Serves: 5

Tips for Fruit

The array of fresh fruit available year-round is truly amazing--from familiar apple varieties to exotic ugli fruit. But you’ll find most fruits at the best price and flavor when they’re in season.
- Look for fruit that doesn’t have bumps or bruises. Unfortunately, there isn’t one rule for determining if fruit is ripe--it varies from fruit to fruit. A pear is ripe if it gives slightly when pressed near the stem. Some fruit, such as blackberries, cherries, grapes, pine-apples and watermelon, don’t ripen any more after they’ve been picked. Other fruit, including peaches, cantaloupe and blueberries, ripen in color, texture and juiciness after picking, and kiwifruit, pears and papayas ripen in flavor, too.
- Whole or cut up, fruit by itself makes a simple dessert, especially when paired with a selection of cheeses. Of course, fruit also can be used in toppings and baked into a delicious variety of desserts.
- If a fresh fruit isn’t available or in season, canned or frozen fruits can be substituted in many recipes.

Tropical and Specialty Fruits Glossary

Apples:
- Crab Apple: This small red apple, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, has a sweet-sour taste. Peak season is November to December. Select fruit that has a pleasant aroma and no bruises. Crab apples are served cooked, not raw.
- Lady Apple: An apple the size of a table-tennis ball that is red to yellow in color. Fruit has a smooth, firm surface and a sweet-tart taste. Peak season is November to December. Select fruit without bruises serve raw or cooked.

Asian Pear: Over 100 varieties exist of this crunchy, sweet and very juicy fruit that has the texture of a pear and the crispness of an apple. Ranges from large and golden brown to tiny and yellow-green. Peak season is late summer through early fall. Fruit is sold ripe store in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

Babáco: Resembling a star when cut crosswise, this extremely juicy five-sided fruit is related to the papaya, often being called "mountain papaya." Peak season is usually October through November. When mature, the fruit is soft with golden yellow skin and has the aroma of strawberries, pineapples and papayas. Use within 1 or 2 days.

Baby Kiwi: Bite-size berries are the size of grapes with smooth green skin and no fuzz. Flesh is sweet, soft and creamy and contains edible tiny black seeds. Limited season from early to mid autumn. Fruit is delicate refrigerate up to 3 days.

Bananas/Plantains:
- Burro Banana: Squat and square in shape, this banana has a tangy lemon-banana flavor. Available year-round. When ripe, the peel is yellow with black spots and the flesh is creamy.
- Ice Cream Banana (Blue Java): This banana resembles a burro banana but has a very creamy taste and texture that is said to melt in your mouth like ice cream. Peak season is during the summer months. When unripe, the skins have a bluish cast to them. When ripe, the skin turns yellow and the fruit yields to gentle pressure.
- Manzano: Short and chubby in shape, this banana has a mild flavor combination of apples and strawberries. Available year-round. When peel is fully black, manzanos are at their peak flavor.
- Niño: Another short, chubby banana, this one has a rich, sweet flavor and a soft, creamy texture. Available year-round. Ripe niños are yellow with some black spots.
- Plantain: Large and long with thick skin and pointed ends, this fruit is most often served as a vegetable because of its lower sugar content. Available year-round. Cooked when the skin is green, the fruit is starchy with no banana taste cooked when the skin is yellow or brown and the fruit is ripe, it has a sweet banana taste and a slightly chewy texture.
- Red Banana: Heavier and chunkier than yellow bananas, the flavor is sweeter with a hint of raspberry. Available year-round. When ripe, the skin is purplish and the flesh is creamy with a touch of pink or orange.

Cape Gooseberry: Also known as golden berry, these sweet-tart berries are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and light green to orange-red with a papery orange-yellow skin. They have small, soft edible seeds. Peak season is February to July. When ripe, they smell a bit like pineapple. Keep at room temperature a few days or in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

Champagne Grapes: A black corinth varietal, these tiny, reddish-purple, seedless grapes are crunchy, sweet and juicy. Peak season is July through October. Select fragrant, unblemished fruit with fresh stems. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Cherimoya (Custard Apple): Heart-shaped fruit with thin green skin that resembles a closed pine cone. Pulp is creamy white with large black almond-shaped seeds and a sweet custard taste. Fruit is available year-round. Select firm fruit ripen at room temperature until fruit yields to gentle pressure, then refrigerate.

