Apples
The apple arrived in Western Europe in about 600BC and may have been eaten as far back as the Stone Age. It was called Abbell by the Celts and it is believed this is where its name originates. The range of apples available in the European supermarket shelf has increased dramatically in recent times with exciting new varieties emerging on an annual basis. Exciting new varieties like Pink Lady are now vying for popularity with established favourites like Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples.
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Selection
Choose bright, firm sweet smelling apples with no wrinkles or bruises and a good blush to them if red.
Preparation
Always store apples in a cool place as they begin to develop a woolly texture if kept in a warm environment. To prevent discolouration when preparing apples, brush the cut surfaces with a little lemon juice. To prepare, either peel with a knife or potato peeler to remove the skin if needed and core, using an apple corer, or quarter and cut the core out of the slice, dice etc. To freeze, prepare as above and cut into slices or chunks. Place on baking tray, freeze, then place into freezer bags or layer with a little sugar in freezer boxes.
Culinary uses
Crisp dessert apples stand up very well to cooking. If the apples are hollowed, they make a good container for many festive sauces e.g. cranberry and can be used to go around the Christmas turkey as edible garnish or stuffed with mincement or dried fruit and baked as a desert. They can also be used sliced, cut into chunks, pureed in sponge dishes and other desserts. They may be grated raw onto salad or breakfast muesli. Also very good with savoury dishes like apple and chicken gratin, as sweet/savoury fillings for pancakes, with fish (especially herrings) and with pork. Apples, of course are a very popular ingredient in fresh fruit smoothies. Cooking apples are excellent for pies and sauces as they have a much sharper taste.
Nutritional Information
Apples contain 46 calories per 100g raw, as well as dietary fibre, potassium and other minerals, vitamins A and C.
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Apricots
Apricot cultivation began in China around 4,000 years ago, where the apricot grew wild around Peking, then it went to the Middle East. Alexander the Great called apricots the “plums of Armenia.” The name apricot comes from the Aram word “barocq” which dates back to the Latin word meaning “that which ripens quickly.” The Arabs carried the apricot throughout the Mediterranean, particularly to southern Spain, where they remain a significant crop to this day.
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Selection
Choose apricots that look fresh and have a healthy blush to them, with no brown markings, broken or dented skin. Also avoid any with a greenish tinge, as they are unlikely to ripen once bought. Cosnume within two days of purchase.
Preparation
Hard fruit will ripen to full flavour when kept for 1-2 days at room temperature. If freezing apricots remove skins by plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds then plunging into cold. Cook and freeze the fruit either whole or as a puree. To halve, slice through the centre around the stone and gently pull apart and tease the stone out.
Culinary Use
Ripe apricots are an excellent dessert fruit, delicious when used with cream cheese in a salad or as part of a fruit compote. Less perfect apricots are best poached in syrup or used in tartlets, purees, chutney’s or as a topping for cheese cakes and flans. In savoury dishes, apricots go well with chick peas and white beans and are good as a sauce with a savoury nut loaf. Apricot jam can be used warmed and sieved as a glaze for tartlets and other fruit dishes and is used to stick almond paste on fruit cakes.
Nutritional Information
Apricots contain 28 calories per 100g raw. They are also a good source of vitamin A and some minerals.
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Avocado
Avocadoes have been known for many centuries. The Aztecs took seedlings to Mexico during the 13th and 14th centuries and the Inca’s introduced the plant to Peru between 1450 and 1475. Between 1601-1650 it was introduced to Jamaica and Southern Spain. It is now grown worldwide in the tropics and sub-tropics. Just a few years ago avocadoes were regarded as an expensive, gourmet exotic fruit, whereas nowadays they are very much perceived to be a fresh produce mainstream crop.
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Selection
Ripe avocados yield slightly to gentle pressure. If they are too soft it means they are over-ripe. Avoid any bruised avocados as they will have blackened flesh.
Preparation
If the avocado is under-ripe, wrap in a brown paper bag and leave in a warm place like an airing cupboard until ripened, which usually takes 2 to 3 days. To prepare, cut in length halfways around the stone and twist apart. Take out the stone. For pulp, purees and sauces, scrape out the flesh with a spoon an sue. Always add a little lemon juice to the flesh to prevent discolouration.
Culinary Use
Although a fruit, avocados are best enjoyed as a savoury dish. They are ideal served with a vinaigrette dressing, or sliced/diced in salads. They are also good in sauces, soups, dips, mousses and in sandwiches with prawns. Avocado halves can be topped with savoury fillings like sour cream, cheese, chopped onion, prawns, mayonnaise and crab meat. Guacamole, of course is now a world-wide dish.
