As I thought about what my contribution would be, I knew of course that I would be bringing fruit of some sort and that I wanted the fruit to be both simple and extremely indulgent if possible. I had some Medjool dates in the pantry, also known as the King of Dates, which seemed appropriate for watching our movie royalty — a nuance that I find amusing.

I remembered a recipe I saw over here on Whole Living for pistachio stuffed dates with coconut and knew I wanted to give it a try. Also, I had all of these items in my pantry. It’s funny how my plans always seem ten times better when they don’t require an extra trip to the store.

Now don’t get me wrong. Medjool dates don’t really require any embellishment whatsoever. They are crazy good all by themselves. But if you want a simple, healthy appetizer or dessert that will impress, these are the way to go. As I mentioned, I went with the simple filling of ground, salted pistachios topped with dessicated coconut — a combination that tastes far more complex and exotic than the three ingredients imply. Also these do very well with the vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free crowds and certainly could be made raw with a thoughtful purchase of ingredients. I’ve seen other recipes for filling them with cream cheese and peanut butter, as well as pure almond paste from Heidi Swanson’s latest cookbook. (A book I really want to own, not just peruse at Anthropologie.) Food & Wine fills them with mascarpone and then sprinkles them with unsweetened cocoa, which sounds amazing. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these and what you thought. I love simple, decadence.

MEDJOOL DATE

APPEARANCE 2 out of 5 stars

Lumpy, brown pod the size of a man’s finger.

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Rich, deep molasses that goes on and on but only if you hold it up to your nose, which I did over and over.

TEXTURE 5 out of 5 stars

Ooey, gooey, sticky soft flesh with a thin, moist, papery skin. Has a single seed inside that is easy to remove. The texture gets harder and more like taffy or firm caramel as dates age and dry out.

TASTE 5 out of 5 stars

Molasses mixed with caramel covered in vanilla honey. Pure, sweet indulgence.

OVERALL 4.25 out of 5 stars

While I have thoroughly enjoyed the Barhi, Zahidi and Abada Dates I have tried in the past, the Medjool really does standout and live up to its reputation of being the King of Dates. I keep taking a bite (it takes me about three bites to eat a single one) and then pressing the soft flesh against the roof of my mouth and savoring the flavor on my tongue. It is a rich, luscious delight. And while I provided a recipe here, they really need nothing additional to be one of the best dessert you have had in a while, not to mention the healthiest.

In this case I was hoping to like it, because I like real opals. I know that has nothing to do with it, but I really just don’t want the cognitive burden of having to remember that I do like one and don’t like the other. Phew. Another crisis averted.

Opal Apple

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Bright, happy sunflower yellow with the most adorable pale freckles. White flesh.

AROMA 3.5 out of 5 stars

Not particularly aromatic. Smells fresh and moist but indistinguishable from any other food or plant.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

Has a crisp bite that pleasantly crackles in your ear.

TASTE 4 out of 5 stars

Lovely and complex flavor with layers of sweet “appley” sugar intersecting with nuances of lemon and orange.

OVERALL 3.88 out of 5 stars

This is a great find and if you see one be sure to snatch it up. The texture does soften a bit over time so eat them within the first few days. Believe me, that should be no problem. I also baked them in to an amazing little scone with thyme and cheddar cheese. Oh my. Will be posting the recipe for that tomorrow! Stay tuned.

ALSO!

A Virginia elementary school had a fruit flash mob to promote healthy eating. So awesome! Check it out.

It started out because I’m an insatiable explorer of sorts. I’m the girl who tries everything on the menu (no literally – Every! Single! Thing!), who eats at nine different chocolate shops in the two days I’m visiting Manhattan (“This one might taste different!!!”), who dreams about honey tastings and posts bucket lists on my Facebook page. I want to try it all. I really do. And yet, I often find myself limited by finances or distractions or just the day-to-day.

When I started documenting my fruit tastings (an item on the bucket list), I realized there was so much in the world that was right in front of me that I had just never seen — not because I didn’t have access, but because I hadn’t been looking. And now I find that the more I open my eyes, the more I realize that the spectacular is in the smallest things…a new plump, yellow apple that inexplicably reminds me of my mother, a zebra striped lemon that takes me on a Dr. Seussian safari, or a spiky citron that invokes the silliest monster games with my daughter. I write this site because I love adventure. I hope you do too. I’m so glad you are here.

