The Fruit Company

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 If you’ve never had a passion fruit before, prepare for a pleasant surprise! Roughly between the size of a golf ball and a small apple, the thick skin of a ripe passion fruit is purple, leathery and wrinkled. Inside are a number of seeds covered in a juicy yellow to orange pulp, which are edible and have a very flavorful and tart taste. Due to its similarities the Spanish nicknamed the fruit “little pomegranate”.

The passion fruit was named for its flower by Catholic missionaries in South America, who saw symbolism between the passion flower’s complex structure and the passion of Christ. They saw the flower’s corona threads as a symbol of the crown of thorns, the five stamens for wounds, the five petals and five sepals as the ten apostles (excluding Judas and Peter) and the three stigmas for the nails on the cross.

Passion fruit juice is often used with other fruit juices to enhance flavor and aroma. They’re fairly easy to eat fresh—all you need to do is cut one in half and scoop out the pulpy seeds with a spoon and enjoy! Passion fruit are rich in vitamin C and potassium. When selecting a ripe passion fruit, make sure the skin is slightly wrinkled; if it’s smooth the fruit is still immature and not ready to eat. Ripen your passion fruit by leaving out of direct light at room temperature. Avoid passion fruit with a lot of black marks on the skin.

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You’ve probably seen Chicken Apple Sausage in your grocery store or favorite restaurant for years now. It’s delicious. It’s moist. It delivers that perfect blend of sweet and savory. It’s a fantastic option to have when you have friends coming over that don’t eat red meat or pork, and it’s great when you want something hearty and satisfying that’s not going to weigh you down. The thing that most of us didn’t know (until now) is now foolishly easy it is to make at home.

I love this recipe because I am crazy about the mixing of sweet and savory, and the addition of maple syrup in the mix really delivers in flavor. I love eating this sausage with pancakes or waffles and letting the maple syrup and butter migrate over for the perfect sweet and salty bite.

However, the sweetness is still subtle enough to have with scrambled eggs or to crumble into am omelet. I’ve even used the leftover patties to create one of those “griddle sandwiches” from that drive through restaurant (I’m sure you know which one I’m talking about, and with a little Swiss cheese on a soft breakfast bun, the flavors are complimentary surprising.

The golden delicious apples are of course the star of this recipe, they shine against the mild flavors of the chicken and do their job of keeping the sausage patties insanely moist. Some recipes call for sautéing the apples first, and you can certainly do that for a richer apple flavor, but I prefer to put them in raw. The raw apple adds a ton more moisture and has a fresher crisper apple flavor.

These patties are so easy to make that I often double or even triple the batch. You’ll be done start to finish in less than half an hour and the patties freeze perfectly for up to a year. They’re definitely the kind of thing you’re going to pull into your everyday arsenal of recipes.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken

1 lg. golden delicious apple, grated

1/2 small onion, grated

1/4 c Fresh Sage, minced fine

1/4 c Maple Syrup

1T Olive Oil

1T Fennel Seeds, toasted

1 T. Salt

2 t. Pepper

1 t. Ground Mustard

Additional oil for frying

• Grate onion and apple into a large mixing bowl, making sure not to lose any of the juice created by grating.

• Mix in all remaining ingredients, incorporating well but not over mixing, this could make your sausage gummy, and we want the mixture to remain light.

• Head a heavy bottomed skillet on medium heat with enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.

• Using a measuring cup or portioned scoop, create patties directly into the preheated oil that are about 1/4 cup in volume and about 1/2 inch thick.

• Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and the chicken is just cooked all the way through.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

The Golden is one of the most popular and enduring apple varieties worldwide, and for just cause. Tasting mellow and sweet with a gentle tang, its slightly crisp texture and striking pale yellow color have garnered many lifelong fans. It can be difficult to find a perfect Golden as they are thin skinned and bruise very easily. Your best bet is enjoying one soon after harvest, when they are bursting with a warm and agreeable flavor and crispness.

