Freaky Fruits and Spooky Sauces

Does everyone know that it’s Freaky Fruit season? I know NOW. I did NOT know this tasty tidbit until my friends over at Melissa’s Produce (who know this kind of stuff; see this article) sent over a box of this season’s freakies (<–is that a word?) and set out the challenge of “What spooky things would you make with these freaky fruits?”

They probably worded it differently, but that’s what I heard. (Shut up. I know.)

 

So, I said, “Bring it! I’m totally up for this challenge.” Which totally dated me because all the cool kids these days are down for things, but that’s not important right now.

 

So I received this box of beautiful and pretty exotic looking fruits from Melissa’s Produce.

 

 

Aren’t they amazingly gorgeous?

Let me tell you what you’re looking at here starting from the top and going clockwise:

In the interest of full disclosure: No one in our house got 100% on “Name The Stuff In The Fruit Bowl” part of the challenge.

So we sat and stared at this bowl of colorful, gorgeous, and admittedly freaky, fruit wondering what to do with it.

 

I’m basically confessing that I didn’t have much of a clue as to how to get going on this challenge.

 

Amy was the one who helped me unpack it. “You rock at sauces. What about some sort of spooky sauces?”

 

Ladies and gentlemen, For Your Consideration, I humbly submit Marta’s Spooky Sauces. (See what I did there?) Because Halloween Challenge.

Combine the melon pulp, lime juice, green onion, oil, cumin and garlic in a blender or food processor container. Cover and process until well blended.

 

Pour over your favorite beef. Ours happens to be tri tip made via sous vide and quickly grilled to sear in that lovely crust.

 

 

And because I had all of this fabulous fruit, I went ahead and made another sauce. A superbly easy and delicious sauce for my pound cake. Because I could.

 

 

Also, while I’m admitting to all the things I DIDN’T know about these exotic fruits, I honestly did not know that blood oranges had such a mild, non-acidic flavor.

But that totally worked in my favor and the Blood Orange Glaze was a wonderful showstopper at the end of this meal.

 

Many thanks to my daughter, Amy and her quick thinking (and invaluable help) I feel like we rose up to this challenge pretty spectacularly. Also, she put it all together while I bossed her around and just took photos. So there’s that.

 

 

Or, as we say in “good Cuban,” RESOLVIMOS! Ya tu sabes.

 

INGREDIENTS FOR POUND CAKE:

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
2. Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, along with the milk and vanilla extract.
4. In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and beat on low speed until well mixed (about 30 seconds). Cut the butter into pieces and add to the dry ingredients, along with half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining egg mixture, in two additions, beating well after each addition (about 30 seconds) to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake’s structure.  
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Rotate your loaf pan about halfway through baking. (The cake will crack down the center.) If you find the cake browning too much as it bakes, cover with a piece of lightly buttered foil.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

The Pound Cake can be covered and stored for several days at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months. Makes one loaf.

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 1-2 Tbsp. fresh blood orange juice
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar