Pomegranates
{Messy but worth it}
Crack open the leathery skin of a fresh pomegranate and depending on the variety, hundreds of juicy ruby, pink or even pale, almost white seeds or arils will be revealed. One of the true pleasures of late fall, this festive and fun fruit, native to Persia, has taken the food world by storm thanks to its highly touted anti-oxidant properties. It’s also a good source of potassium and vitamin C. But its delicious tart-sweet juice alone is reason enough to snatch the fruit up whenever you find it. (Living in California where the majority of the US fruit is grown, pomegranates are easily found at local farmers’ markets from October through early winter.) Nothing makes an easier centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table than an overflowing bowl of these crimson fruits. For best flavor and longest keeping quality, look for taut skinned and unblemished fruits.
Tackle the fruit by first making shallow cuts in the skin with a small sharp knife and then break the fruit into manageable sized pieces. Remove the seeds and membranes from the skin, discarding the skin. Place these in a bowl filled with cold water. The seeds will sink and the thick white membranes will float to the top for easy removal. If you are concerned about permanent stains on your Sunday best, it’s not a bad idea to put on an apron for added protection as the best fruit tend to be the juiciest and the juice seems to spurt uncontrollably. As an alternative, if you wish to extract only the juice, roll an intact fruit around on the counter to release the juice from the seeds and insert a sturdy straw into a small hole made with a knife and sip away. Although a neater way to enjoy the juice, using this method may yield a slightly more acidic juice since it contains some of the tannins from being in contact with the membranes and skin.
