#41 (ENH) Curious Fruits

Shownotes for #41 Curious Fruits!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

All the recipes here are an hour or less. Total preparation time for is less than 30 minutes.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the End of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

This week, I'm featuring the song, Valium and Sodapop by Goat. Andrew Scott Rosen, known to all as Goat, grew up in Cleveland, the son of baseball great Al Rosen. He released his critically-acclaimed debut album "Great Life" in 1998 and scored a hit with the title track. Several songs were placed in high profile movies like "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Supercop," a national Kia commercial, and TV shows, including "CSI" and others on MTV, ESPN, UPN, and TNT. In 2005, he released his second CD "All of My Friends," featuring the talents of friends Chris Whitley, T-Bone Wolk, and Larry Campell. The album received a warm reception with multiple tracks getting significant radio play and the title track charting as high as number five on XM Satellite Radio's alternative rock station XM Cafe. Goat's new album will be released August 22nd, distributed nationally by Select-O-Hits.

Here is the lead recipe I describe in the show:

Thai-style Pineapple Snack (ad\apted from Television Food Network Kitchens)

1/2 a ripe pineapple, peeled and cored
Kosher salt
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

Cut the pineapple into bite size wedges or slices.

Put the salt, cayenne pepper, mint, cilantro, and limes into small bowls. Squeeze a bit of lime juice onto the fruit. Then lightly dip the pineapple into a little salt and as much cayenne as you like and finish with the mint and cilantro.

Cook's Note: For true Southeast Asian taste add a little bowl of fish sauce to your options of dippers.

Banana Pops (Adapted from Cat Cora)

4 large bananas
2 cups fruit-flavored yogurt
1 cup crushed cereal

Peel the bananas, leave whole, and dip them in the yogurt. Roll them in the crushed cereal to coat. Freeze until firm. Serve when firm.

These are the ideal summer self serve snack.

Watermelon Snack (Adaped from Food Network Kitchens)

1 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 pound piece red or yellow seedless watermelon with rind
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Curry powder
Cayenne pepper

Line a small sieve with a coffee filter. Put the yogurt in it, set it over a bowl, and refrigerate 2 hours. Discard the expressed liquid and put yogurt in a small serving bowl.

Trim the rind off the watermelon and cut the fruit into pieces a couple inches long and about 1/2-inch square. Arrange on a platter with the limes. Put the mint, curry, and cayenne, in 3 small bowls.

Squeeze lime on the watermelon. Dip melon into the yogurt, then into a little curry and as much cayenne as you like and finish with the mint. Nibble on. The spice and kick of the curry and cayenne are the perfect contrast to the refreshing taste of the melon and mint.

Amazing Fruit Snack (Adapted from Bill Wavrin)

1 jicama, washed and peeled
1 medium chayote fruit, peeled and washed
1 orange, peeled and segmented
1 cucumber, peeled
1 lime, juiced
1 pinch chili flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt
Toothpicks

Segment the orange and grapefruit, reserving the un-segmented part of each fruit. Cut jicama, chayote and cucumber into finger-size julienne. Place the segmented oranges and grapefruit in a bowl with other cut veggies, squeeze the lime and un-segmented part over the cut veggies and citrus and toss in the chili and cilantro.

Season with salt, to taste, and stab each piece with toothpicks.

 

Here are some additional recipies I didn't include in the show:

 

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week, we're making potato and other vegetable chips in the oven. You’ll need at least 2 Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes, 6 medium beets, 2 to 2 1/2 lb fresh yuca, and 1 large sweet potato. For toppings, you should get your choice of one two of the following: ancho chili powder, ground cumin, minced herbs, toasted sesame seeds, ground nori (toasted black seaweed sheets used to roll sushi) . You might also like to try a topping of 1 cup fennel seeds, 3 tablespoons coriander seeds, and 2 tablespoons white peppercorns. Of course, you'll need some oil to toss the chips before baking.