Summer evenings in Albuquerque often end outdoors with a refreshing drink and dessert. We’ve partnered with Edible New Mexico magazine to bring you a selection of lovely recipes made from two fruit trees commonly grown in Albuquerque.

Apple and Pomegranate trees grow well in our area. In fact, a 1926 survey by the New Mexico Manzano Forest Reserve identified an apple tree that is believed to have been planted prior to 1676, which makes New Mexico home to the oldest apple orchard in the United States. Apple production in the state peaked in the 1960s, in the heydey of the Red Delicious variety.

Pomegranate trees are native to the region that stretches from present-day Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India. Through the millennia, they were cultivated to grow in warmer regions of the Mediterranean. Therefore, it makes sense that they perform well in New Mexico. In Albuquerque, Pomegranates benefit from a protected, south-facing location to improve winter survival.

Harvesting time for both of these fruit trees are late summer and fall. Apples are ripe for picking in late August followed by Pomegranates starting in October. Below are some drink and dessert recipes for you to enjoy when these fruits are at their finest this season.

 

DRINKS

Pomegranate and Balsamic Shrub

 

Makes 1 pint

Level: Easy; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes;  Cooling time and steeping time:  A day-1 week.

Shrubs are one of the easiest nonalcoholic cocktail bases to make. They are just fruit, sugar and vinegar in equal parts. They’re endlessly adaptable and a great way to preserve seasonal produce. This version pairs pomegranate with a touch of balsamic for depth and complexity.

Pomegranate and Balsamic Shrub

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils (seeds)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Instructions

1. In a medium, nonreactive bowl, combine pomegranate arils and sugar; mix until the sugar coats all the fruit. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
2. Mash fruit with a wooden spoon to break it up.
3. Let sit for another hour and stir again. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
4. Add in vinegar, stir, and let sit, covered, for 1 week at room temperature, making sure to stir the mixture every day. After a week, strain the fruit by pouring through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate shrub syrups. Tightly sealed, they can last for up to 6 months. If opened often, they last 3-6 weeks: taste syrup before using to make sure the flavor is good. Discard immediately if it has mold or any signs of continued fermentation, such as bubbling, cloudiness or sliminess.

For mocktail: Combine 1 1/2 ounces of a shrub with 4 ounces of soda water in a glass with ice.

 

 

Apple and Formosa Oolong and Mocktail

Makes 1 cup of syrup

Level: Easy; Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 25 minutes; Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling time

This recipe makes use of the inevitable apple waste from making pies, or any other apple recipe for that matter. Simply toss cores in a bag and freeze until ready to use. There is no need to worry about the seeds; cooking the cores eliminates the arsenic toxins.

Formosa oolong is semi-oxidized and falls somewhere between green and black tea. It is an excellent brew for mocktails. Double the sugar in this recipe, and you will have a syrup thick enough for your pancakes and waffles.

 

Apple and Formosa Oolong Syrup and Mocktail

Ingredients

Apple oolong syrup (makes 1 cup)

• 6 assorted apple cores (8 ounces)
• 5 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 4 teaspoons Formosa oolong tea leaves
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Mocktail (serves 1)

• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounces apple oolong syrup
• 3 ounces sparkling water
• 1 thyme sprig, for garnish

Instructions

Syrup

1. Put apple cores, cardamom pods, tea leaves, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then continue to boil uncovered, until the liquid reduces by half, about 20 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the softened apple cores with a wooden spoon to release additional liquid.
3. Pour 1 cup of apple liquid into the saucepan. Add sugar and return the pan to the stove over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves and the liquid gets slightly thicker but still quite pourable, about 5 minutes. Cool and strain into a bottle for storing. Keeps in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Mocktail

1. Pour lemon juice and syrup into a shaker and shake. Then pour evenly into a rocks glass with ice. Top with sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

 

 

 

DESSERTS

Pomegranate Upside-Down Blue Corn Bread

Serves 8

Level: Easy; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes; Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes resting time

This pomegranate upside-down bread is a bit seedy but if you love this fruit, you’re used to that. Butterfly pea flowers take the blue corn bread mix to another level of the cerulean hue. The contrast between the bright red fruit topping and the blue bottom of the corn bread is stunning. Swap in any seasonal fruit for your upside-down top and serve with a light weeknight dinner of calabacitas or alongside other colorful fare on a holiday table.

Pomegranate Upside-Down Blue Corn Bread

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups pomegranate arils (seeds)
• 3 cups blue corn bread mix
• 2 teaspoons butterfly pea flower powder
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or whatever temperature is recommended for your corn bread mix)
2. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and swirl butter to coat the entire bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, then spread pomegranate seeds evenly on top of the sugar. Set aide.
3. Combine blue corn bread mix, butterfly pea powder, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
4. Spoon corn bread batter over fruit and spread it evenly from edge to edge. Bake for 35 minutes (or whatever time is recommended for your corn bread mix) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool for a few minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the corn bread and place a large plate or platter upside down over the cake pan. Using pot holders to hold the pan to the plate. Flip the plate over and lift off the pan, so the bread comes out upside down on the plate.

Notes

If you want to make this recipe without a prepackaged mix, follow your favorite corn bread recipe using blue cornmeal and adding 2 teaspoons butterfly pea flower powder to the dry ingredients. Follow step 2 for the pomegranate topping.

 

 

Apples Bonne Femme

Serves 6, Level and prep time

This recipe was first appearing in Auguste Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire, pommes bonne femme showcases the apple with the simplest of French methods. This version is adapted from Jacques Pépin’s recipe in Essential Pépin. Choose apples that can hold up during baking; dense, thicker-skinned varieties such as Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious work well.

Apples Bonne Femme

Ingredients

• 6 large apples (2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
• 1/2 cup light maple syrup
• 6 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 6 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional)
• 6 1 inch-thick slices dry (day old) baquette
• Cinnamon or nutmeg
• Mint, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Rinse and dry apples.
2. Core apples, taking care to remove all pith and seeds. Cut about 1/4 inch off the bottom of each apple so it can stand upright on the baguette silce while cooking.
3. Score apples about one-third of the way down, cutting through skin (no more than 1/4 inch deep) and drawing the incision all the way around. As the apples cook, the flesh will explode and the part above this cut will rise, almost like the cap of a mushroom.
4. Arrange baguette slices in a gratin dish or baking dish that can second as a tabletop serving dish. Place an apple on top of each baguette slice.
5. Place one teaspoon butter and one teaspoon brown sugar in the cored hole of each apple. Mix together apricot jam and maple syrup and pour into cored hole, allowing mixture to spill over and coat the apples. Sprinkler one tablespoon chopped nuts and a pinch of cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg over each apple.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Baste apples and cook for another 30 minutes.
8. Spoon some of the juice from the baking dish over the apples and let cool to lukewarm before serving. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
9. Serve as is, or celebrate your apple creation by adding whipped cream, creme fraiche, or ice cream.

 

 

Learn More Here:

Fruit Tree for the Homeowner

Subtropical Fruit Trees for the High Desert: Pomegranates and Figs

How Much Water to Provide to Fruit and Vegetables to Get a Significant Yield

Tree Irrigation Webinar

 

 

505Outside.com in coordination with Edible New Mexico magazine https://www.ediblenm.com/. Have a question about the article or anything else? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org