Community Supported Agriculture boxes, more commonly known as CSA, may arrive in the same box every week but the contents of the box are always changing. Every week I attempt new recipes with pears, apples, persimmons, and anything else that may fill my Frog Hollow Farm CSA.
Admittedly, my newly found creativity is driven by the guilt that I may not use all of my pears before the next week. However, this weekly presence of fruit and my desire to finish them has led me to find amazing new recipes that are healthy and easy.
My personal food challenges remind me of the episodes of the reality competition, “Top Chef” (specifically, the Quickfire challenges, where chefs must cook a dish with specific ingredients). Then I wondered, what if I gave local chefs a Frog Hollow Farm CSA box? What could they make? How could they create a recipe with all the CSA ingredients into one delicious meal?
I knew Mario Hernandez and Anna Buss, Cookin' the Market chefs from the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association, were right for the challenge. This week’s Frog Hollow Farm CSA box had kiwis, pears, tomatoes, avocados, Fuyu persimmons, and pomegranates. We also gave them a Frog Hollow Farm Navel Orange Marmalade and Asian Pear Chutney
Frog Hollow Fruit Medley with Yogurt and Honey
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons of good quality honey
1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds
1 Asian pear, diced into small cubes
1 apple, diced into small cubes
1 kiwifruit, diced into small cubes
1 Fuyu persimmon, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 pear, diced into small cubes
½ of lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of Frog Hollow Asian pear chutney
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
In a bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, salt and pepper, and set aside. In a separate bowl, add the pear, apple, persimmon, kiwi, Asian pear, and lemon juice. Gently mix the fruit mixture together with your hands or a rubber spatula. Spoon the honey yogurt dressing on to the bottom of the bowl. Top with fruit and add dollops of Asian Pear Chutney (The heat from the chutney adds a great dimension to this dish. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top of medley. Serve.
Recipe by: Mario Hernandez
Photos by: Anna Buss
Curried Avocado Purée
INGREDIENTS:
One medium Hass avocado, peeled and de-seeded
1 tablespoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper
METHOD:
Add the flesh of the avocado to a medium sized bowl and mash it to a smooth puree. Add curry, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve on a toasted baguette with a dollop of Frog Hollow Farm’s Navel Orange Marmalade.
Recipe by: Mario Hernandez
Recipe by: Anna Buss