The Fruit Company

Chocolate Fondue For Two

Ingredients:

1 c Heavy Cream

12 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips, mini if available.

1 t. Vanilla Extract

1/4 t Salt

1 T Orange or Rose Water (optional)

Assorted Fruit, Cake, and Cookies for dipping

-Heat heavy cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan until just scalded, 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high. (or microwave for 2 to 3 minutes in a microwave safe bowl serving bowl to minimize clean up).

- In your fondue pot (or ceramic bowl or ramekin) place chocolate chips, vanilla extract,  salt, and any additional flavoring. Pour over heated cream and stir until chocolate is melted and completely incorporated (or pour chocolate and flavorings into microwaved heavy cream). This recipe is seriously fool proof!

- Enjoy with assorted fruit, cake, and cookies for dipping. (I like heart shaped palmiers!)

This Recipe is part of The Fruit Company Dinner for Two Valentine’s Day Recipe!

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.

Dijon-Maple Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2, 8 oz Thick Pork Loin Chops, (at least 1 in. thick preferably)

4 T Dijon Mustard

4 T Maple Syrup

4 T Fresh Thyme

4 T Olive Oil

1 c Chicken Stock

2 T Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lg. Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped into a large 1 1/2 to 2 inch dice

2 Medium Sized Apples (I like Jonagold or Pink Lady), diced similar to potatoes

1 Large Sweet Onion

1/4 c Chopped Pecans

2-3 T Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

• Preheat your oven to 450º F.

• Mix potatoes, apples, and 1/2 of the onion wedged with oil and salt and pepper to taste onto a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Place in your oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelized around the edges.

• Meanwhile, while your potatoes and apples are baking. Rub your pork chops with salt and pepper, 2 T of olive oil, 2 T of mustard, 2 T maple syrup, and 2 T of thyme. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This is a quick “marinade”. You could leave it on for a few hours if preferred.

• While your chops marry their flavors, preheat a sauté pan to medium high heat. When pan is preheated, sear chops for 2-3 minutes on each side in remaining olive oil. Set aside.

• In the same pan you just seared your chops in, sauté  your remaining onion half (thinly sliced). There should be enough fat remaining in the pan, but if your pan is dry, add an additional teaspoon or so of oil. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the caramelized bits off the pain as the onion gives up it’s moisture.

• When onions have softened and browned slightly, pour in chicken stock and remaining mustard and maple syrup, continuing to scrape the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to medium and reduce by half. When mixture is reduced, remove from heat and stir in butter to thicken and finish off your sauce.

• Meanwhile to finish your seared off chops, place in the oven with your sweet potatoes for their last 10 minutes of baking or until they reach your desired doneness (I like an internal temperature of 145º – still slightly pink) along with he pecans so they can toast slightly. I like to bake the chops on top of the apple and sweet potato mixture, both to not dirty another pan, but also so that any dripping juices further flavor the sweet potatoes. Also finishing off the chops in the oven, helps them cook more gently and remain moist.

• When chops have reached desired doneness, allow to rest before slicing. Serve topped with your dijon maple sauce.

This Recipe is part of The Fruit Company Dinner for Two Valentine’s Day Recipe!

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.

Spicy Coconut Lemongrass Steamed Mussels

Ingredients:

2 T Vegetable Oil

2 Lg. Shallots, sliced thinly

2 Thai Chiles (or crushed red pepper flakes to taste)

2 T Grated Ginger

2 Lg. Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Lg. Lemongrass Stalk, bruised with the back of a knife to release flavor and cut into 2 inch pieces.

1/2 red pepper diced

2 T Fish Sauce (or 1 t salt)

1 Can Coconut Milk

1 c Chicken Stock

1 1/2 lbs. Mussels, debearded and gently scrubbed under running water

1 lime, juiced

1/4 c Cilantro, finely chopped

Baguette or other crust bread for dipping

• Preheat a large heavy bottomed pot on medium high heat before sautéing shallots, chiles, ginger, garlic, and lemon grass in vegetable or other neutral flavored oil. Stir occasionally until flavors begin to meld and spices become aromatic, about 5 minutes.

• Turn heat to high, and add in diced red pepper, fish sauce, coconut milk, and chicken stock. Bring mixture just to the boil, covered.

• When liquid is boiling, pour in mussels all at once, giving the pot a shake to distribute mussels evenly. Cover immediately.

• Cook mussels for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are just opened up, shaking the the pot periodically to “stir” the contents. Leave covered as much as possible, being careful to not overcook, and discarding any mussels that do not open.

• 5. Take off heat, stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice, and serve immediately with toasted or crusty bread for dipping.

This Recipe is part of The Fruit Company Dinner for Two Valentine’s Day Recipe!

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.

Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of expectations, and let’s face it, we want it to be special, we want to fulfill those expectations, but we’re also busy. We have jobs, and kids, and reservations are so hard to get. Then when Valentine’s Day ends up being on a weekday (like this year) we have to get up for work the next day.

This trio of recipes was created to be simple enough to pull off in less than an hour with ease, and a minimum amount of clean up: 1 pot, 1 pan, 1 cookie sheet, and if you microwave your cream for the fondue (no shame in it), you can stick the rest in the dishwasher and call it a night.

