A Taste Of The Tropics

One of the best parts of January is all that tropical fruit that 's in our groceries right now. They are not only good for you but versatile.Any of the fruits from grapefruit to mangoes can go into a breakfast, lunch,  dinner. and snacking.

As we all know from the television ads, Haloes are hot right now. These seedless beauties are being marketed to kids because they're seedless. Yet adults can enjoy them too. They have a lovely sweetness that's more intense than the average Mandarins are usually used in salads, adding both color and flavor to bland ones.Try them in a grilled chicken salad along with a liberal sprinkling of almonds. They are also good with sliced tomatoes and onions for a nice side. They can also be used as a glaze for chicken , pork and even salmon. Of course, the best use for them is dessert. Try them in a cake or trifle.They make a tasty sorbet, perfect after a fiery chili or Sunday roast. Their larger cousins, the orange are also versatile.Of course, there is orange chicken but there are also several pork recipes that call for the fruit as well. Try a braised pork ribs with a soy  sauce  - orange juice marinade. Garlic and ginger spice it up.Spare ribs get zinged up too with a dash of juice. Make a tangy orange-butter sauce to spoon over peas or broccoli.Again, oranges are great ingredients in any baked good,from muffins to cake. Orange juice is also a nice addition to buttercream icing, cutting  the overt sweetness.

Lemons and limes are other tropical beauties that liven up any winter diet. Besides adding a much and well-needed dose of Vitamin C, they add spark, flavor, and color. We all know that lemon is great with salads, subbing in for any kind of vinegar but did any know it's also great with pasta? Lemon linguine is a refreshing break away from traditional sauces. It's made with lemon juice, whole cream and egg yolks,  along with butter. The sauce is poured over the pasta and it cooks from its heat.Grilled chicken can also be added too. Lime is usually associated with Mexican recipes but it is also good as a marinade for salmon and swordfish. Try it in a salad dressing instead of lemon, or even better as a main ingredient in a lime buttercream frosting.Mango is another tropic wonder and again versatile. There are a million recipes for mango salsa and chutney along with for smoothies.Think beyond the mango tree and pair it with shrimp and lime in a tasty pita.Toss in some mango slices along with onion slices and fresh orange juice for a tasty and exotic dish, perfect with white rice.Pineapple , which makes us think of blissful pina coladas, can also be used in a variety of different recipes. too, from it traditionally gracing ham to  healthy kabobs.

It's easy to have a taste of the tropics. Bring home any of these exotic fruits such as lemons and limes, mangos and Mandarins. They'll add juice and fun to a blah winter diet.

Wine Salts Something New For Your Meals

Salt is always a nice addition to food if it;s used moderately and carefully. Seasoned salts are even better and wine salts add an entirely new dimension to dishes. Combining wine and sea salt creates a totally different flavor yet one that can enhance meats and vegetables.

The creation was the subject of today's Good Appetite Column in the New York Times Dining section. Melissa Clark decided to try this interesting combination of salt and a good vintage. She got the recipe from the man who basically created it, Chef John Eisenhart of Pazzo, in Portland Oregon. Chef Eisenhart has come up with an interesting rub or sprinkle for almost any meat , from fish to poultry to beef and lamb. He even has used it on squash. His earliest creations involved a darker wine mixed with sugar (along with spices and sugar)> Unfortunately making it with a dark red results in purple salt. It works better with a good fruity white such as gewurtztraminer.

Is it easy to create this tasty blend? It is. All you need is two cups of a fruity white wine along with the dry ingredients of thyme and lemon zest. A cup of sugar is also added to balance out the saltiness and probably to bring out the wine's fruitiness.The wine has to be reduced to a syrup  , cooked over a low flame for twenty to thirty minutes.This reduction is  then added with the dry ingredients to a food processor where it's pulsed two or three times. When it becomes the consistency of wet sand then take the wine salts and place them on a baking sheet. Leave out to dry overnight. Ms. Clark slathers the salt over pork loins before grilling but you can try the salt on a roast chicken as well. She also plans on sprinkling some on veggies such as tomatoes along with grilled swordfish

Wine and salt together may sound strange together. Yet combined to create a new seasoning they mesh perfectly.Make a batch today to add zest and flavor to your late summer barbecues.