West Virginia’s Clay County is reportedly the first place where these Goldens were grown, as they were discovered there as a chance seedling in 1890. They were originally known as Mullin’s Yellow Seedling, but were renamed in 1916 and the rest is delicious history.

While eating a Golden fresh is always the best way to enjoy the full extent of its flavor, the delicate apples also do remarkably well in fresh cut salads as they resist browning. They also make great baking apples, especially as they’re so sweet that you don’t need as much sugar when using them in pies and desserts.

Be sure to look for them soon after harvest in September, but rest assured that they are often available year round, from The Fruit Company.

I love grapefruit, but what always happens is I’ll have half a dozen at home, and then after half a week of eating grapefruit halves for breakfast, I start thinking about how else I could prepare them or incorporate them into my meals. Their flavor is so distinct and special that it can overpower other flavors if not balanced.

This grapefruit tostada recipe is something really easy to pull out of your pantry staples. Regular shrimp cut up into small pieces can easily replace the rock shrimp, and I actually also love salmon quickly seared off and flaked here as a great replacement for the shrimp.

It’s not often that I make tostadas actually, even though I love them so much, and what that means is that I rarely think to buy the shells when I’m at the grocery store. However, I always have tortillas on hand, and once you learn how easy it is to make your own tostada shells I daresay you’ll never buy them at the store again.

Making them yourself is also an easy way to impart whatever flavor you want. Why pay $6 for chili lime shells at the store, when you can make them yourself for $1 with stuff you already have at home.

Another trick is that you can make tortilla chips this way by simply stacking and cutting your tortillas into wedges after you’ve oiled and seasoned them and spreading them on an even layer on a cookie sheet.

If you don’t have tortillas, I’ve even made this whole thing into an open faced sandwich on toasted crusty french bread. All the same ingredients work, and it’s equally delicious.

You even prepare all the elements the night before, and have them on hand to assemble quickly the next day. You can reheat everything the day off, or just serve at room temperature.

This is also a great way to entertain. Have all the ingredients on hand in little bowls, set them out on your buffet table, and allow your guests to create their own combinations. Bolster the options with black beans, grilled chicken, and mango salsa for an easy party that your friends will never forget.

Rock Shrimp and Grapefruit Tostadas with Arugula and Garlic-Thyme Cannellini Beans

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 homemade tostada shells (recipe follows)

2, 16 oz. cans cannellini beans,  drained

2 T fresh thyme, chopped

1 lg clove garlic, minced

1 lb. rock shrimp

salt and pepper to taste

2 c of arugula (about 6 oz.)

Olive Oil, salt and pepper to taste

4 large sugar red grapefruit, peeled and supremed with 1/4 cup of the juice reserved

1/2 sm. red onion sliced thinly

Crème fraîche (or sour cream) and avocado for garnish

• In a medium sauce pan over low heat, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and your minced garlic and thyme. Leave on the heat for 1-2 minutes or until you begin to smell the seasons and the oil is infused with their flavor. Pour in your drained cannellini beans, add salt and pepper to taste and allow to heat on low until warm while your preparing the rest of your ingredients.

• In a large sauté pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil to just before smoking before adding your rock shrimp that you’ve seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. The flavors in this recipe are so dynamic that we want each one to shine, and a simple seasoning of salt and pepper is all we need. Allow the shrimp to sauté, stirring occasionally, and remove immediately to another plate or bowl once the flesh begins to turn pink and slightly opaque. This should take 1 to 1 1/2 minutes tops as long as your pan is hot.

• Dress the arugula with your reserved grapefruit juice, 2 T of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

• Once your beans are reheated, using a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash them until just broken up, leaving some whole beans for texture.

• Now to assemble: Taking one of your homemade tostada shells, spread on a couple of heaping tablespoons of your cannellini bean mixture. Then begin to layer on 1/8 of your arugula and shrimp, 5 to 6 wedges of grapefruit, a few slices of onion, and finally garnishing with sliced avocado and a generous dollop of Crème fraîche. Dusting on a little chili power or smoked paprika is desired.