Citrus:
- Blood Orange: Deep-red flesh that is sweet and juicy is characteristic of this orange. The peel is smooth or pitted with a red blush. Peak season is December through May. Select fruit that has a sweet fragrance, no blemishes and is firm and heavy for its size. Store at cool room temperature up to 1 week or in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
- Clementine Orange: Similar to a tangerine, this fruit is flatter in shape. The orange skin is loose and easy to peel. Flesh is orange, sweet and usually seedless. Peak season is January through March. Select fruit that is heavy for its size. Store in refrigerator.
- Honey Tangerine: Very sweet and juicy, this fruit is a cross between a tangerine and an orange. The flesh is orange with a touch of green, and the peel is easy to remove. Peak season is January through mid-March. Select fruit that is firm with some give and heavy for its size. Store in refrigerator.
- Key Lime: The Florida Keys are the primary growing area for this yellowish lime that is smaller and rounder than a green Persian lime. The flesh is yellow, less acidic and full of seeds. Available year-round. Select fruit that is heavy for its size. Store in a closed bag in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Kumquat: Resembling a miniature orange football, this one- to two-inch fruit is entirely edible. The skin is sweet, and the orange pulp is tart. Peak season is December through May. Select firm fruit with a fresh scent that has no soft spots. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
- Lavender Gem (Wekiwa): Crossing a grapefruit with a Sampson tangelo produced this hybrid fruit. It resembles a miniature grapefruit with bright yellow peel. The flesh is pinkish with small seeds and has a delicate, sweet grapefruit taste. Peak season is December through February. Select fruit that is heavy for its size. Store in the refrigerator.
- Meyer Lemon: Favored for its mild, juicy flesh, this lemon has smooth, bright yellow peel. Peak season is November through May. Select fruit that is heavy for its size. Refrigerate in a plastic bag up to 10 days.
- Oro Blanco: Crossing a pummelo with a grapefruit created this fruit with a thick, yellow peel. The name means "white gold" in Spanish. The flesh is sweet and juicy with a grapefruit flavor and no bitterness or acidity. The peak season is November through February. Select fruit that is heavy for its size. Store in the refrigerator.
- Pummelo: The largest of all citrus, this fruit ranges in size from a small cantaloupe to a basketball. The thick peel is green to yellow, and the sweet-tart flesh ranges from white to pink or rose red. Fruit is sweeter, firmer and less juicy than a grapefruit. Peak season is November to March. Select fruit that yields to gentle pressure. Refrigerate 1 to 2 weeks.
- Tangelo: Tangelos are a cross between a pum-melo (an ancestor of the grapefruit) and a tangerine. Tangelos can range in size from that of a tiny orange to a small grapefruit. The skin can be rough to smooth and range in color from yellow-orange to deep orange. They are juicy, sweet-tart and contain few seeds. The most common variety is the Minneola. Peak season is November through March.
- Ugli Fruit: An exotic tangelo from Jamaica that combines the characteristics of tangerines, grapefruits and Seville oranges. The fruit is large like a grapefruit and easy to peel like a tangerine. The flesh is sweet and very juicy. Peak season occurs winter to spring with limited availability. Select fruit that yields to gentle pressure and has a fragrant aroma.

Coconut: The fruit of the coconut palm has a thick, fibrous, brown, oval husk surrounding a thin, hard shell that encloses white flesh. The center is hollow and filled with coconut milk. Available year-round. Select coconuts that are heavy for their size and sound full of liquid. Store at room temperature up to 6 months. When opened, store meat in refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze up to 6 months.

