Not long ago, on any classic French menu, fruit knew its place. Mostly it was served over, around or buried in a dessert preparation, although cherries and oranges often made it to the table as an accompaniment to duck. Central Europeans were more adventuresome, mixing fresh and dried fruits with grains and serving fruit soups in addition to rich fruit pastries.
In this country, too, fruit desserts were common. Fruit also showed up in the morning as fruit juice or decoration for cereal. Whole fruit went into lunch boxes, and in the evening, fruit salad might be served with dinner.
Now American and European cooks are using fruit in new ways and in amazing combinations. Just in time too. Nutritionists are advising us to eat it three or four times a day because fat-free fruit contains carbohydrates, fiber, anti-oxidant vitamins and vital trace minerals such as potassium.
With Florida and the Caribbean stepping into the culinary spotlight recently, there is heightened interest in tropical and citrus fruits. The need to find counterpoints to hot spices has led to more use of fruit in the Southwest. Antique varieties are being rediscovered in the Heartland, and exotics are shipped fresh by air from abroad. A marvelous array of natural fruit preserves, fruit purees and fruit juices is now available.
It has become a challenge to devise novel combinations with these resources. Cooks find that fruit can add not only color and texture to a dish but sweetness or acid and distinctive flavor as well. Novel condiments ranging from fresh-fruit salsas to coulis are found under and over meat, poultry and fish entrees. Fruit juices are reduced to glaze consistency and then become part of sauces or substitutes for them. Fruit segments garnish fish, meat and even pasta. In turn, a creative cook can add intrigue to fruit by using unexpected seasonings.
One of the more delightful examples of jazzing up fruit is the Italian trick of grinding fresh pepper on strawberries or raspberries and seasoning the fruit with a little balsamic vinegar. Another compatible combination:
ripe-pear slices, topped with paper-thin slices of sheep`s milk cheese, a drizzle of honey and a light grinding of black pepper.
Cooks have been producing homemade fruit sorbets flavored with any one of an encyclopedia of herbs. The sorbet may be served in a cutout fruit by itself, as part of a salad or in scoops surrounded by sections of citrus fruit. The New York City restaurant Aureole serves a basil sauce over pineapple, the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles tosses fresh berries with minced jalapeno pepper and cilantro. In her book ”Fruit,” Amy Nathan makes an open- face sandwich of country bread topped with garlic mayonnaise, dry Monterey jack cheese, sliced raw pear and toasted almonds.
Here are some other lively contemporary fruit creations.
CROSTINI WITH RICOTTA AND FRUIT TOPPING
Two servings
1 loaf Italian or French bread with a 2- to 3-inch diameter
Extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
1 ripe peach or pear or 3 ripe apricots
4 ounces fresh ricotta (about 1/2 cup)
Fine-quality honey
1. Place enough oil or butter in a large saute pan to lightly coat the bottom and turn the heat to low. Slice four 1/4-inch slices from the bread and fry them on both sides until golden, adding more oil or butter as needed. These can be made in advance and served at room temperature.
2. Peel and pit the fruit and puree in a blender or use a fork to mash it into a puree.
3. Blend together the ricotta and fruit puree until the mixture is smooth. Spread crostini with the ricotta mixture. Drizzle honey over the top and serve.
-From ”Verdura,” by Viana La Place
JOHN ASH`S PERSIMMON, KIWI AND TROPICAL FRUIT SAUCE
Two servings
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1/3 cup Gewurztraminer or other fruity white wine
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 fresh serrano chili pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablesoon passion-fruit syrup or thawed frozen pineapple- or orange-juice
concentrate
1 persimmon, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons whipping cream or half-and-half (optional)
1. Combine shallots and wine in a small saucepan and place over medium heat until reduced by three-fourths to a near-syrup consistency.
2. Add pineapple juice and pepper and reduce by half. Add passion-fruit syrup or concentrate, persimmon and kiwis and simmer until reduced to a light sauce consistency, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cream, if desired.
3. Serve over warm smoked meat or poultry, such as pork or duck.
-From ”American Game Cooking”
MARINATED FIGS AND APRICOTS
Four servings
8 ounces dried black figs
8 ounces dried apricots
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1. Remove and discard stems from the figs.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the figs, apricots, orange juice, lime juice and vanilla. Simmer gently for 7 minutes or until the fruit is just beginning to plump. Remove from the heat, cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Spoon the yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Place over the bowl and allow to drain until thick, about 2 hours.
3. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the maple syrup, nutmeg and lime rind.
4. Serve the fruit with the yogurt mixture.
-From ”The Healing Foods Cookbook”
PAPAYA WITH MINT-TEA SORBET
Four servings
2 cups mellow mint tea
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, cut into julienne strips, plus a few more leaves
for garnish
1 egg white
1 ripe papaya
Mint-flavored cookies of choice+
1. Combine tea, honey and mint leaves. Beat egg white until foamy, then stir into tea mixture. Freeze in an ice cream-maker according to
manufacturer`s directions until set to scooping consistency. Scoop and serve immediately, or hold scoops in freezer until serving time.
2. Peel, seed and slice the papaya.
3. Place 1 large scoop of sorbet in the middle of each plate. Surround with papaya slices, cookies and mint leaves.
+The original recipe calls for making mint crepes and rolling and cutting them into spirals.
-Adapted from ”Fruit,” by Amy Nathan
LEMON-FIG SAUCE
Two servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large or 8 small figs to yield a generous 1/2 cup when chopped
1/2 cup sake
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Grated lemon zest to taste
1. Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add figs and saute for 2 minutes. Add sake and cook uncovered over medium heat until mixture thickens to the consistency to coat a spoon, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in lemon juice. Sprinkle sauce with lemon zest when serving with grilled fish such as trout or snapper or roast pork.
-Adapted from ”Fruit,” by Amy Nathan.
SAUTE PEARS, BERRIES AND KIWIS
Four servings
4 pears, peeled, quartered, seeds removed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cream sherry
2 kiwis, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup raspberries
Creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt (optional)
1. Squeeze lemon juice over cut pears to prevent browning.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet and saute pears, tossing frequently, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and saute an additional 2 minutes. Pour cream sherry into pan and cook at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. 3. Add kiwi slices and raspberries and cook only until heated through.
4. Serve warm fruit and sauce in bowls or soup plates, adding a dollop of optional creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt, if desired.
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Next week: A world of grains
