Christmas Miracle: Cherimoya Growing in my Garden!

Whether you call it cherimoya, custard apple, soursop or sitaphal, when ripe this fruit is unlike anything you've ever had before. To be precise, each is a separate species in the same genus, but in reality the flavors are very similar. The best I can say is that it is a combination of banana and bubblegum. The fruit grows in Southeast Asia and the Subcontinent. It can be round or have a heart shape. Inside the skin is flaky, juicy white flesh studded with large black seeds.
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Healthy Green Drink Recipe

A few weeks ago, fresh rambutans were on sale for only $0.69 a pound and we bought several pounds. I figured flight tickets to Vietnam are so expensive, it wouldn't be so bad to splurge on the tropical fruits instead of a trip to Asia!They're called chôm chôm in Vietnamese. After a few bags, my family eventually got sick of them, so I ended up making fruit  purée and storing it in the freezer. I already had in mind a specific drink recipe I would make. I prepared a flavorful but healthy drink with a vibrant green color. In addition to the rambutans, I used spinach,  kiwis, lemon and lime juice. 

The result was delicious. I loved the acidic taste of the kiwis, lime and lemon that balanced so well with the sweetness from the rambutan purée. 

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Granola Parfait Recipe (with Jackfruit and Mangosteen)

Granola parfaits are usually made of layers of fruit, a dairy product and granola. The key is to balance the different textures of the various elements. As is true of almost any recipe, the quality of the ingredients plays a huge role in the end product. I got a bag of “Plain Jane” granola from Sarah over at Nuts About Granola (www.nutsaboutgranola.com), and it's incredible, so that part of equation was taken care of.

To contrast the peanut and cinnamon flavored granola, I gave the recipe a tropical Asian twist by using fresh mangosteens and jackfruit. They were naturally sweet so no additional sugar was necessary. Canned fruit would also work fine. I also decided to use fromage blanc in place of the more common yogurt. Fromage blanc literally translates to "white cheese". It's widely available in France and I'm lucky to be able to buy it at my local market. The consistency is similar to soft, healthier cream cheese. I sweetened it with a little stevia and honey.

Whether you want to serve it for breakfast or as a snack, this delicious treat will satisfy your sweet tooth! And if you’re curious to try Plain Jane granola for yourself, Sarah and Pham Fatale have put together a giveaway this week. Just click the like button below and you’re entered in the contest! We’ll pick the winner at random Saturday morning.

 

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The first Nuts About Granola Giveaway has already ended and I will announce the winner later on today. Now you can participate in the second giveaway, ending Thursday, September 8^th. It takes a few seconds and you could win two packs of Granola!

Nuts About Granola Giveaway Entry Form:

Pham Fatale Giveaway Terms and Conditions: No purchase necessary. All prizes are generously donated by the company featured. Winners will be chosen at random, and odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Pham Fatale is not responsible for late, lost, stolen, illegible or incomplete entries which will be disqualified. US Residents only please. Only one entry per person per giveaway. Prizes are not refundable or returnable. Giveaway terms subject to change.

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What Are Loquats?

Loquats are lovely, flavorful, juicy and incredibly sweet fruits. I recently was lucky enough to enjoy a large quantity of them, fresh from a tree at Aunt Danielle’s house. You may recall that Aunt Danielle is the expert Vietnamese cook who taught me how to make phở (Vietnamese beef noodle soup). She just bought a house in San Jose, and the previous owner had planted loquat trees. The tree produces so much fruit that she begged us to take some home. She didn't have to ask twice! The girls and I were eating them right off the tree and we brought several pounds home!
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Dragon Fruit Salad

Dragon fruit (trái thanh long in Vietnamese) is an exotic fruit that has a very unusual appearance. The outer skin has a fuchsia color with green leaves and the flesh is white with seeds that are reminiscent of kiwi. The texture of dragon fruit is creamy and it has a subtle aroma of banana and ripe, soft pear. When fully ripened, the skin peels off as it would from an avocado.

I made a very simple fruit salad, using the Vietnamese Jaina dragon fruit variety, spearmint from our garden and agave nectar. The agave enhances the sweetness, and the mint lends a nice contrast of color and flavor. I served the fruit salad during a dinner party. Everyone was intrigued by the fruit, so it did double duty as a conversation starter.

If you ever travel to an Asian country, don't forget to ask for dragon fruit or pitaya. The last time I had dragon fruit was on my trip to Vietnam. I had no idea that this particular tropical fruit was cultivated in America. A couple of weeks ago I found it in an Asian market in San Jose. The salesperson told me dragon fruits are now grown in Florida, due to its humid and warm weather, which is similar to Vietnam. Quite honestly, the ones grown in the US are good but the ones in Vietnam are just exquisite and so much more flavorful. No sweetener necessary!

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