Nutritional Information
Contains 223 calories per 100g. Avocados also have a very high protein content, the B complex vitamins as well as vitamin E and minerals. Avocados have low carbohydrate levels and no cholesterol.
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Bananas
Arguably the most popular global fruit is the not so humble banana. The fruit originated in the Far East and spread to India, Africa and the Caribbean. Its name derives from the Arabic word for “finger.” Now widely produced in the West Indies, Spain and Central America, they were first shipped to Western Europe in the 1860’s in very small quantities. They are popular for their natural sweetness and are perfect as a snack, particularly for children.
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Selection
Normally picked and shipped green, they are ripened and sold in varying stages of ripeness. A banana is fully ripe when it is yellow with brown speckles appear on the skin. The flesh becomes sweeter as it matures, with starches converting to sugars. If required for cooking, choose under-ripe bananas as they slice more easily and can be stored for longer periods. Bananas dislike the cold so never store them in the fridge!
Preparation
Best eaten raw, bananas discolour very easily and to prevent this, you can sprinkle them with a little lemon juice. They can be sliced lengthways for banana splits or crossways for toppings. They can also be pureed and added to many dishes as a flavouring. Bananas, of course are a very popular ingredient in fresh fruit smoothies.
Culinary Use
Bananas are both healthy and delicious and can be used in a variety of dishes both sweet and savoury. They can be used in mousses, ice-creams or milk shakes or for savoury dishes like rissotto’s, chicken and fish dishes. They also make a delicious addition to cereals (a great step towards 5 A day) and can be flambéed, baked, barbequed and included in puddings and as an accompaniment to curries.
Nutritional Information
Bananas contain 79 calories per 100g. They are low in sodium content and very high in potassium. They contain vitamins B1, B2, B6 and Vitamin A and C. They also contain dietary fibre.
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Cherries
There are two main kinds of fresh cherries, sweet and sour – sweet being the most common. It is certain that the sweet cherry was known and cultivated in Egypt about 600–700 BC. The origination of the sour cherry is unknown. During the Middle Ages, cherry cultivation became very popular – the French King Charles V planted over 1,000 trees in his palace garden because he loved the fruit so much. In the 15th and 16th centuries cherries were used for their medicinal purposes. Cherry kernels (which contain prussic acid) were usually included in medicine cabinets, or “confection boxes” as they were commonly known in those days.
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Selection
Check that the cherries have been kept dry and are not split or bruised. Choose ones that are plump and glossy. They should also have a defined colour, either red or black, with their stems on.
Preparation
To store, loosely wrap in an aerated polythene bag and keep in a refrigerator for 1–2 days. If the bag has no holes, the cherries will sweat and deteriorate. To remove the stones, use a cherry stoner, an inexpensive gadget that can also be used for pitting olives.
Culinary Use
Cherries are best eaten fresh and make a delicious addition to a fruit salad. They can be poached for compote or used in chilled soups or tarts. Cherries are the essential ingredient in the Black Forrest Gateau. When used for jam making it is aesthetically correct to leave the stones in as they impart an almond flavour to the jam. Cherries are often used in poultry dishes, especially in France for duck, where they also serve picked cherries as hors d’oeuvre.
Nutritional Information
Cherries contain 47 calories per 100g raw. They contain minerals as well as traces of dietary fibre and Vitamin A.
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Coconuts
The coconut palm is considered to be the “king” of plants in tropical and sub tropical regions by the local inhabitants. It takes 6 months to grow and 1 year to ripen. As the major commercial palm of the Tropics, it is arguably the greatest money spinning crop in the world. The outer husk fibre or “coir” is widely used in ropes and matting while leaves and trunk provide local construction material.
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Selection
It is best to shake coconuts to check there is liquid inside. Avoid any that do not seem to have any liquid or which have mildew around the eyes. The shell should be dry with no dampness. Discard cracked coconuts.
Preparation
“Sound” coconuts will keep for several weeks but once cracked or opened should be used at once. To open pierce the soft eye with a skewer and drain the sweet juice into a jug. Then hold the nut in one hand and with a hammer or back of a heavy chopper, hit firmly all around the middle of the nut. When a crack appears, insert a knife and prize open. Coconut flesh can then be cut or grated from the shell. Grated coconut can keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To make coconut milk place the flesh of the coconut in a blender with two cups of milk or water and blend until completely pulverised. Strain and repeat then combine the 2 made milks.
