Use French tarragon fresh whole or ground with fish and shellfish, chicken, eggs, salad greens, or tomatoes. French tarragon has a spicy anise flavor with a basil note and a sweet aftertaste. Its leaves hint of pine and licorice. The flavor of French tarragon diffuses quickly in dishes so it is best used sparingly. Add […] More
The jujube is about the size of an olive or small date and has the texture and crisp, sprightly flavor of an apple. You can eat the jujube fresh out of hand or you can enjoy it dried—a favorite in China—or preserved in syrup—a favorite also in China and in Korea. The jujube can also […] More
Serve figs sliced and drizzled with milk or cream, perhaps add a dusting of sugar. For a blend of sweet and savory, wrap fig slices in prosciutto, also thinly sliced. Ripe figs are intensely sweet. Some say the fig is the sweetest of all fruit. That’s probably true. Figs were commonly used as a sweetener […] More
What would you think of a creamy, custard-like fruit that tastes like a combination of banana, mango, pineapple, melon, and berries? The pawpaw—which is a native North American tree fruit—is just such a fruit. Sounds tropical, but the pawpaw is a temperate—meaning not tropical—tree that is native to the Mississippi Valley, a swath of the […] More
Trying to cut back on salt and pepper? Try savory. There are two varieties of the herb called savory to choose from: summer savory—a fast-growing annual plant, and winter savory—a shrubby perennial. Both savories have a bit of a peppery bite. Summer savory has a flavor reminiscent of thyme, mint, and marjoram. It is more […] More
Table grapes are most popular for eating out of hand, but they can also be added to fruit salads or compotes and desserts on the savory side added to green salads, sauces, curries, stews, and stuffing, or served alongside poultry, fish, and seafood, and wild game. Grapes can be broadly categorized as either table grapes […] More
The cherimoya is nothing less than a tropical dessert on the half shell. It has a tasty pineapple-papaya-banana-pear flavored treat that deserves its aliases “custard apple” and “sherbet fruit”. The cherimoya’s flesh is juicy and creamy custardy. The cherimoya is an odd-looking fruit. You would never guess what is inside. It is irregularly oval in […] More
Cooked quince has a sweet, delicate musky aroma with a flavor somewhere between an apple and a pear. Quince is often used in jams, jellies, and preserves. You can also use quince in cobblers or tarts or add it cubed to beef stew or roast poultry. The quince is not good to eat raw. Give […] More
The guava is a large plum-sized tropical fruit with yellow, red, or purple-black skin. Guava can be round or pear-shaped and look a bit like a quince. The guava stands 2 to 3 inches tall. Its sweet, aromatic flesh can be yellow or bright pink, or red and is moist and sometimes embedded with small, […] More
Fannie Farmer’s cookbook has been around since 1896. It gets to the essence of mango preparation when it suggests: “Cut in half lengthwise and remove the stone. Eat with a spoon.” The mango—many would say–is the world’s most delicious fruit. Its delicate flavor is a cross between a pear and an apricot. Or is that […] More
Apriums are juicy, sweet eating out of hand. An aprium is a hybrid fruit—¾ apricot and ¼ plum. The aprium is bright orange on the outside with just a hint of skin fuzz. Its bright orange flesh is dense and surrounds a stone similar to an apricot’s. The aprium is about the size of a […] More
The flesh of the pineapple is sweet and juicy and is best eaten raw in slices, wedges, or cubes. Pineapple harvest season The peak season for pineapple is late spring to mid-summer. How to choose pineapple Select a pineapple that is plump, large, heavy for its size, and slightly soft to the touch, with fresh […] More
Stephen Albert