Whenever you’re trying to save time while cooking (and let’s face it, who’s not trying to save time) always think about what’s going to take the longest to cook. In this case, it’s the potatoes, so get those in the oven right away. Next, season your pork, and while that’s going through it’s quick marinade, get the mussels ready.

All of this is made more fun while you cook together. Your mussels are going to be done first, and so enjoy them together, while cooking the rest of your meal. The cooking can be just as enjoyable as the eating when shared with someone else, that way the whole experience is what makes the night special, instead of just the expectations of a good meal. That way, if something is a little too brown or takes a bit longer than expected, you’re already spending time together, but this combination of recipes is simple enough for even the kitchen layman to pull off.

The chocolate fondue for two is so easy, and literally done in less than 5 minutes. You’ll be making it for more than just valentines day, and it’s a great way to incorporate things to dip that you may already have around your kitchen.

Homemade Valentine’s dinners are also hard because often couples have different tastes or appetites. Mussels are a great way for someone to just eat a small portion or load up on lots of sauce dipped bread. Make the broth as mild or as spicy as you want and if you don’t like mussels you can use this same broth to poach shrimp. Keep the shrimp in their shells to maximize flavor, and again, just 3 or so minutes. Don’t over cook them.

Pork loin is always a crown pleaser, and it’s kept light with a mustard sauce. While the roasted sweet potatoes are filling yet made lighter and more flavorful with the addition of roasted apples.

And when it comes to chocolate be creative in your flavorings and dunking options, have each of your favorites on hand to dip. This is sure to be one of the most romantic (and easiest) Valentine’s Day ever spent together!

Salad: Spicy Coconut Lemongrass Steamed Mussels Recipe

Main Course:Dijon-Maple Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Dessert: Chocolate Fondue For Two Recipe

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.

Almost nothing beats a fresh mango. Still, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate mangoes into my cooking that go beyond fruit salad. But with all that there is to do this time of year, I rarely feel like doing anything too complicated, while still keeping in mind that I want to make things feel special for my family and friends. Both of these mango recipes are a delicious and easy way to infuse your cooking with tropical yet familiar flavors that feel special and that anyone can enjoy.

I like to have both on hand to use as an everyday condiment.

The chutney is especially easy to make a huge batch of, can it, and have it available all year long, or to give away as gifts this holiday season. Each of these recipes snazzy up the humdrum of our everyday cooking and are great to make a weeknight meal extra special for all of those surprise holiday guests.

Use the mango salsa as is in all of the ways you would use a traditional salsa: burritos, tortilla chips, or as an easy salad topping.

Top turkey sandwiches or crackers and cheese with your own homemade mango chutney.  An easy and delicious holiday appetizer is to take your favorite cracker and spread with either a little cream cheese or goat cheese then top with chutney. Turn up the spice or make it milder to compliment nearly any dish.

My favorite thing about both of these recipes is that especially with the busyness of the season, both are extremely easy to make and turn baked fish, grilled chicken breast, or a roasted pork loin into something extremely special and worthy of a holiday meal at a moments notice. You probably already have all or most of the ingredients to make both of these concoctions at home, and you know if you’ve ever tired to purchase mango chutney or salsa at the store the exorbitant expense of even a small jar. Make your own for less than half the price and with knowing each of the quality ingredients you put in yourself – easy homemade deliciousness without all the preservatives.

Smoked Paprika and Lime Infused Snapper with Mango Two-ways

Fresh Mango Salsa

3 mangoes, medium in size, cut into a small dice

½ r. onion diced

3 scallions

1 medium red pepper, cut into a small dice

1 jalapeno minced small

½ c chopped cilantro

1 T garlic, minced

2 Limes, juiced

¼ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

-Allow salsa to sit for at least an hour or preferably over night for flavors to marinate.

Spicy Mango Chutney

4 c mango, diced in 1 in. cubes (approximately 4-5 medium sized mangoes)

1 ½ c sugar

¾ c apple cider vinegar

1 medium onion, diced

¾ c golden raisins

1 in. ginger, grated or finely minced

1 t mustard seeds

½ t crushed red chili flakes

1 cinnamon stick

6 whole cloves

½ t salt

-Heat sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan on medium heat until sugar is just dissolved.

-Stir in remaining ingredients, turn heat to high, and bring mixture to a simmer.

-Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally until mixture reduces and syrup thickens to a jam- like consistency.

-Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, and use within 2 weeks or preserve in clean mason jars using your favorite canning method!

Smoked Paprika and Lime Infused Snapper

4 Snapper Filets (or other mild white fish) 6 oz. each

1 Lime, juiced

1 T Smoked Paprika

2 T Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

-Check fish for pin bones. You can ask your fishmonger to do this for you.

-Drizzle on olive oil and limejuice and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Rub seasoning over fish and allow to permeate while the fish coming to room temperature, 20-30 minutes. Do not over marinade.

-Pre-heat a large nonstick sauté pan on high until it just reaches the smoke point. Sear each fillet in a small amount of olive oil for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Do not over   crowd the pan. You may have to do this in two batches. Fish should still be slightly opaque in the middle and will continue to cook after you take it off the heat.

- Serve with jasmine rice, garnish with chopped cilantro, and top with fresh mango salsa or spicy mango chutney (or both!).

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.