Homemade (and ridiculously easy) tostada shells

8 corn tortillas

2 T. olive oil

1 T chili powder

2 t ground cumin

salt to taste (if desired)

• Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

• Brush tortillas on both sides with olive oil and arrange on a cookie sheet. You may need two sheets. It’s ok if they’re touching, as long as they don’t over lap.

• Sprinkle on your spices and salt if desired.

• Bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping once midway through.

• When they are crisp and slightly browned around the edges, remove to a rack to cool.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

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Duck is perhaps one of the most under used poultry and also perhaps one of the most intimidating if you’ve never cooked it before. It’s just not something that we eat a lot of here in the U.S. People think it’s too fatty, or are afraid to eat it a little pink with all of the preconceptions we have about chicken, but this recipe, a twist on the French classic, Duck a l’orange, is deliciously rich and yet exotically familiar.

Using blood oranges instead of a traditional navel orange here adds an interesting twist and a beautiful color to the finish sauce. Blood oranges, also being slightly tarter than some oranges also help to counter balance the richness of the duck breast.

I deviated from the traditional recipe slightly by using white balsamic vinegar in my version of the orange sauce. I liked pairing the sweetness of the balsamic, but used white as to preserve the beautiful deep red color of the blood orange juice. Any light and fruity vinegar would work though. I’ve used sherry vinegar here and even a good quality apple cider vinegar would be excellent. During the reduction the vinegar really mellows out and you get hints of acidity without all of the acrid quality that raw vinegar sometimes has.

Even against the wow factor that duck has, the sauce is really the star of this dish. It elevates a special occasion meal even further with ease. Make a larger batch and use the leftovers to top steamed vegetables or roasted squash. The sauce is subtle enough to pair with poached chicken, but bold enough to stand up to a grilled steak.

Finally, the supremed orange wedges and toasted pistachios add little jewels of color and bursts of flavor to every bite.

Crispy Duck Breast “A L’orange” with Blood Oranges and Toasted Pistachios

(serves 4)

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c white balsamic vinegar

2 T orange zest

1 lg. shallot, minced

2 c blood orange juice

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 duck breasts, 10 oz. ea.

4 T butter, cold

2 oranges, supremed

1/2 c toasted pistachios

Salt & Pepper to taste

- In a medium dry sauce pan brown sugar until it liquefies and turns a light amber color. This will happen quickly at the end, so be careful not to burn it.

- Into caramelized sugar mix in vinegar, shallots, orange zest, orange juice, and broth. Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium high. Continue to simmer until sauce   thickens to the consistency of maple syrup, about 25-30 minutes. You will have approximately a cup of liquid left in the pot.

- Meanwhile, score the skin of your duck breasts, creating a cross hatch pattern with a knife, going as deep as you can into the skin without cutting the meat of the breast. This will help the duck fat to render and also assist in creating a crispy breast. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

- In a large preheated on high, place the duck breast skin side down into the dry pan. Sear on this side for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the skin has crisped and browned. Before flipping your breasts, remove and drain excess oil from the pan. Flip and return duck breasts to pan cooking for an additional 6 to 8 minutes to desired doneness, 125 degrees for medium rare, and 130 for medium, allowing duck to rest on a warm platter for 10 minutes before slicing.

- Slice breast on a slight diagonal and return to warmed platter, mixing any run off juices into your reducing sauce.

- To finish the sauce, remove the reduced mixture from the heat and slowly stir in your cold butter in 1 T increments. This will further thicken your sauce and add richness and sheen.

- Spoon warm sauce over sliced duck and garnish with reserved orange supremes and toasted pistachios.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

Thai is one of my favorite cuisines to eat, and one reason it’s so awesome is that the flavors of a Thai curry are so easy to achieve at home.  It’s simple enough to throw together midweek, but feels special enough to make when you have guests coming over.

