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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Prickly Pear Juice Recipe (Cactus Fruit)

Prickly pears are the fruit of the nopales cactus plant. They're named for their pear-like shape and size. The texture and aroma of the fruit is very similar to grainy watermelon, with a mild sweetness. The seeds from the prickly pears look the same as the ones from kiwis.

This weekend, my father-in-law (I call him Daddy), my husband Lulu and I were sitting on the swing in the garden. Daddy noticed the fruit on the cactus plants in the corner of our garden. When we got closer we realized that the prickly pears were fully ripe. Daddy got so excited that I didn't have time to run and get leather gardening gloves; he just picked the fruit with his bare hands. Poor Daddy! I had to spend quite a bit of time to remove all of the almost invisible hair-thin spines.

We were able to gather a fair amount of ripe fruit. Even though the fruit is quite bland, the flesh has a very rich color. I used some for making vinaigrette and with the rest I made little cocktails with raspberries. I placed fresh raspberries in the freezer and used them as ice cubes to chill the drink. If you can get your hands on some prickly pears at your local market, give them a try. They're a wonderful treat.

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Fresh Kyoho Grapes

Kyoho grapes [pronounced kee-oh-ho] are large, seeded, extremely sweet and juicy with meaty flesh. Like the Concord variety, this specialty grape is powdery and thick-skinned with a blackish purple color. I absolutely love Kyohos. There are several ways to eat them. You could peel them with a small paring knife because they are large enough but I think this method waste a lot of the precious juice inside. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy the fruit is to simply place a grape between your index finger and thumb, lean your head a little backward, gently squeeze the fruit until the flesh pushes through the skin, along with a generous amount of fragrant, sweet juice. Remove and discard the few seeds embedded in its flesh, and repeat.
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