Ten Winter Fruits To Cook With

January 14, 2011

Things can look pretty bleak this time of year in the produce department, especially when it comes to seasonal fruits. Winter usually means eating heavy on the citrus fruits including oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. And we should take advantage of them but we can also liven up our palates by incorporating other winter fruits in our cooking. Here are ten of my favorite winter fruits for cooking:

  1. Grapefruit. Try broiling halves sprinkled with coarse brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Then add a dab of sour cream just before serving. Surprisingly comforting.
  2. Pomegranates. Squeeze halves using a juicer. Use the juice to make a quick sauce for pork chops or chicken; or make a pomegranate sauce topped cheesecake.
  3. Apples. The perennial winter dessert that never goes out of style is baked apples. Just don’t be ho-hum about the filling; use dried dates, raisins, figs and nuts. Add a smidge of white wine and bake!
  4. Pineapple. Never out of season, this refreshing fruit is great as part of a stir fry with beef or poultry Or try roasting slices and topping them with vanilla ice cream and toasted coconut for a refreshing dessert.
  5. Pears. Beautifully baked in red wine, pears become the most exotic of winter desserts. Or puree them to becomes the thicken for a classic Tuscan beef stew called peposo.
  6. Bananas. Love Bananas Foster? Go for it or make these delicious and fast nutella tartlets with banana slices for your next company dinner.
  7. Blood Oranges. Want a great tasting winter salad? Try a combination of blood orange (or navel oranges slices, fennel and black olives or make a tasty baked sea bass with oranges.
  8. Kiwi. Great as part of fruit salad but did you know that kiwi is equally as good as a meat tenderizer. Rubbing the fruit over the meat releases an enzyme that does the tenderizing.
  9. Mangoes. Love them on their own but combined with apples they make a wonderful flavor combination for your favorite pie or cobbler recipe.
  10. Cranberries. Cranberry sauce infused with rosemary makes a great spread for chicken, pork or turkey sliders.

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