Fruit Recipes

Half the fun of growing fruit in your garden is enjoying the fruits of your labor in the kitchen. Following are some great recipes to get you started -- and perhaps to inspire you to try growing a new variety.

We always welcome your recipe submissions and will publish your name with your recipe; just be sure that the recipe you submit isn't under someone else's copyright.

To see the recipes, please choose your fruit:

• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Cane Berries
• Figs
• Grapes
• Guavas
• Stone Fruit
• Olives
• Persimmons
• Pomegranates

AVOCADOS

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Makes one pie.

Adapted from Joel Odhner’s Recipe, from the Raw Inspiration cookbook by Lisa Montgomery.http://www.livingdynamically.com/

The surprise ingredient in this raw, low glycemic dessert is Avocado!

Crust:

• 1.5 cups pecans (or other nuts)
• 1.5 cups dates, pitted

Pulse nuts in a food processor for about 30 seconds until lightly chopped. Then add dates and process until blended. Press mixture into pie plate.

Filling:

• 2 - 3 ripe avocados
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ½ to ¾ cup agave syrup
• 1 cup cacao powder

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour filling into the crust.
Chill for one hour.

BLUEBERRIES

Easy Cheesy Blueberry Filo Bake

• 4 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)
• 3 cups Ricotta and/or Cottage Cheese
• 1-2 cups of granulated cane sugar or equivalent of sugar substitute
• 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
• ½- 1 teaspoon citrus zest (to taste)
• 1 package prepared filo dough
• ½ cup butter- melted  (for brushing between filo layers)

Use a pastry brush to apply melted butter to the bottom and sides of a standard (8x11”) lasagna pan.

Carefully layer filo dough on the bottom of the pan, allowing it to extend up and over the edges of the pan. Brush all surfaces with butter and repeat until there are several layers forming a crust on the bottom and sides of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine blueberries, cheese, sugar, vanilla and zest.

Layer the blueberry-cheese mixture into the pan lasagna-style, placing layers of buttered filo dough between each layer of fruit.

When finished layering the fruit and filo dough, cover with a final top layer of filo dough.  Trim the edges, brush with butter and, if desired, sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.

Bake in 350 degree oven until edges and top are lightly browned.  Covering lightly with foil during the baking can help prevent the edges from scorching.  Serve when cool.

CANE BERRIES

Raspberry-Pluot Clafouti

Serves 6-8, Great as a dessert or brunch

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1½ cup white wine or apple juice
• 1 ½ cup water
• 1¼ sugar
• 2 lbs of pluots, halved and pitted
• 8 ounces of fresh raspberries
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Butter a 12 inch round quiche pan or pie pan.
Bring wine (or juice) and water and ¾ cup of sugar to a boil in a large wide saucepan.

Add pluots, cut side down and cover, reduce heat to medium.

Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, let stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 Degrees.

Using a slotted spoon, place pluots (cut side up) in buttered pan.
Reserve ¼ cup of liquid.

Place raspberries around the pluots.

Beat eggs, ½ cup of sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

Gradually whisk in flour. Whisk in milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, orange zest and reserved liquid.  Pour around fruit.

Bake until edges are puffed and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack
Wait 20 minutes before serving or cover in refrigerator and serve cold later.

FIGS

Simple Barbequed Figs

• Stripped branches from a mature Rosemary plant
• Ripe figs of any variety
• (optional) Soft cheese such as herbed chevre or French Brie

If desired, stuff figs with cheese by gently slicing the fruit about 1/3 distance from the top and placing a spoonful of cheese inside.

Skewer the figs on Rosemary stalks, taking care not to break the fruit apart.
Place skewered figs over a controlled flame, barbeque or hibachi grill and cook until figs are slightly browned and cheese softened.  The rosemary branches lend unique flavor to this festive appetizer.

GRAPES

Spicy Mexican Fruit Salad
Serves 4

• 1 medium size Jicama (about 1 pound), cut finely into match sticks
• 2 fresh pears, plums or pluots, sliced
• 20-30 seedless grapes, halved
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup, or equivalent sweetener (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Add prepared jicama, grapes and pears to the mixing bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.

In a separate mixing bowl, prepare the dressing by combining mayonnaise with cinnamon, cayenne and agave syrup if desired.

When blended, pour dressing over prepared fruit, stir gently and chill for up to 4 hours.

Stir again before serving.

Prepare salad bowls by lining with ornamental cabbage leaves or spicy mesclun mix.
Using a slotted spoon, place salad mixture on plates and serve.  Top with cilantro if desired.

GUAVAS

Guava Puree
A delicious topping for ice cream.

