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Fruity
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London
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Fruity And Fabulous

A few simple touches can make your meals exotic.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

resh fruit and your favorite foods are
paired for great tastes.
What we choose to do with foods and
ingredients, and how we combine them,
is what broadens our repertoire and opens us up to
learning how to enjoy new flavors.
Think of the exotic fruits you see, often arranged
like museum exhibits, in nearly untouched displays
at the fruit market. We envy the people who pick
them up, smell them and squeeze them, and then
drop them casually into their grocery carts.
While it's true that some fruits, indeed many
foods, seem extra-terrestrial to the uninitiated, there
is certainly no reason we shouldn't attempt to
include them in some of our favorite recipes.
We're accustomed to savory entrees: chickens
rubbed with sage and rosemary, beef with onions
and garlic. But as Americans are changing their food
preferences, sweeter foods are becoming ever more
popular. The good news is that we're looking more
to natural sweetness, such as that in fruit, to add the
flavors we crave without adding the obvious sugar.
Asian pears and chicken, Cornish hens with tropi-
cal salsa, beef marinated with citrus peel, juice and
flavored vinegar, a salad with passion fruit dressing
that's exotic yet familiar, imparts wholesome, spring-
like lightness to otherwise heavy or ordinary meals.

Berries, fruits, delicious entrees and desserts are
partners in these fresh ideas for inventive seasonal
recipes you can make for everyday or when compa-
ny's coming. In fact, even the most dilettante of
your guests will enjoy these flavors.

RASPBERRY MACADAMIA CHICKEN
Light, refreshing and very sophisticated; Asian pears
have a crisp texture, a round shape, and a sweet and
floral aroma that's quite unlike that of the more
familiar , buttery, "pear-shaped" pear.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2
pounds)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 T. raspberry vinegar
1 T. honey
2 t. Dijon mustard
grated peel of 1 orange
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. fresh tarragon leaves
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups diced, peeled Asian pears
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
Trim fat from chicken breasts. Dredge the chicken
in the flour and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown the chicken on all sides. Pour the broth, wine

and vinegar over the chicken and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook the chicken for 10
minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set
aside.
Whisk in the honey, mustard, orange peel, garlic
and tarragon leaves. Whisk in the salt and pepper to
taste. Transfer the chicken back into the pan and
sprinkle the pears and macadamia nuts over and
around the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes more and
serve the breasts with sauce spooned over. Makes 6
servings.

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH GRILLED
CHICKEN AND PASSION FRUIT
Dressing:
2 passion fruits
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. Dijon mustard or other grainy mustard
1 T. minced fresh gingerroot
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. dried parsley
Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2
pounds
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
16 cups mixed salad greens or about 1 pound
1/2 cup chopped celery

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2003

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