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A coworker gave me a grapefruit from the Farmer’s Market the other day that she made me promise I would try. Living in Florida you start to get very picky about your citrus. Luckily, this coworker can be counted on to suggest the good stuff. Anyhow, the grapefruit was a Duncan grapefruit and she described it as pleasantly sour though stuffed with seeds. What she didn’t tell me was that this grapefruit has an extremely thick rind, is wonderfully juicy (I ended up saving the juice that developed to drink later), and has a nice floral flavor that you don’t find in most grapefruits (similar to a really good tomato). It turns out the Duncan grapefruit is the oldest cultivated grapefruit variety first planted in 1830 in Safety Harbor, Floirda.

I love grapefruits, really all citrus, but hate to eat them. Cutting them in half and then into tiny sections is just way too much work and I always end up hungrier at the end than when I started. This grapefruit was a gift so I had to use it and I had to use it in a timely manner. Thus, I decided to make something with it where I could cut off the rind and easily slice it into sections. This salad met those criteria and had the added bonus of being Thai-inspired. It turned out better than I expected with just the right amount of spice the twang that I associate with green papaya salad.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 7 ounces rice vermicelli
• 1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews or peanuts
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix the hot red pepper flakes, garlic, brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Let sit (and feel free to make a few days ahead as the flavor will improve). Set a large pot of water to boil. Mix the grapefruit, cashews, mint and cilantro together in a large bowl. When the water boils add the rice noodles and cook 1-5 minutes (depends on their thickness). Drain and rinse under cold water until cool or plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain noodles again then toss with the grapefruit mixture and the dressing.

Yields: 2-4 servings

This yummy korma only takes about 30 minutes to make. The ground cashews in the sauce add a sweet and nutty flavor which is very good. Either fish out the cardamom pods before serving or watch out for them – they are potent if you accidentally bite into one!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lightly salted cashews
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 2 summer squash, cut into half-moons
• 1 1/2 cups cut green beans
• 1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• Salt, to taste

Directions

In a blender grind 1/2 cup of the cashews. Don’t blend for too long or you will get cashew butter instead of ground cashews.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cardamom pods and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes or until golden.

Add ground cashews, squash, green beans, tomato, and garlic. Mix well and cook. After 4 minutes stir in 1/2 cup of water, cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the garam masala and mix well. Then add the vinegar and yogurt. Season with salt.

Serve over hot rice garnished with the extra whole cashews.

Yield: 4 servings

This is a great instruction book for intermediate to advanced cooking techniques. There is a humongous amount of useful information presented and without cooking a single dish you can learn the subtleties of cooking. I like the fact that this book focuses on French techniques with an American flair due to Julia Child’s background. The wonderful pictures step you through difficult techniques like making meringue mushrooms for Bûche de Noël. Additionally, the book is set up so you have Master recipes/techniques with suggestions for variation. For example, Pâte à Génoise (aka Genoise cake batter) is a master recipe that sets the stage for a number of other cakes: The Santa Clara (a 3-layer cake with apricot filling and white mountain frosting), The Cambridge Cake (Genoise layer cake with mocha buttercream frosting, chocolate walls and bow), The Queen of Sheba (a chocolate almond cake), and of course roulades (including Bûche de Noël).

Arepas are a popular breakfast dish in Venezuela and Colombia. They are corn cakes made of precooked cornmeal (I like the white variety). I was introduced to arepas by a friend in college. Her father was from Colombia and her mother would frequently make arepas (and wonderful empanadas). We would eat them with carne mechada (shredded beef) and black beans for dinner. Ed grew up eating arepas with cheese, carne and a side of black beans for breakfast – aka Pabellón Criollo, the traditional Venezuelan breakfast. So obviously they are very versatile and good at any time of the day. Ed says that in Venezuelan people basically treat them as bread making all kinds of sandwiches with arepas – ham & cheese, black beans & onions, shredded pork, etc. So, I present to you our breakfast this morning, Arepas con queso. We used a fresh Latin cheese called Guayanés, however, any fresh white cheese (e.g. Farmer’s cheese) will work. I also like them with cheddar & feta but don’t tell Ed – it is heresy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa de arepa (masarepa)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh white cheese

Directions

Place the masa in a bowl and mix in the salt. Add the water and stir with your hands until the water is absorbed. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth.

Shape into 2″ to 5″ patties (just depends on how big you’d like your arepas) that are about 1/2-inch thick. Cook in a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat until outsides are crisp and the inside is cooked. This will take 10+ minutes.

Serve while hot. Cut each arepa in half and fill with white cheese (or carne, or black beans, or ham, etc.).

Yield: 4 servings

Notes

You can also crumble the cheese into the dough (about 1/2 cup) so it melts while you cook the arepas. These are great filled with beef or beans.

Banana egg rolls may sound strange, however, this is one of the easiest and most impressive desserts. Because egg roll wrappers are similar to pastry they work very well in this dessert. Though the picture shows two egg rolls as a serving you can easily serve just one and people will be plenty satiated.

Ingredients

• 4 egg roll wrappers
• 2 bananas
• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Directions

Cut each banana in half so you have two ~3″ pieces of banana. Place one egg roll wrapper on the counter and turn diagonally so when facing you it looks like a diamond. Center banana in lower half of wrapper and cover with 1 Tablespoon brown sugar. Begin rolling wrapper over banana from the bottom to the top and bring sides towards the middle so the extra dough is in the middle. Continue rolling and lightly wet the end of the wrapper so it will stick together. Repeat with remaining wrappers and banana pieces.

Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When butter melts and begins to foam, add the banana pieces. Brown on all sides until crisp. Remove from pan and serve one banana egg roll with two scoops of ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Yield: 4 reasonable servings or 2 mega-servings