This recipe for pineapple curry is particularly fun with the unexpected addition of the pineapple, which robust sweetness pairs perfectly with the robust curry spices. Using tofu makes it a great option for vegetarians and the roasted tofu adds a whole new dimension of texture and flavor to the tofu that even meat lovers will appreciate.

Still, one of the great things about a curry is its versatility. You could just as easily make it a chicken (or turkey) curry with leftovers you may have laying around the house or substitute any or all of the vegetables for your favorites. I sometimes like to use kale, broccoli, or fresh green beans in my curry for added color and nutrients, but you could also use whatever you might happen to have around the house.

In my recipe, I used a mixture of trumpet and shitake mushrooms, but button mushrooms still add lots of flavor and canned straw mushrooms are an excellent option to add authenticity.

The galangal root in this recipe also adds to the authenticity and is becoming more widely available in larger grocery stores. If you’ve never worked with it before, it really brings that “Thai restaurant” flavor to your home curries. However, it should be noted that galangal is simply a flavor enhancer and is not meant to be eaten. Cut it thinly to maximize flavor extraction, but large enough that the pieces are easy to fish out. Some places have dried galangal root. If this is the case, use about ½ c of it and steep it for 10-15 minutes in one of the cans of coconut milk that you’ve heated in a microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan. When stepped, strain out the galangal, leaving you with a flavor infused coconut milk.

The addition of fish sauce is another great flavor boost of authenticity, but if you wanted to make this completely vegetarian or just don’t have any fish sauce available. Soy sauce or salt to taste could be substituted.

Pineapple Curry with Roasted Tofu (serves 6-8)

Roasted Tofu

1, 14 oz. package extra firm tofu

2 T vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°F
2. Cut tofu into 1 ½ in cubes. I usually cut the tofu block in half horizontally and then 4×5, making a total of 40 little cubes.
3. Place tofu on a parchment lined (or well greased) cookie sheet.
4. Drizzle on oil and salt and pepper to taste and toss lightly to evenly coat
5. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on all sides, about 15-20 minutes, stirring once midway through roasting.

Pineapple Curry

2 T vegetable oil

4 large shallots, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

2 in. piece of ginger root, grated

3-4 in. piece of galagal root (sometimes called thai ginger) cut thinly crosswise into large “coins”

¼ c red curry paste

2 medium carrots, sliced thinly on the diagonal

2 tomatoes cut into a large dice

2, 8 oz. cans bamboo shoots

1 lb. wild mushrooms

1 baby pineapple diced (about 3 cups)

3, 13 oz. cans coconut milk

14 oz. roasted tofu

1 lg. red pepper, sliced

3 T fish sauce (optional-salt or soy sauce may be substituted)

½ c cilantro roughly chopped

1        c basil roughly chopped

-In a large pot in a small amount of vegetable oil sauté shallots, garlic, ginger, and galangal on medium high heat until lightly browned and aromatic.

-Stir in curry paste continuing to cook the mixture while coating the other aromatics, about 3-4 minutes, being careful not to burn.

-Stir carrots, tomatoes, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, pineapple, coconut milk, and fish sauce, and bring just to the boil.

-Once achieved, partially cover the pot, reduce heat to a slight simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add in roasted tofu, and red peppers and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

-Just before serving, stir in cilantro and basil and serve on steamed rice.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

With all of the family and friends around this time of year, I like having a holiday fruitcake without any alcohol in it around for everyone to be able to enjoy. Traditionally, the rum or brandy in a fruitcake is what keeps it moist and prevents it from spoiling, making it possible for you to keep it on your counter all season long, so this recipe employs a few tricks to help keep your fruitcake delicious for weeks, but believe me, once people have a slice, it won’t last that long.

The recipe’s first key to making a long lasting fruitcake is to only use dried fruit. Some recipes use sautéed apples, applesauce or canned pineapple. By using only dried fruit the cake is less likely to spoil. The mix is also completely to taste and so you can increase flavors or substitute something less traditional like dried blueberries or cherries, keeping in mind to keep the volume similar. I’ve even replaced the nuts in it completely with more dried fruit when I knew there were nut allergy concerns.

