Macedonia de Frutas (Chilean-Style Fruit Salad)

¿Quien Quiere Ser Millonario? (the Spanish version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?) played on the little TV in the corner of the kitchen. My host mom stood at the counter, preparing ceviche, answering every trivia question before the multiple choice options were even displayed on the screen.  

Manzana. Pera. Naranja. (Apple. Pear. Orange.)

Tienes muchas paciencia, hija, you have so much patience chopping all of those fruits so small. I had just returned from a trip to Los Lagos region in Chile, where I, along with a heard of other students, had picked fresh oranges, visited a Mapuche village, and dined on food fresh from the Fagón. Dessert? The best damn fruit salad I had ever had.   

Fruit salad. Such a blah dish. It's the sort of dish your grandma served as a "healthy dessert" when you really just wanted a cookie (mine did at least). But this fruit salad. This fruit salad! You’d never see fruit salad the same way again. Served in a crystal goblet, it looked like something well beyond the fruit salad I knew. A far cry from the plastic container of pineapple, under ripe melon, and grapes you’d buy at an American grocery store. In Chile, fruit salad like this is called Macedonia De Fruta. 

The fruit was chopped so small, you could hardly tell what each bite contained. A hint of lemon. A bouquet of nature’s sweets. A medley of sorts. It must’ve had some effect on me, as the day I returned to my host families home, I volunteered to make the fruit salad for the asado (barbecue) happening that afternoon. I knew exactly what I was going to do.  

Slicing and dicing didn’t feel like patience. My mind was far away, the TV just a sound in the background. Chopping each piece of fruit was meditation. I could’ve zoned out for hours. 

Macedonia de Frutas (Chilean-Style Fruit Salad)

Published June 20, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

This fruit salad is chopped fine so you get a little bit of everything in each bite.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 nectarine 
• 1 banana
• 1 apple
• 1 pear 
• 2 kiwi
• 1 yellow mango 
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Juice of 1/2 an orange 
• Sprig of mint 

Directions:

1. Chop fruit, removing pits and seeds as you go (remove peels from banana, mango, and kiwi), into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in bowl.
2. Sprinkle with lemon zest and squeeze orange juice over fruit. Toss to combine, and top with a spring of mint. Serve immediately or allow flavors to marinate together for 30 minutes, covered, in the fridge to prevent oxidization.

Pistachio Butter Chocolate Cups

Usually, pistachios just taste like nuts to me (roasted, salted, a bit crunchy) but when they are churned into smooth nut butter, they take on a whole new personality: slightly citrusy — or floral? - bold, and nutty. Pistachio butter isn't quite as thick as peanut butter or almond butter, lacking the "glue your mouth shut" characteristic you know well if you've ever eaten a PB&J sandwich. 

Still, it's rich and creamy, and pairs well with my favorite ingredient. Chocolate. 

Plus it makes chocolate cups so pretty when you bite into them!

I made these with Oliver in mind because he loves pistachios, but they're becoming my favorite chocolate nut butter cup quickly, too. In part because they are just different — not something you can find the store! It's a little unexpected, and feels special, knocking peanut butter cups out of the way and showing up almond butter cups with their bold green filling. 

I add a sprinkle of sea salt for good measure — it makes everything “pop” a little more, and adds a bit of sparkle. Perfect around the holidays!

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Pistachio Butter Cups

Published June 13, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Pistachios make a colorful filling for these chocolate cups!

Serves: 12   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 12 small cupcake liners or 6 regular cupcake liners
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips 
• 1/4 cup pistachio butter (Make this by blending 1/2 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios in a high speed blender until creamy) 
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
• Sprinkle of sea salt or fleur de sel
• Optional: 12 pistachios (shelled) for topping

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate: place chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, and stir. Repeat 2-3 times, until chocolate is almost entirely melted (if small clumps remain, they should melt from residual heat). By heating for only 30 seconds at a time, you will avoid overheating the chocolate.
2. Spoon chocolate into the cupcake liners (2 teaspoons for small liners and 4 for standard size). Then, while the chocolate is still warm, tilt the liners one at a time from side to side so that the chocolate goes about half way up the sides of the liners. Place on a tray and transfer to the fridge to set.
3. When the chocolate is set, use a teaspoon to scoop pistachio butter into each chocolate cup (1 teaspoon for small cups, 2 for standard sized). Then, pour 1 teaspoon of the remaining chocolate over the pistachio butter and use the back of a spoon to gently spread it over the top. Sprinkle each cup with a small amount of seas salt and top with a pistachio. Allow to set in the fridge.

Golden Potatoes

There was a story I intended to tell you today, about a girl who seems to never be able to find the right bowl of porridge. No, this isn't about Goldy Locks, but it may as well be, for if I were her it would be all: "Too hot!" "Too cold!" "Not soft enough." 

As a creative soul, perfection isn't worth chasing... or rather, there is no room for it. I've never been a perfectionist. What is perfection, anyways? But in the kitchen lately I've been seeing flaw after flaw. Not because mistakes are more prevalent than usual, but because I've honed in on details that no one else would otherwise notice, leaving "great" in the dust and searching for "best ever," when in reality there is no "best ever" or "perfect" to be found (think of cookies: some like them chewy, some crispy, some nutty, some chocolatey, etc etc etc). This I know, yet it is hard not to push yourself to find "best ever." 

When I realized that this was happening, I knew I must write. Putting pen to paper--or in this case, finger to key- has always been therapeutic for me. Nonsense becomes understandable when it is written. Trapped feelings become weightless, released into paper form. And this perfection-seeking thing? I knew it had to go. But first, I had to understand it, or at the very least come to terms with it. 

Anyways, what is "best ever" when you are inventing something new? You get to decide. Right now, today, in this hour, best ever for me is this potatoes. Golden Potatoes, AKA Curry & Turmeric Roasted Potatoes.  

If you love breakfast potatoes or home fries or spice blends or exotic twists, this one is for you. I hope you are nodding along. I think Goldy Locks might even like them (we haven't met, I'm just guessing. But it seems she'd be into anything Golden, given the name). 

Golden Potatoes

Published June 1, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Potatoes are tossed with turmeric, ginger, and curry powder given them a golden glow and spicy bite.

Serves: 2-3   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 medium yukon gold potatoes (sweet potatoes will also work if you prefer) 
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon oil (olive or avocado)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/16 teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a Silicone Baking Mat).
2. Wash potatoes, and dice them into 1/2-inch or 1-centimeter cubes. Place in a mixing bowl, and cover with cold water. Allow to sit for 5 minuntes. This step hepls the potatoes become crispy in the oven! After five minutes, drain the water from the potatoes and toss in oil.
3. In a small bowl, combine spices and mix until well combined. Pour spice blend in with the potatoes, and toss until the potatoes are all coated.
4. Spread potatoes out on prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender through and crisping on the edges. Allow to cool 5 minutes and serve.