Mamey Colada Mousse Pie

 

 

Being a "foodie" I am always game to try new things.  When I go to ethnic markets I will browse all the aisles and look for new and interesting ingredients to cook with. Sometimes that works out and sometimes not...  Fruits and vegetables are always fun to bring home to try. 







This fruit is ripe.  You can see that it is soft and a bit wrinkled and flat on top where it was sitting on the counter.



Here is the inside of the ripe Mamey.  It is bright orange and very sweet. 

 

This past week I was given the opportunity to try a wonderful fruit!  J&C Tropicals sent me a box containing Mamey.  Quite frankly when you look at this fruit you would probably not think that inside the rough exterior is this really phenomenal rich, sweet orange fruit.  In order to get more insight on this fruit the first thing I did was call my very good friend who owns a Cuban restaurant.  I asked her if she eats Mamey.  Apparently I was pronouncing it wrong because she said what? I finally showed her what I was talking about and she said ah, Mah-May.  Not May-May.  So that is how you pronounce it.  She told me her family loves it in smoothies. 

I had everyone in my family try a piece plain.  The flavor reminds me at once of pumpkin and papaya yet much denser and sweeter than either.  I started adding it to smoothies with strawberries and bananas and they were delicious.   The next thing I wanted to make was a pie.  Something tropical.  Out of that thought came this pie.  It is so good.  It hits on all the tropical flavors with the coconut and pineapple combined with the Mamey.  It actually came out very light and refreshing.  Just the thing for dessert by the pool on a hot summer day....

My next post will be the Mamey Tea Bread I made.  It came out so good.  Perfect with a morning cup of café con leche.  Finally, I went on Pinterest and searched for  Mamey.  While most of those posts were in Spanish I recognized one.  It was for the classic Libby's pumpkin roll only made with Mamey instead.  MMMM.  Indeed now that I have tried Mamey I am inclined to use it in all my pumpkin recipes instead of pumpkin.  It is richer and has so much more depth of flavor.  It is in season during the summer months so look for it in the specialty produce aisles and give it a try.  I have spotted it recently at my produce market.  I also read that the puree is sold frozen in Hispanic markets so I will be on the lookout for that during the holidays for my pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie.  By the way, the fruit is ripe when it becomes very soft and a little wrinkly.  When you bring it home from the market let it sit on the counter until it is soft and the side sitting on the counter is flat.  Okay, now on to the recipe.

Mamey Colada Mousse Pie

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker pie crust (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup canned pineapple juice
1 packet plain gelatin
1 package coconut cream instant pudding & pie filling
1 cup milk
2 cups Mamey puree
1 8oz container cool whip

1.  Heat the pineapple juice to a simmer.  Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin.  Stir until the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved.  Set aside to cool.
2.  Beat the pudding mix with the milk until starting to thicken.  Mix in the Mamey puree and the pineapple juice.  Blend thoroughly.
3.  Fold in 1/2 of the container of cool whip until blended.  Pour into the pie crust.  Cover and refrigerate at least four hours.
4.  Serve topped with remaining cool whip. 

Enjoy! 

Kale and Chickpea Salad

 

 

This is one of my favorite salads!  It is just so good.  I can live on this.  Just give it to me for lunch and dinner and I am good to go.

Indeed, I am catering a party for a friend in a few weeks and have been having her over for tastings.  When she tasted this salad she said it must definitely be on the menu.  She took the leftovers home and her whole family agreed with her.  So it is not just me.  And just forget that this is really good for you.  It is great tasting too.  And did I mention that it should really be made in advance?  Making it several hours or a day ahead allows the kale to tenderize and mellow out.  I should warn you though, make a lot because even though it can and should be made in advance, it is still really good right away.  Thus if you do not make enough you will not have any for later.....

By the way, I make it with bulgur wheat but you can also use quinoa.  I used quinoa when my friend visited.  She has celiac thus is gluten intolerant and the salad tasted great.  So good in fact that she ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!


Kale and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

 

Finely chiffonade the kale

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fine bulgur wheat
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 bunch kale (mine weighed 9 ounces before trimming)
1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (green and white portions)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh mint leaves
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt

1.  Put the bulgur and the 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.  Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over top and set aside.  Put the chickpeas in a colander and rinse well and set aside to drain.
2.  Rinse kale well and remove tough stems.  Spin in a salad spinner to dry well.  Grab a handful of kale at a time and finely chiffonade it.  Add it to the bowl with the bulgur.  Add the chopped parsley, green onions, mint, garlic, tomato and chickpeas.  Stir and mix well pulling the bulgur from the bottom of the bowl.
3.  Make the dressing.  In a small bowl whisk together the lemon rind, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, pepper and garlic salt.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Refrigerate several hours or overnight until ready to serve.

Enjoy

Roasted Artichokes with Roasted Garlic Butter

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the final day of the Southeast Produce Council's Southern Exposure Conference.  About 200 companies set up exhibits of their products.  This means row upon row of the finest fruits and vegetables you have ever seen.  It really is amazing.

One of my favorite companies was there: Ocean Mist Farms.  They grow one of my all time favorite vegetables - artichokes.  Indeed I have been a member of their Artichoke Club for years.  Every month they send you tips on preparing artichokes and an opportunity to win a case of them.  You can check them out here:  http://www.oceanmist.com/

Yesterday I got a wonderful surprise in the mail from one of the representatives I met.  A case of their wonderful Heirloom Artichokes direct from Castroville, CA.  I plan to try several different preparations and began today with these Roasted Artichokes with Roasted Garlic Butter.  The roasting caramelized the artichokes giving them a deep rich flavor.  I served them as an appetizer.

Remove the choke.  It is not hard!

 

 

 

Put garlic where the choke used to be.  It will roast right along with the artichoke.

 

 

 

Ingredients: 

1/2 to 1 whole artichoke per person
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 peeled clove of garlic per artichoke half
1 tablespoon butter per artichoke half

Preheat Oven to 450.

1.  Trim about 1/2 inch off the stem end of the artichoke.  Place it stem side up on the cutting board and cut it in half.  Immediately brush the cut side with lemon juice using a pastry brush.
2.  Use a pairing knife to cut right under the fuzzy choke then scoop it out with a spoon. Brush again with lemon juice.
3.  Brush the artichokes all over with olive oil and season with salt.  Place a garlic clove in the cavity where the choke was.
4.  Making sure the garlic stays in place put the artichokes cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Roast for 15 minutes.
5.  Turn the artichokes cut side up, keeping the garlic in place and roast for another 15 minutes.
6.  Turn them a final time and continue roasting until done.  Another 10 minutes or so.

To serve, melt the butter.  Have each person mash their garlic clove in their butter dish and then divide the butter evenly among the dishes.  Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!