Coquito Nut: Nuts are the size and shape of marbles and resemble miniature smooth, brown coconuts. They have a hollow center with white flesh that is hard, crunchy and sweet like coconut. The nuts come from a Chilean palm that takes up to 50 years to produce and remains productive for hundreds of years. Available year-round. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Donut Peach: A peach that has rounded sides that pull into the center, creating the look of a doughnut. The sweet, juicy fruit has light yellow skin with a red blush and a white to pale orange flesh. Peak season is mid-August. Select fruit free of brown spots. Store at room temperature until soft to the touch, then refrigerate.

Feijoa: This small, egg-shaped fruit has a thin, slightly bumpy, lime green to olive green skin. Flesh has a granular texture with a creamy color. Taste is a unique blend of pineapple, quince and lemon. New Zealand fruit is available from spring to early summer, and California fruit from fall to early winter. Ripen fruit at room temperature. It is ready to eat when it yields slightly to gentle pressure and has a sweet smell. Store in the refrigerator up to 5 days, and peel bitter skin before eating.

Fig: Over six hundred varieties of this teardrop-shaped fruit exist. The peel can be purple, green or red, and the very sweet flesh ranges from creamy to purplish in color. Peak season is July to August. Select firm fruit, and ripen at room temperature until flesh is soft.

Horned Melon (Kiwano): The name is derived from the spikes that cover this yellow to orange melon. The bright lime green pulp is jellylike in texture with edible seeds that resemble those in a cucumber. The flavor is a blend of cucumber and lime. Available year-round. The melon is at its peak ripeness when it is golden orange. Refrigeration is not necessary.

Kiwifruit: Egg-shaped fruit that has thin, fuzzy, brown skin. Flesh is emerald green and fine textured, has tiny edible black seeds and a flavor that resembles strawberries and melons. Available year-round. Ripen at room temperature or in the refrigerator until flesh yields to gentle pressure.

Loquat: Originating in China, this pear-shaped fruit was introduced into the United States as a Japanese plum. The fruit is the size of an apricot with yellowish orange skin. The creamy flesh is orange, juicy and tender with one or more inedible seeds. It has a sweet and slightly acid flavor with a hint of cherries, plums and grapes. Peak season occurs sporadically during the spring months. Ripen at room temperature until flesh yields to gentle pressure.

Lychee: Chinese evergreen trees produce this small fruit the size of a large grape that has a tough, reddish brown, bumpy peel. Flesh has a grapelike texture with a single black seed and a flavor resembling a melon. Fruit comes from trees up to forty feet tall that take up to 15 years to mature. Peak season is June and July. Store in refrigerator.

Mango: Yellowish red, oblong fruit that has a thick rind. The golden flesh is juicy and tangy-sweet with a single large seed. Mangoes are the most consumed fruit in the world and have been cultivated for over 6,000 years. Available year-round. Store at room temperature until flesh yields to gentle pressure, then refrigerate up to 3 days.

Papaya: Large, oblong, yellowish green fruit that contains black seeds. The flesh of Hawaiian fruit is bright yellow to orange, and the flesh of Mexican fruit is bright orange to salmon red. Available year-round. Store at room temperature until fruit yields to gentle pressure, then refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Maradol Papaya: The average weight of this long, round papaya with yellow to green peel is 3 to 5 pounds. The sweet and juicy flesh is salmon red and contains black seeds that need to be removed before eating. Available year-round. Select fruit that is soft to the touch. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Sunrise Papaya: This yellow papaya with a red blush is heavier, meatier and sweeter than the more common variety. Peak season is January through June. Ripen at room temperature until flesh gives to gentle pressure, then refrigerate.

Passion Fruit: Egg-shaped fruit of the passionflower family that is purplish in color with leathery skin. The flesh is golden and jellylike with a tart lemony flavor and small, black, edible seeds. New Zealand fruit is available March through June, and California fruit from July through May. Select fruit that is large and heavy. Ripen at room temperature until the skin is almost black and very wrinkled, then refrigerate.

