Pomegranates can flavor sauces, drinks and more
If you’re not familiar with pomegranates, you’re definitely not alone. Tom Pjerandsen, manager of the Sonoma, Calif.-based Pomegranate Council, said only 21 percent of Americans have “experienced” a pomegranate, and only 14 percent have ever purchased one.
And that may be partly because of the aptly used “experienced,” instead of “eaten.”
“I would say that pomegranates are not as widely used or recognized because of the way they grow,” said Theo Schoenegger, executive chef of Sinatra at Encore.
“Think about it,” he said. “If you have an orange, you can eat it. If you have a pomegranate and you don’t know what to do with it, it’s very difficult to know your way around it.”
That’s because a pomegranate, when cut open, reveals a multitude of jewel-like fruit-wrapped seeds, properly called arils. The arils are surrounded by a bitter white pith that must be separated from the arils before they can be eaten. There are several ways to achieve that, but Chris Dreyer, executive chef at Palace Station, thinks he’s found the simplest.
“A really easy way we use to get the seeds out is crack it open, turn it upside down and hit the bottom side of it with a wooden spoon,” Dreyer said. “You can do a pomegranate in about 30, 45 seconds.”
Dreyer acknowledges that there will be pith mixed in with the arils. He said to add water to the bowl of arils and let the pith float to the top. Skim it off and drain the arils.
“You have enough to make jelly before you know it,” he said.
But pomegranates can be used for far more than jelly.
“I like to use the syrup in my barbecue sauce,” Dreyer said. “It holds up better to the richer, more robust types of meat, like lamb, duck and goose. The only fish is salmon.”
He said he simply takes a bottle of off-the-shelf barbecue sauce and adds either pomegranate molasses or pomegranate syrup.
He also uses the arils in salads, sprinkles them over vanilla ice cream or drops a few into a glass of 7UP or Champagne. Or he eats them in what he calls an “odd pairing,” with brined olives.
“Those two flavors seem to go together really, really well — sweet and sour,” Dreyer said. “Just one olive and a handful of pomegranate seeds. It’s really good.”
Schoenegger said pomegranates are much more popular in his native country of Italy than they are in the United States.
“Pomegranates are very versatile,” he said. “They’re a great source of fiber, great source of acidity. They’re wonderful if you reduce the juice to make a gastrique,” a sort of sweet and sour sauce.
He said he likes the texture of pomegranate arils, and likes to use them with carpaccio, venison, roebuck and squab.
“If you like fish, it’s got a wonderful texture with scallop carpaccio,” he said. “I use it in a beet and citrus salad. Once again, it gives you that texture, that crunchiness. The sort of sweet, acidic element is phenomenal.”
Although cups filled with demembraned arils have been showing up in supermarkets, Schoenegger said he prefers to take apart the whole fruit himself.
“You want to do it yourself because what’s sold in those prepackaged things is not that fresh,” he said. “I like when you just take it apart and every little seed is perfectly intact, totally fresh. Once they’re taken apart, somebody has had their hands in it and I don’t like that.”
The Pomegranate Council suggests a three-step process for removing the arils from a pomegranate: Cut off the crown, then cut the pomegranate into sections. Submerge the sections in a bowl of water, nudge the arils out with your fingers (tossing the membrane in the process), then strain them.
It’s worth the effort, Schoenegger said, partly for the health benefits. According to the Pomegranate Council, the fruit is high in vitamin C, potassium and fiber and low in calories. It also contains high amounts of three polyphenols, which are antioxidants.
“The biggest thing with pomegranate is what you get out of it,” Schoenegger said. “It has a lot of health benefits. I think it’s certainly right up there with all the superfoods.
“People should eat it more. It’s a great source of fiber. American don’t get enough fiber. Don’t juice it; everybody wants to juice everything these days. You take out the most important part, the fiber.”
If you’d like to get more familiar with the pomegranate, you can do so Nov. 7 and 8 at the Pomegranate Art Festival sponsored by the Moapa Valley Art Guild. It’s from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Logandale, and admission is free. The emphasis is on art — this is a fundraiser for the guild’s scholarship fund — but there will be homemade pomegranate jellies, pomegranate honey, syrup, juice, candies and the fruit itself. There also will be free entertainment and several other food vendors.
Here are recipes from the Pomegranate Council.
STICKY RED WINGS
3 pounds chicken wings
½ teaspoon salad oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno chilies
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons pomegranate arils
Rinse wings, then drain and cut apart at the joints. Place in a single layer in 10-by-15-inch nonstick pan. Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 1 hour until brown and crisp, turning pieces occasionally.
In a medium nonstick frying pan over high heat, stir oil, garlic and chilies for 2-3 minutes.
Add pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 15 minutes).
Drain and discard fat from chicken wings. Pour pomegranate sauce over wings and turn the pieces. Bake until the sauce thickens and sticks to wings (about 12 minutes), turning often. Sprinkle with arils before serving.
SPICY POMEGRANATE RELISH
2 medium pomegranates, seeded
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
1½ tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Gently fold the pomegranate arils and remaining ingredients together.
Makes 1½ cups.
PEAR SALAD WITH HONEY-DIJON DRESSING AND BLUE CHEESE CRUMBLES
Honey-Dijon dressing:
1 cup pomegranate juice
½ cup white vinegar
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Salad:
1 pound salad greens
½ cup sliced honey-roasted almonds
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 ripe d’Anjou pears
½ cup pomegranate arils
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, white vinegar, lemon juice and zest, honey and Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in the oil, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the salad greens with just enough dressing to lightly coat. Top with almond slices, blue cheese crumbles and sliced pears. (Slice the pears at the last minute to prevent browning.) Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils.
CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE AND WALNUTS
1 2¾-pound fryer chicken
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons shortening
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons tomato sauce
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
3½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Prepare chicken for frying. Saute chicken with poultry seasoning in shortening until light brown; set aside.
In a large pot, saute the onion in 3 teaspoons butter until golden brown. Add tomato sauce and saute for a few minutes. Add walnuts to the onions and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water, remaining seasonings, lemon juice and pomegranate juice. Cover and let cook on low for about 35 minutes. Taste the sauce and add sugar if needed. Arrange browned chicken pieces in the sauce, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve over white rice.
CREAMY CHEESECAKE WITH POMEGRANATE TOPPING
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 9 crackers)
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
Filling:
2 8-ounce containers whipped cream cheese
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
Topping:
2 pomegranates, seeded
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the crust ingredients in a 9½-inch springform pan and blend until combined well. Press mixture evenly over bottom and ¾ inch up the side of the pan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the filling ingredients on high speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Pour the filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until the cheesecake is just set in center. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer the cake in pan to a rack and cool (about 3 hours).
Place the juice in a 1-cup liquid measure and add water. Sprinkle gelatin over the juice mixture and let stand for 1 minute to soften the gelatin.
Transfer the gelatin mixture to a small saucepan. Add sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, stirring the mixture gently until cold and slightly thickened but not set. Stir in pomegranate seeds and spoon the topping onto the chilled cheesecake. Chill the cake until the topping is set (about 1 hour). Remove the side of the pan and serve chilled.
— Recipes from the Pomegranate Council
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.
