Fruit Maven - Part 2

Star Apple (Caimito)

Posted on May 3rd, 2012 by Fruit Maven

I love brightly colored fruit. It takes what I already think is super fun and just multiplies it times a billion. Plus I’m a sucker for star patterns in fruit, so I was ecstatic when Specialty Produce let me know they had gotten a few of these in stock.

Star apples, or caimitos are also related to the mamey sapote, which I tried for the first time last week and enjoyed. This group of tropicals must be coming in to season as we start spring. Yay! Because the wait for all the summer fruit is basically killing me.

Unfortunately, the star apple was all promise and no pizzazz. It was horribly difficult to cut in any pleasing way. I could not for the life of me get that star to look great. And it’s covered in a light bit of latex, which tastes bitter and will coat your mouth in an awful way. When you try this fruit, be sure to rinse the fruit even after cutting. I have a history with latex and jackfruit, so I was relieved that my fingers didn’t stick together this time–but still a pain.

All in all, this is a super fun fruit for showing your friends and seeking out if you are a fruit adventurer, like me (and you)? But the flavor was mediocre at best. I’d reach for a longan, lychee, rambutan or even a grape way before a star apple.

Star Apple

APPEARANCE

Slightly bigger than a golf ball. Purple, rust and green skin. Fuschia to deep purple flesh with a white center and black seeds that form a star pattern.

AROMA

Sweet, herbal and faintly tropical.

TEXTURE

Chewy, gelatinous and slightly fibrous. Not dense and luscious like the best longans, lychees and rambutans. Similar in texture to a peeled grape. I scooped the flesh easily with a spoon.

TASTE

Slightly sweet and a bit herbal – dangling right on the edge of bitter. Some bites reminiscent of an apple, which I probably mainly think because the name of the fruit gives that away. Leaves a slight film in my mouth.

OVERALL

This is a cool looking fruit, with the range of purple and pink colors and the promise of a star pattern in the flesh. Plus it is unusual, which always wins points with me. But it has latex, was hard to cut in an appealing way, tricky to eat and wasn’t all that delightful. I can’t imagine going out of my way to get one of these again. Let me know if you’ve had one of these and loved it. Did I miss something?

FRUIT Star Apple	PEAK Spring	PROVIDED BY Specialty Produce
VARIETY Unknown	GROWN Florida

Spread the fruit love. Share this:

→ No CommentsTags:Sapote·spring·star apple·tropical

10 Ways to Cook with Blueberries

Posted on April 30th, 2012 by Fruit Maven

I’m feeling a little blue today, which is due in no small part to the fact that I would prefer to be announcing the availability of my alphabet book today, but due to some technical difficulties with Amazon, I can not. And I don’t know for how long things will be delayed. Sad, sad face. I’m sure it will get all sorted out eventually but for now: frustrating.

However, this does give me an opportunity to dive head first into the blueness and talk to you about one of my very favorite fruit: blueberries! I’ve gone on about them before, so I won’t bore you too much with how much I love them except to say that until this weekend I had never seen one’s like these.

Those gigantic blueberries surrounding that small normal blueberries are from Melissa’s and are called Jumbo Blueberries. They are practically the circumference of a quarter. Jumbo! They aren’t a specific variety, but are just held and protected on the vine for a longer period of time. This apparently makes them especially delicious. Whereas normally blueberries are a crap shoot – some sweet and luscious, some tart and eye scrunching, these are all full flavored, firm and tender. Yum. I didn’t realize I could like blueberries more than I already did. In fact, I like them so much that I might consider growing my own. (Plants everywhere are cowering in fear at that statement.) Just look at this photo of them on the plant: adorable. How can I resist?

It’s the very beginning of blueberry season, so we have plenty of time to play. Here are some ideas beyond adding them to muffins and cold cereal. Enjoy!

10 Ways to Cook With Blueberries

..
Blueberries are light but have an intense, distinct flavor when perfectly ripe. Favorite flavor combinations include cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, lemon, banana, stone fruit (plum, nectarine, peach), berries and cheeses, such as blue cheese, ricotta and cream cheese.

Appetizer: Replace the tomatoes in your favorite salsa fresca recipe with blueberries. Or swap out the mango in a mango salsa. Serve with tortilla chips.
Roasted: Sprinkle fresh blueberries with a tablespoon or two of sugar and some vanilla bean seeds (if you have them). Spread on sheet pan and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve over pancakes, cake, ice cream, pie, etc. (You can include other berries as well, if desired.) Or just eat them as is, topped with a bit of whipped cream.
Snack: Mix a handful of fresh blueberries with salted cocktail peanuts and eat raw (as discussed here).
Salad: Toss in your favorite salad. Consider romaine, blue cheese, apple, and red onion or a mixed berry salad with strawberries, blackberries, feta and pecans. Top with a poppy seed dressing.
Frozen kabobs: String on to a skewer, roll in fresh yogurt and freeze — like this.
Fresh kabobs for kids: String on to skewer or toothpick, alternating with mini marshmallows.
Main dish: Saute your favorite sausages on the stove top until just brown, then combine with raw blueberries that have been mixed with a touch of olive oil and salt. Roast at 475 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (Very similar to this dish done with grapes.)
Simple syrup: Mix one cup each of blueberries, sugar and water. Bring to boil and then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and cool. Use syrup to flavor iced tea, lemonade, or maple syrup.
Cocktail: Mix a bit of the simple syrup with seltzer water, rum and crushed mint. Serve over ice.
Side dish: Mix blueberries with chopped mango, cucumber and a bit of Italian parsley. Drizzle lightly with a dressing made of olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Stir and add to cooked and cooled quinoa, rice, or barley.

What do you do with your blueberries?

Spread the fruit love. Share this:

→ 8 CommentsTags:Berry·blueberry·recipe·spring

Mamey Sapote

Posted on April 24th, 2012 by Fruit Maven

It was an innocent Monday afternoon and I placed my latest prize on the table. I cut in to the one that looked the closest to perfect: a slight give in the skin, no obvious bruising, heavy flesh.

It was a gorgeous orange and I ran my spoon in to the soft flesh as it gave easily. Pausing briefly to take in the yeasty aroma, I tucked a small bite in to my mouth. It softened on my tongue and the texture quickly changed to a powdery substance. Suddenly my lips were smacking like a dog who had eaten peanut butter. The mumbling and cussing began, “What the? Did someone just swap out my mamey sapote for a poisoned cotton ball?”

I headed directly to Google noting this was not the first time I’ve come close to being poisoned from my fruit ventures. My lips and tongue were still smacking. The tannic coating was everywhere. This could not be right…

Luckily, the internet delivered, as it often does, with information that would have been useful prior to me shoving the fruit in my mouth. Apparently this one, with its gorgeous orange flesh wasn’t quite ripe. The skin should be a slightly deeper color, closer to red and the texture on the outside should give very easily when pressed. Luckily I had another one and while the flavor here was quite good, the texture was a mix of perfectly soft pudding and cooking string. I think this one was a day too late. I ate a few bites and then scooped the rest to freeze for a milkshake. I only had access to two of these and they were a generous gift from my friends at Specialty Produce, so I don’t blame the fruit at all for my failures. If you can get your hands on one, my advice would be to get some insight from whoever is selling or giving it to you on when to eat it because the flavor is very promising.