Pepino Melon: Tear-drop-shaped melon has smooth, green skin and flesh that is golden yellow and fragrant. The flavor is slightly sweet with a taste of cantaloupe and cucumber. Fruit is available from late fall to mid-spring. Select melons that are heavy for their size. As the fruit ripens, the skin will turn yellow and develop purple stripes. Store in the refrigerator, and use in 3 to 4 days.

Persimmon:
- Fuyu: Persimmon shaped like a flattened ball that has skin ranging in color from pale orange to brilliant red-orange. The flesh is coreless with few seeds and has a sweet flavor. Peak season is September through mid-December. Store in a cool place. Fruit can be eaten when firm or soft.
- Hachiya: Heart-shaped persimmon has smooth, brilliant reddish orange skin and flesh. The taste is extremely astringent when immature, and sweet and spicy when ripe. Peak season is September through mid-December. Ripen at room temperature, and eat fruit when very soft.

Pomegranate: Leathery red rind covers this round fruit that is filled with tiny seeds encased in red juicy pulp. The seeds have a sweet and tangy taste and are sectioned between shiny, tough, white membranes. Although available September through December, peak season is October. Refrigerate up to 3 months.

Prickly (Cactus) Pear: The pear-shaped fruit of cactus plants has medium green to dark magenta skin. The flesh ranges from pale green to ruby red and contains small edible seeds. The peak season is from September through April. Store at room temperature until fruit yields to slight pressure, then refrigerate up to 5 days.

Quince: One of the earliest known fruits is apple shaped and ranges from apple to grapefruit size. The golden skin usually has a woolly surface, and the white flesh is firm and somewhat dry with an acidic pine-apple taste. In ancient times, this fruit was called "golden apple" and was considered an emblem of love and happiness. Peak season is September through December. Select large, smooth fruit, and store in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Rainier Cherries: Shiny yellow cherries have a red blush and a very sweet, delicate flavor. The flesh is white, firm and finely textured with colorless juice. Peak season is April through June. Cherries are shipped ripe store in the refrigerator.

Rambutan: Growing in clusters on ornamental-type trees, this fruit has soft hairy spines protruding from reddish brown, leathery skin. Its name comes from the Malay word rambut, meaning "hair." When peeled, pale flesh with a single seed is revealed. The fruit is sweet with a texture similar to grapes. A small crop is available in June and July and a large crop November through January. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Red Currants: This tart, juicy berry is about the size of a pea and usually used in jellies, sauces, juice, pies, cakes or as a beautiful garnish for food platters. Peak season is mid-June through July.

Sapote: Coreless, juicy fruit the size and shape of an apple has delicate, thin green skin that bruises easily. The flesh is yellowish, and the mild flavor is a combination of peaches, lemons and mangoes. Peak season is August through November. Select fruit that is hard, and ripen at room temperature about 3 days. Refrigerate ripe fruit.

Starfruit (Carambola): When sliced crosswise, this fruit resembles a star, thus its name. The skin and flesh are yellow, and the taste is sweet with a lemon tartness. Available year-round. Store at room temperature until a few brown spots appear on the ridges, then refrigerate.

Tamarillo: This egg-shaped fruit with a stem is related to the tomato and potato. The smooth, glossy skin is scarlet to golden yellow, and the flesh is golden
apricot in color with tiny edible seeds. It has a slightly bitter tomato taste. Peak season is May through August. Ripen at room temperature until flesh yields to slight pressure and becomes fragrant. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

Tamarind: Brownish, barklike pods about five inches long are filled with a tart apricot-lemon-flavored pulp that is very sticky. Pulp is often used to make a
flavorful drink in Mexico. Available year-round. Store pods in refrigerator up to 1 month, or remove pulp and freeze.

Yellow Seedless Watermelon: An oval-shaped melon that has smooth green skin. The sweet, crisp and juicy flesh is bright yellow with a few white seeds. Melons are available sporadically year-round depending on the variety and are most available August through September. Store at room temperature until cut, then refrigerate.


From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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