Select and wash ripe guavas.  If firm, slice and parboil to make processing easier.  Scoop out the flesh process pulp through a sieve to remove seeds.  Sweeten the sieved pulp to taste, using agave syrup, granulated or brown sugar.  Puree may be packed in canning jars and processed in boiling water for 60 seconds, allowing long term storage.

See these links for helpful resources and tips on safe home canning procedures:

Safe Home Canning of Fruits, Vegetables and Meats

Canning Pantry

STONE FRUIT

Peach and Berry Cobbler

• 3-4 ripe peaches (1 ¼ pounds) cut into eighths
• 1 cup blueberries or blackberries (frozen or fresh)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup cream
• ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vanilla Ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine fruit in a bowl.  Whisk together ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch, and add to the fruit.

OLIVES

Here is a link to interesting recipes for Olives:

Homemade Olives

PERSIMMONS

Mildred Dillon’s Persimmon Fruit Cake

When fall becomes winter, persimmon fruit hang on leafless trees like lost ornaments. Harvesting the Hachiya Persimmon and letting them soften and sweeten is a ritual in the Dillon households.  This recipe can be made with or without the candied fruit.  The loaves are delicious and store well in the refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredients:

• Ÿ  4 cups of flour
• Ÿ  1 cup of softened shortening (butter or oil)
• Ÿ  2 cups of sugar
• Ÿ  2 unbeaten eggs
• Ÿ  2 cups persimmon
• Ÿ  1 cup nuts
• Ÿ  1 cup raisins
• Ÿ  ½ cup candied fruit (optional)
• Ÿ  1 tsp. salt
• Ÿ  1 tsp. cinnamon
• Ÿ  1 tsp. powdered cloves
• Ÿ  2 tsp. baking soda
• Ÿ  ¼ cup warm water

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees.
2. Combine and sift all dry ingredients.
3. Puree persimmon pulp, removing all skin.
4. Add eggs to persimmon pulp, stirring well.
5. Dissolve 2 tsp. baking soda in ¼ cup warm water.
6. Add water and baking soda to persimmon and egg mixture.
7. Combine all ingredients.
8. Pour into two bread loaf pans.
9. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

POMEGRANATES

Pomegranate Blood Orange Salsa

Makes 2 cups

• One large or two small pomegranates, to yield 1 cup pomegranate kernels.
• One large or two small Blood Oranges, to yield 1 cup orange
• (or substitute a sweet winter orange, like Washington Navel)
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon Coriander
• 1 Green Onion, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 Teaspoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin jalapeño
• peppers
• (option: use milder peppers)
• Salt

Cut pomegranates in half. Holding the cut half, flat side down, in the palm of one hand, tap the rounded skin of the pomegranate with the side of a wooden spoon until most of the kernels are released.  Pick out the remaining kernels with a fork.  Separate kernels from bits of membrane.

Cut peel and white membrane from the orange. Holding the fruit over a bowl to catch the juice, fillet the fruit, separating the segments from the inner membrane. Cut segments into smaller chunks.

Mix all ingredients and salt to taste.

Serve immediately, or cover and chill for up to a day.

Lower Sugar Pomegranate Jelly

• 6 cups pomegranate juice
• 4 ½ cups sugar
• 1 Box Sure-Jell for Lower Sugar Recipes (R mark) Pectin
• Eight 8 oz jelly jars

Prepare juice by one of two methods:

1. Cut pomegranates in half. Holding the cut half, flat side down, in the palm of one hand, tap the rounded skin of the pomegranate with the side of a wooden spoon until most of the kernels are released.  Pick out the remaining kernels with a fork.  Separate kernels from bits of membrane which can cause bitterness in the jelly.  Mash the pomegranate kernels
   or
2. Use a manual orange juice squeezer and gently squeeze pomegranate halves to release juice.  Pick out bits of membrane which can cause bitterness.

Pour 6 cups of juice into an 8 quart sauce pan. Measure sugar and set aside.

Take ¼ cup of the sugar and mix with the contents of the fruit pectin box.

Stir the mixture into the fruit juice, mixing thoroughly.

Stir constantly so mixture does not scorch as it comes to a rolling boil.

Add all the sugar at once and stir, mixing well.

Bring mixture back to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute.

You may add ¼ teaspoon butter or margarine to keep mixture from foaming excessively.

Remove from the heat and fill sterilized jars to ¼ inch from the top.

Cover with flat canning lids that have been prepared in boiling water.

Secure ring bands.

Place in a water bath canner with nearly boiling water to cover and process with gently boiling water for 10 minutes.

Remove from canner and let cool undisturbed for 24 hours.

Wash off jars. Store in a dark, draft free space.