The second trick to keeping your fruitcake fresh and moist is by coating it completely with a glaze. I’ve used a maple glaze here, because I think the flavors is very reminiscent of the holidays and pairs nicely with the oranges and other spices, but if maple isn’t your cup of tea try substituting some orange juice or just some heavy cream. Keep in mind that because certain liquids like orange juice are less viscous than maple syrup you’ll have to reduce the quantity slightly. The final product should be about the consistency of molasses.

Applying the glaze in several layers in what allows you to get it on thicker and therefore create a greater barrier on your cake to keep the moisture in and the air out.

I almost always double the recipe, because while it does have a few ingredients, it’s so easy to make and will last all season long, so it’s perfect to keep around the house for unexpected guests or as a last minute take along as a gift or to a party.

You may have noticed that I use paper cuffs to bake the cakes in. This is completely optional and not necessary, but I like the ease of clean up, and it’s an easy way of gifting the cakes to others or bringing a loaf to work or church without then having to worry about getting your loaf pan back. Just wrap the cooled cake, glazed and placed back into the paper cuff with cellophane and a bow, and you’re ready to bring a confection that is sure to please.

The Fruit Company :Orange Spiced Fruit Cake w/ Maple Glaze (Alcohol Free)

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

1 c butter

1 ½ c sugar

¼ c molasses

4 eggs

3 c all purpose flour

2 t salt

1 t baking powder

1 t ground nutmeg

1 t ground cloves

1 t ground ginger

1 T ground cinnamon

1 c orange juice

Fruit & Nut Mix

2 c raisins

1 c craisins

1 c dates, roughly chopped

1 c candied cherries (red, green, or a mix of the two)

1 c candied pineapple chunks

½ c candied orange peel

½ c candied ginger, chopped fine

2 c pecans (or walnuts if you prefer)

Maple Glaze

4 c confectioners sugar

1 c maple syrup

½ c butter, melted

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 300°F

-Make cake batter by first creaming butter, sugar and molasses in a large bowl with a hand mixer, first on low speed then increasing speed as ingredients become more combined. When mixture is completely incorporated and becomes slightly pale in color, beat in eggs, one egg at a time, incorporating next egg after the previous egg has become absorbed by the mixture

-Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, whisking flour spices and baking powder until completely combined.

-Combine wet and dry ingredients in sections, pouring dry into wet in thirds, alternating with a third of orange juice at a time, until just incorporated. You don’t want to over mix.

-Fold in fruit and nut mixture.

-Fill 4 well greased small loaf pans (approximately 2.5”x 7”x 2”) 4/5 of the way full.

-Place pans onto cookie sheet (for ease) and bake at 300°F for 1 ½ hours or until a toothpick just comes out clean. Cake will still look slightly underdone, but will “set” as it cools.

-Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack, approximately 2 hours or overnight

-Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, and melted butter in a medium bowl until completely smooth.

-Carefully unmold cakes and place on wire racks on a cookie sheet. Pour over half of the maple-glazed mixture, allowing the cookie sheet to catch the drips beneath the wire rack. Allow glaze to set for at least one hour and then repeat with the remaining glaze, again allowing glaze to set for at least one hour, or preferably overnight.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

Ingredients:

1 small apple
1 small celery rib, sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
1 (7-ounce) can tuna
1 Tbsp. fresh dill weed (or 1 tsp. dried dill weed)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 small pita pockets
4 large lettuce leaves

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 260

Directions:
1) Core and chop the apple into a medium-size bowl. Add celery and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add onion. Drain tuna and add to bowl with dill and mayonnaise. Mix well. Cut the top off each pita bread and place a lettuce leaf in each. Stuff with tuna mixture. Serve.

2) Prep time: 15 minutes

3) Recipe courtesy of US Apple Association

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