Culinary Use
In Eastern dishes coconut and coconut milk is used in poultry, fish and shellfish preparations. Indian, Thai and Indonesian foods and curries use the milk to thicken and flavour and it is also used in shrimp and Hawaiian chicken curries. In Malaysian cooking it is used in fudge, cookies, cakes, toffee, fruit cocktails, baked apples and baked coconut chips and in sweet breads, rice puddings and soups in America and the Caribbean.
Nutritional Information
Coconut contains 320 calories per 100g. It is rich in fats and iron but low in vitamins. Only 2% of the oil is polyunsaturated.
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Cranberries
The Red Indians in America used to give gifts of fresh cranberries to the pilgrim families. The settlers soon discovered that, when cooked, these small berries made a delicious sauce, which became a traditional feature of the American Thanksgiving feasts and more recently European Christmas meals. Cranberries are not picked like other soft fruit as they grow on vines in flooded, marshy land. Instead, when it comes time to harvest the fruit a high mechanical machine with paddles whips up the water, which in turn dislodges the fruit. The fruit floats to the surface then the cranberries are gathered by another machine. The name cranberry is thought to come from three facts related to the crane- the flower resembles the head of a crane, the birds enjoy feeding on the berries and cranes live on similarly marshy land to that on which cranberries are grown.
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Selection
Choose plump, dry berries – a good test, if dropped the berries “bounce” and won’t damage (this is why they are sometimes called “bounce berries”). The fruit should be brilliant red in colour and the size of small seedless grapes. Buy in punnets or in sealed see–through packaging.
Preparation
Fresh cranberries keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or more. They are extremely tart if eaten raw so cook with a little sugar to taste.
Culinary Use
Cranberries make wonderful jellies and preserves. Cranberry sauce or jelly is an ideal complement to rich cooked meats. Use in sweet or savoury pies, tarts, stuffings, ices or make into a refreshing fruit drink for hot and cold punches.
Nutritional Information
Cranberries contain about 15 calories per 100g, carbohydrates and Vitamins A and B.
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Dates
Dates have the ability to grow in very testing conditions, which has made them a staple food substance in Arabian countries. There are over 350 recognised varieties and their origin dates back 5,000 years. It is thought they originated in either Western India or the Persian Gulf. The European names come from the Latin name which means the finger-sprouting palm. Natural dates also have laxative and aphrodisiac properties.
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Selection
Natural dates are plump, shiny and dark brown in colour. Dried dates should look plum and shiny. Always check pitted dates as a stone or woody stem could still be there.
Preparation
Natural dates can be kept in a refrigerator for several days. To stone, push the stone through one end and out the other. To peel, remove the stem and pinch one end and squeeze the flesh out the other end.
Culinary Use
Traditionally dates are candied, boxed and eaten at Christmas. They are excellent for puddings, cakes, and chutneys and can also be stuffed with flavoured cream cheese, bacon and meats. In Indian chutneys, dates are combined with limes of mangoes.
Nutritional Information
Dried dates contain 248 calories per 100g and contain iron and potassium but have very little vitamin content.
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Figs
A native of Western Asia, figs spread at an early date to India and China. Mentioned in references in the Bible, they were well established in biblical times and later appeared in the Mediterranean being enjoyed by both the Greeks and Romans who prized them for their supposed aphrodisiac properties. There are many varieties, some pear shaped, some flat or oval. They can be green or black.
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Selection
Fresh figs are exported from Mediterranean countries. When rupe they are soft to touch and the skin, either red, white, yellow or purple has a bloom. If to be eaten immediately, choose plump, soft fruits. Ripe figs are highly perishable but can be stored in the refrigerator for 1–2 days.
Preparation
Fresh figs are totally unlike the dried variety which are very sweet and have tougher skins and more gritty seeds. They are at their best eaten on their own but can be used in a variety of ways. The skin is edible but can be peeled off with a sharp knife, if desired. They can be sliced and attractively arranged or the top cut off and filled.
Culinary Use
The juicy pulp is sweet and heavily seeded. Cooking should be kept to a minimum to preserve the shape of the fruit. With its distinctive flavour, the fig does not lend itself to fruit salad, but is at its best on its own with cream or nuts or stuffed with a combination of cream or cottage cheese and nuts. They can also be served with Parma Ham, cooked meats and salmon. Spice can be added to make pickles and figs can also be baked, or preserved. Dried figs are used extensively in confectionery and bakery. They can be frozen peeled or unpeeled.
