An Apple a Day

Written on May 26, 2009 by Lia Huber

nton-small-iconI tend to have three types of encounters with fruit. One is the almost soundtrack-worthy experience of eating a ripe plum or peach straight from the tree as ambrosial juices dribble down my chin. Another is facing down bowls of shiny apples at a Starbucks thinking “I should eat this,” yet knowing that it’ll be like biting into Styrofoam. The third, when I’m at my local organic market, is akin to browsing the bins at a vintage music shop, feeling the pressure rise as I try to remember what, exactly, I like; some people are naturals in those situations, I’m not.

Needless to say, fruit and I have a complicated relationship and, as a result, I don’t tend to reach for it when my stomach rumbles. But last week, help literally arrived on my doorstep in the form of a box from The FruitGuys. The FruitGuys source local (mostly), organic (when specified) fruit for weekly delivery to offices around the country. For me in California, that translated into a box brimming with oranges large and small, several shades of apples and pears, and even an avocado. And I’ve got to tell you; I’ve eaten a lot of fruit this past week. Happily.

I’m finding a lot of my new-found enjoyment has to do with seasonality and curiosity. When a fruit is grown locally, it’s picked at the peak of its flavor; its purpose in life is more about titillating your tastebuds than surviving a cross-continent trek and you can tell as soon as you bite into it. I also find that when I approach fruit from a place of curiosity, it’s not such a big deal if I don’t remember the details the next time around. Fruit is sort of like wine in that way; part of the pleasure comes from the trying and retrying itself.

But the best thing is . . . now I actually look forward to raiding the fruit drawer.

This week, join me in eating at least one piece of fruit a day–preferably seasonal–whether in a salad, from the fruit drawer, or even plucked straight from the tree. And yes, the strawberries in the crostata count.

Categories : Mindful Meals, Sound Nutrition

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crostata

One of my mom’s springtime standards is strawberry-rhubarb pie. Here’s my take in a rustic crostata. In any form, rhubarb’s tart taste is a perfect foil to sweet strawberries.

strawberry-crostata-recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening (like Spectrum Organic)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup ice water, as needed
1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch chunks with any ‘stringiness’ peeled off and discarded
1 pint strawberries, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Pulse together flour, salt, sugar and vanilla in a food processor. Pulse in shortening and butter, adding ice water by tablespoons as needed, until mixture comes together and there are still a few lumps of butter. Form dough into a ball, then flatten into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle (dough should be between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thick) on parchment paper.

Mix together rhubarb through vanilla and mound on dough, leaving a one-inch border along the edge. Fold up the edge and crimp as you go along so that the edges stay up and are well-secured. Ease crostata, still on the parchment paper, onto a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, removing the parchment paper after the first 15 minutes. Dough should be golden brown and the fruit bubbly and syrupy. Let cool before serving.

Serves 8