It's not usually up to fruit to rock your world. When was the last time you had an apple that made you reconsider all previous apples? But one fruit that's now in season might just shift your paradigm right there in the produce section.
The
pluot is a sweet, juicy cross-blend of a plum (approximately 70 percent) and apricot (approximately 30 percent). It looks like a plum, pink or red in color, and you're likely to miss it if you're not looking at labels.
Pluots are
grown in California, and although they've been around for 20 years their lack of wide distribution means that people keep discovering them anew.
The season runs from May to September, so expect to see them in the grocery store for the next week or two. When shopping, use the same criteria as in
selecting plums -- you want them firm and rich in color.
The hybrid has even inspired a
book:
The Perfect Fruit: Good Breeding, Bad Seeds, and The Hunt For The Elusive Pluot, in which food writer Chip Brantley explores the history of the fruit within the context of his own life. Books have not yet been penned to the other plum-apricot hybrids. The aprium tastes more like a plum, while the plucot has the meatiness of an apricot.
Plouts' natural sugars make them a good addition to pies -- and you could do a lot worse than this
pluot raspberry pie. If you need an entree idea,
grilled pork tenderloin with pluot sauce could be a winner. You could complete your pluot tasting menu with a grilled chicken, pluot and Maytag Blue Cheese
salad.
And those who like sweet drinks can try a
Pluout and Prosecco Fizz -- the fruit goes well with the sparkling wine. Then there's the Pluot Zombie -- a dangerous combination of rum, cherry juice and pluots.
[Image via Flickr: stevendamron]
Comments (0)