab style skewers with fruit to create a warm, juicy dessert! I used figs, nectarines, and pineapple, but other fruit such as apricots, mangoes, and cantaloupe would be equally delicious. As the fruit grills, the natural sugar caramelizes, enhancing the sweetness and creating perfect grill marks.

My guests gobbled up all of the kebabs. They were such a hit that my next gathering is going to be a three-course skewered meal!

I'll start with Party's Caprese skewers, follow with a simple meat and veggie kebab, and finish with these scrumptious fruit kebabs! To throw a little fruit of your own on the barbie, read more.

Grilled Fruit Kebabs
Original Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pineapple, cut into bite-size pieces
2 nectarines, cut into bite-size pieces
5 figs, halved
1 lemon
1/8 cup brown sugar
Canola or vegetable oil for oiling the grill
10 skewers

Directions

Soak skewers for an hour in water, so they don't burn on the grill. In a large bowl mix the brown sugar and juice of the lemon. Stir in cut pineapple and nectarines. Skewer alternating the fruit.
Heat the grill to medium. Using a paper towel or towel lightly grease the grill with oil. Place the the skewers on the grill with the fig's skin on the grill. Flip once and rotate the fig, so the skin side is always on the grill.
If you used pineapple, serve with pineapple top. A perfect holder for the leftover skewers.

Makes 10 kebabs.

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Yummy Link: Nectarine and Yogurt Lollies

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:28:33 -0700

I know it seems impossible, but these delicious frozen Nectarine and Yogurt Lollies are actually quite healthy. - Applemint

Do You Prefer Peaches or Nectarines?

YumSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:01:54 -0700

Sunday BBQ: Grilled Tuna with Mixed Greens and Fruit

YumSugar — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 05:21:41 -0700

As a sushi enthusiast, I generally like my tuna raw. However, sometimes a nice lightly seared tuna steak really hits the spot. On a warm summer night a flavorful marinated piece of tuna, resting on top of a bed of mixed greens with fruit, can do you no wrong. This particular recipe contains a vinaigrette with a long list of ingredients, however you can easily substitute it with a tasty store-bought one instead. To get things started, just read more

Grilled Tuna Served on WIld Greens with a Sun Dried Cherry Vinaigrette
From Kitchen Connaisseur
Image Source

Sun Dried Cherry Vinaigrette
1/2 cup sun dried cherry sauce
1/4 cup raspberry wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp wasabi paste*
2 tbsp onion - diced
2 cloves fresh garlic - minced
2 tsp fresh ginger - minced
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
3/4 cup basil flavored walnut oil

*If you can't find wasabi use 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder.

To prepare the dressing place the Kitchen Connaisseur Sun Dried Cherry Sauce, Kitchen Connaisseur Raspberry Wine Vinegar, Brown sugar, Freshly squeezed lime juice, Wasabi*, Onion, Fresh ginger and Fresh garlic in a blender and mix on moderate speed for 1 minute.
Add the walnut oil in a slow steady stream. The vinaigrette should thicken nicely.
Cover and refrigerate.

Wild Greens
6 cups mixed greens - washed
2 nectarines - cut in wedges
3/4 cup blueberries - washed

Place the wild greens and fruit in a bowl. Toss together.

Grilled Tuna
6 tuna steaks or fillets (5-6 oz each)
1/3 cup roasted garlic olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp ginger - minced

Quickly wash the tuna under cold running water. Pat it dry with a paper towel.
Mix the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger together.
Marinate the tuna in the mixture for no longer than 10-15 minutes on each side.
On a hot grill or in an oiled and heated saute pan, cook the fillets for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Putting it All Together

To prepare the dish, toss the vinaigrette with the wild greens.
Portion the salad on dinner plates and top with the grilled Tuna.
Garnish with lemon, lime and additional wasabi.
Serve immediately.

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Yummy Link: Nectarines with Prosciutto and Basil

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:27:57 -0700

If you're looking for the perfect summer appetizer, you can finally end your quest. Catherine has provided us with the recipe for delectable nectarines with prosciutto and basil. - Food Musings

Simple Tip: Easily Peel Peaches

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:43:38 -0700

If you're planning on cooking with peaches (like I did with the peach puzzle), you'll want to peel them first. Cooking causes the skin to become rough and the texture could be unappetizing in pies, etc. However peeling peaches seems like an messy task. Ripe peaches are soft and delicate and prone to bruising. Luckily there's an easy way to get around it.

Bring a pot of water to boil (enough to submerge the peach fully - see note).
Using a slotted spoon, dip peach for 30-45 seconds.
Transfer immediately to a waiting ice water bath (again, enough to submerge peach fully).
You should now be able to easily pull the skin off with your hands. Some people prefer to use a paring knife, but I prefer hands. You can also give it a quick rub with a dishtowel or paper towel. If the skin does not come off easily, repeat the process.

Note: The picture shown does not have enough water and resulted in having to continuously rotate the peach.

This method also works well for nectarines, plums and tomatoes.

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How To Ripen Peaches Faster

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:03:45 -0700

Last weekend my friend April and I went to the farmer's market. Along with a lovely batch of fresh strawberries, we both decided to pick up some early peaches too. The only problem was that while the peaches looked great, they were still too hard and unripe. So what could we do? We could sit them on our counter and wait for what seems like an eternity for them to ripen, or we could employ a quick trick and have them ripen in double the time.

To speed up the ripening process in peaches, place them in a loosely sealed brown paper bag on the counter. The peaches give off ethylene gas - a natural ripening hormone - which is trapped inside the bag causing the fruit to ripen faster. You can do this with a plastic bag too, but the plastic doesn't "breathe" as well as the paper, meaning moisture may collect causing your perfectly ripened peaches to rot.

Once ripe, peaches should be refrigerated and used within a few days (although they'll taste better at room temp). Ripe peaches have a sweet fragrance, are soft (but not mushy) to the touch and have a golden undertone.

This ripening trick also works for apricots, nectarines, avocados, bananas, kiwi, mangoes, pears and plums.