Nutritional Information
Figs contain 41 calories per 100g. They are a good source of iron and potassium and some dietary fibre.
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Gooseberries
The plant is a native of Europe and North Africa and the wild gooseberry used to grow persistently in gardens during Tudor times. Since then its flavour and size have steadily improved. The Elizabethans served cooked gooseberries as an accompaniment with roast and savoury sauces and in sweet tarts, puddings and fools. During the 19th century gooseberry growing was very popular especially in England and special “gooseberry” clubs were formed. Special gooseberry weighing machines were made for competitions to calculate the weight of one berry.
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Selection
There is a wide selection of gooseberries to choose from – round or long, hairy or smooth, dessert or culinary, coming in a variety of colours including green, yellow and red. The yellow ones are larger and sweeter and are ideal for eating raw, whilst the green ones have a wonderful taste for cooking.
Preparation
Discard bruised or damaged fruit. Remove tops and tails with kitchen scissors or with a knife. Wash and drain thoroughly before using.
Culinary Use
Poach gently whole in a syrup. Elder flower added to the poaching fruit is especially good, giving a Muscat flavour. Use cooked, pureed fruit in fools, mousses, ice-creams, gooseberry curd etc. Use in pies, open tarts and crumbles.
Nutritional Information
Gooseberries contain 17 calories per 100g. They contain Vitamin D, C and A.
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Grapes
The grape is an ancient fruit cultivated by the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. The Romans planted them on the Rhine in the second century AD then they took them to Gaul and France. The Romans first reduced the grape to a syrup to use as a sugar substitute in cooking, some of which fermented and was discovered to be an interesting drink with a subtle flavour and a strong effect. In other words- wine!
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Selection
When buying grapes, make sure there are no bruised or discoloured ones on the bunch. Buy them “little and often”, since because of their natural “cluster” grapes tend to put pressure on one another which cause bruising if left for long periods of time.
Preparation
Grapes should be washed, halved and pips removed if necessary. To skin grapes, prick each end, place in hot water for 45 seconds, plunge into cold water, then peel. Store in a cool dark place (e.g. crisp draw or fridge) and consume within 2–3 days of purchase.
Culinary Use
Black grapes make a pretty garnish for savoury dishes- use small bunches of them in place of watercress, on fish or chicken dishes, or as a topping or garnish for cheese flan, sweet or savoury and for open sandwiches. Sultana grapes are good for preserves, e.g. grape jelly as an alternative to redcurrant jelly. White and black grapes are the best fruits to eat with soft cheese like Brie and Camembert as well as hard cheeses. Small seedless grapes make a good garnish for white fish and trout. Grapes can also be used in fruit salads, salads or just eaten on their own marinated in white wine.
Nutritional Information
Grapes on average contain 60 calories per 100g as well as containing iron, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and a fairly rich source of Vitamin C.
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Grapefruit
Grapefruit are imported into Europe from hot countries such as Brazil, Cyprus, Jamaica, Morocco and South Africa where they have been cultivated for hundreds of years (in addition to European production, most notably in Spain). During the 18th century, grapefruits were known as the “forbidden fruit” by merchants trading in the West Indies which is why they are still sometimes known as Citrus Paradisi. The pink variety appeared on the European market at the beginning of the 1970’s. These are a sweeter variety than the white fleshed fruit and have become extremely popular.
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Selection
To choose grapefruit, choose ones which are heavy, indicating they are full of juice. A spongy soft skin often indicates thick peel and small fruit inside.
Varieties
Marsh Seedless: The principle white-fleshed grapefruit produced world-wide.
Rose, Red Blush, Ruby Red: Pink segmented varieties similar to Marsh quality–wise but flesh varies from very pale to pink.
Star Ruby: Very dark pink to wine red pigmented flesh of good eating quality.
Preparation
For squeezing, grapefruits are best left unchilled, as refrigeration hardens the flesh. To serve immediately, slice in half and loosen each segment individually. To segment, slice off the top and bottom, peel and cut the segments out from in between the membrane.
Culinary Use
The tangy flavour of grapefruit blends well with many savoury flavours, poultry, game, soft cheese and some fish, especially the oily ones; trout, mackerel or herring as their sharpness offsets the richness of the fish. Grapefruits are ideal to use in salads and their zest can be included in a tangy vinaigrette dressing. They are also a good stand by starter, cut in half, grilled, with a little brown sugar, or served chilled for breakfast.
Nutritional Information
A grapefruit contains 22 calories per 100g and with Vitamin C it also has a low sodium/high potassium ration which is good for sufferers of high blood pressure.
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