APPEARANCE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Light, lemony yellow skin with tiny tan freckles on a softball sized apple. Pale, almost peach flesh.

AROMA 4 out of 5 stars

Clear and strong, sweet apple smell.

TEXTURE 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is not a hard or crunchy apple, but it has really satisfying density to it. Tender but not mushy.

TASTE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mellow apple flavor that isn’t particularly sweet. There is a bit of a lemon flavor to it as well, though not sour.

OVERALL 3.63 out of 5 stars

For some reason I’m really drawn to way this apple looks with its pale yellow skin and peachy flesh. It just seems so fresh and bright to me and girly in some way. The flavor is mediocre at best but not assaulting in any way. Nonetheless I find myself smiling as I pick it up with its fairly massive girth. I can’t put my finger on it, but I swear there is something extremely nurturing about this apple. I might go get another one and just enjoy having it sit next to me on the desk.

I guess I should step back and give an even bigger confession. I didn’t want to like them. I don’t particularly jump up and down about pears of any kind and there are only a few times a pear has wowed me. One being a Harrow Delight Pear that I tasted at a California Rare Fruit Growers convention. Don’t get any ideas with that statement. I am terrible at growing things and I didn’t go to learn – heavens no. I went for the fruit tastings and to meet some of the people that grow the fruit I happily consume. But that’s it. I think plants actually play dead when they see me coming because it is just so pointless for me to try. So there was this spectacular pear at the event and I just remember thinking – Wow! I have never tasted a pear like THAT. And I’ve never seen another one, though I haven’t tried. Like I said, I just don’t go out of my way for pears.

But back to the point – Warren Pears! Where would they fall on the spectrum? Let’s just say they are very very good and I certainly think you should consider sending them as a gift to someone this season, the way Oprah recommends, but for my taste they ended up sliced and turned in to dried fruit slices. Other reviews state they aren’t grainy, but mine were. So I’m not sure what happened there. Don’t get me wrong, these ARE the best darn pear slices I have ever tasted, but just a fruit slice nonetheless. When I truly love something, it doesn’t last long enough to make it to the oven.

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Mustard and rust colored skin with a nice long neck and plump body. White flesh.

AROMA 3.5 out of 5 stars

Very mild, sweet vanilla with a hint of cinnamon or maybe even soft clove. Not sure.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

Dense with perfect amount of juice. Slightly gritty flesh. Smooth peel.

TASTE 4.5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous flavor that starts out with a full vanilla, almost honey taste and then sinks in to a far more complex, spiced flavor.

OVERALL 4 out of 5 stars

A great pear with complicated flavor and a rich texture. Very good but not worth going out of your way to find in my opinion. There are lots of pear varieties that are much easier to get and good enough. See: Seckel, Comice, Starkrimson, Bosc, and Bartlett for starters.

COMMENTS!

Has anyone else tried the Warren Pears? What did you think? I would also love to hear about your experiences with something everyone just LOVED and you thought was just “good” or “ok” or even “bad”.

(If you do not know this song, please just stop and go over to youtube and listen because I promise this song will make you smile. Next thing you know YOU will be the one humming it in the store next to me rummaging for some delicious fruit to take home.)

Now let me tell you about these little yummies. Wandering through my favorite farmer’s market this Sunday, I ran across these plums and was shocked to see them available. It is most definitely not stone fruit season here in Southern California. But I had just been surprised at the stand next door by finding fresh Christmas figs (it is also not traditionally fig season – post to come later this week), so I figured it was just a crazy day and I should start asking questions. A quick chat with one of the ladies, who I believe may have been the founder of the farm, Annie, told me that the season for these did in fact end late October, but they have been keeping them cold and they still taste fantastic. Only a week or two left of their stash! I’m so glad I stopped by.

September Yummy Plum

APPEARANCE 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is a rather large plum, more the size of a small apple with shiny burgundy, speckled skin and golden yellow flesh with a pretty red outline.

AROMA 2.5 out of 5 stars

No noticeable fragrance.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

Firm and a bit crunchy with a nice amount of juice.

TASTE 4 out of 5 stars

Well rounded flavor that is nice and sweet with a hint of tart at the end.

OVERALL 3.5 out of 5 stars

With a word like yummy in the title, this fruit had a lot to live up to and I would say it did. I tend to favor the softer plums, but this crunchy little number is, well, yummy. It has the perfect amount of sweetness without being cloying and finishes up with a tart little twist – never bitter like many of the plums and pluots tend to be. Delightful.