This month I’m featuring a personal favorite and one that I’m guessing few of you have actually tackled: the Pomegranate. Locked inside the rough leathery exterior of the pomegranate is one of the most wonderful and bright flavors among all fruits. Each pomegranate contains hundreds of arils (juice sacs) that are brimming with antioxidants and a tiny little white seed. The seeds are small, not tough and provide some good fiber so feel free to eat up.

 

One medium size pomegranate will yield about 3/4 cup of seeds or 1/2 cup of juice.

 

Now eating a pomegranate takes some manipulation and might not be for the faint of heart so it is usually used as a garnish rather than the main ingredient of the dish.
 

You may sprinkle the pomegranate arils over salads, fruit desserts, cakes or puddings or use in marinades, glazes and for garnish. Top waffles, oatmeal, pancakes, cereal, or sundaes.

 

Another wonderful way to enjoy pomegranates is as juice. Now as juice goes, it can be a bit pricey, but if you love the taste and don’t want the hassle you can Drink Up! Pomegranate juice is available under the POM label at most major grocery stores in the produce section.

 

How to Tackle a Pomegranate:
(Courtesy of the pomegranate council)
1. Cut off the crown (that’s the top “stalk”)
2. Cut the pomegranate into sections
3. Place the sections in a bowl of water and roll the arils (juice sacs) with your fingers. Discard everything else
4. Strain out the water.
5. Eat the succulent arils whole – seeds and all

 

Other Methods:
Traditional Method
Cut the crown end off a pomegranate, removing with it some of the white pith. Lightly score the skin in quarters, from the stem to the crown end. Firmly yet gently break the sections apart, following the score lines. Bend back the skin and gently scoop the seed clusters into a bowl; remove any pith.

 

Fanning Method
Cut the pomegranate in half vertically. With the cut side up, make 4 equally spaced cuts 1 inch long and 1 inch deep. Hold the pomegranate half, cut side down, over a deep bowl and pull the fruit open but not apart, using equal pressure from both hands. Holding the pomegranate half, cut side down, in the palm of one hand, whack the top of the fruit with the back of a large spoon. The seeds will fall out.

Get more information on the Pomegranate. 

 

This month’s recipe: Pomegranate Honey Glazed Chicken. This recipe makes a wonderful and yummy holiday meal.

 

If you liked that and want to get daring here’s a recipe that’s actually a three fer…because it also includes two other fruits you may not have tried: papaya and kiwi fruit. But if you don’t get to it right away, don’t worry we’ll meet the kiwi fruit and papaya sometime soon:

 

Read more of Dawn Swidorski's columns.