Recipe of the Week: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Nope, you didn't stumble into Bizzaro world. Yup, you read that title right. As it turns out, someone came up with the best idea since strawberries went ON your cheesecake. Why, oh why, didn't we think of this??? No time to dwell on that...let us just be thankful that someone did!

And while we're handing out thanks, we really must give a shout out to Twitter. We know some people are loath to get on board with the thought-truncating machinations of that most ubiquitos of social media options... but guess where we found this recipe? Seriously, we can no doubt live without knowing what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast, but we're pretty sure we can't live without cheesecake stuffed strawberries! So thank you Twitter, thank you @localinseason and thank you @nutmegnanny!


Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

You need:

• 1 pound large strawberries
• 8 oz. block cream cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (may also use almond or lemon, depending on your preference)
• Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of each strawberry
2. Remove tops and clean out insides, a paring knife works well
3. If you want strawberries to stand up-right for presentation, cut a bit off the bottom
4. Set berries aside
5. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla
6. Put cream cheese mix in a piping bag and fill strawberries (be sure let some 'overflow' the top
7. Put graham cracker crumbs on a plate
8. Dip tops of strawberries in the crumbs until fully coated
9. Enjoy!

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Recipe of the Week: Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse

It's Bastille Day and it's raspberry season, so we thought we'd honor both occasions this week by celebrating with a delectable raspberry white chocolate mousse! Your family and friends will be storming the kitchen for second helpings. (Sorry, we're as weak in the face of wordplay as we are in the face of dessert.)

As if being super yummy weren't enough, this mousse has a bonus feature. It can also be used to fill or ice a cake! Franc-ly (sorry) we think it would be best to try both! Ouiiiiiiiii!


Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse

You need:

• 10 ounces fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 drop red food coloring

Directions:

1. Process berries in a blender or food processor until smooth
2. Strain mixture into a small bowl and discard seeds
3. Add the sugar and liqueur and stir until sugar dissolves
4. In a heavy saucepan on low heat, warm 1/4 cup of the cream and the white chocolate
5. Stir chocolate constantly until it melts
6. Let mixture cool until it is lukewarm
7. Stir in one tablespoon of raspberry sauce and the drop of food coloring
8. Transfer mixture into large bowl
9. In a medium bowl, whip remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream to soft peaks
10. Fold into melted chcolate mixure, one-third at a time, until no streaks remain
11. Layer into parfait dishes and serve with the sauce

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Grilled Peaches

 IT. IS. ON!

We're talking about summer, we're talking about the grill and we're talking about peaches!

For a minute there it looked like we had entered into some strange weather wormhole and wound up back in November - but hey, that's New England  for you! Like the hardy breed we are, we hung in there and we're feeling pretty good about the prospect of some REAL summer weather sticking around for a bit.

And just to show we're serious, we're busting out a recipe that screams summer. Sure, these days you can get your hands on peaches for most of the year, but they never taste as good as they do in the summertime. Take it a step further and put that juicy little Georgian on the grill and it's like the culinary equivalent of the last day of school, the fourth of July, fireflies and dips in the ocean all rolled into one!

And, to top it all off, this one's as easy as a Summer breeze.


Grilled Peaches

You need:

• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2 large fresh peaches, halved and pitted (don't remove skin)
• 2 1/2 ounces fresh crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the white sugar, balsamic vinegar and pepper
• Simmer until liquid has reduced by one half (it should become slightly thicker)
• Remove from heat and set aside
• Preheat grill for medium-high heat
• Lightly oil the grill grate
• Place peaches on the prepared grill, cut side down
• Cook for about 5 minutes or until flesh is carmelized
• Turn peaches over, brush tops and sides with the balsamic glaze and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes
• Transfer the peach halves to individual serving dishes, sprinkle with blue cheese and drizzle with remaining glaze

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Mango Sauce

 This week presented a tough call. On the one hand, it's May and things are getting all sunshine-y and warm and we're feeling more than ever like sinking our little choppers into some fresh fruit... or, better yet, sipping it through a straw. (Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo, by the way!)

On the other hand - also known as our practical-thinking hand - it's May in New England and we've lived here long enough (aka - all our lives) to know that calendars don't mean a thing and just because it's sunny and warm this afternoon, doesn't mean temps can't flirt with the lower 40s this evening.

What to do, what to do. 

Then we came across the perfect recipe to satisfy our taste for springtime fruit - no matter what the weather brings! Cold night? Put it on your pork chops! Warm night? Vanilla ice cream's new best friend!


Mango Sauce

You need:

• 3 cups mangos, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mangos, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, orange juice and water
2. Stir until mixture thickens
3. Remove from heat and serve

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Recipe of the Week: Papaya Bruschetta

Don't know about where you are, but it is one chilly, rainy all around dreary day here in Boston. Blech. What we need is a lift, a little something bright and sweet and mmmmm, tropical! Nothing else quite fits this bill like the papaya. Our Vitamin A-rich friend is great on its own or in a smoothie or switching up your typical salsa. But today we're offering up a recipe that puts the papaya in a setting few are likely to imagine - perched atop a nice slice of crusty French bread...  papaya's got a brand new baguette! (c'mon, like you could've resisted that one)

Papaya Bruschetta

You need:

• 1 papaya
• 5 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 green onions
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Cut papaya in half and remove seeds
2. Reserve 2 tablespoons of seeds for the dressing
3. Peel and dice the papaya and place in medium bowl
4. Add tomatoes, red onion, red pepper and basil and set aside
5. In a food processor or blender, combine the papaya seeds, sugar, wine vinegar, oil, mustard and green onions
6. Process until smooth and thick and most of the seeds have broken up
7. Pour over the papaya mixture and stirl to coat all of the ingredients
8. Serve on slices of baguette

Find more great fruit recipes on Ruma's web site!
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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Apple Brownies



So, this apple walks into a brownie... actually, that's a bit misleading. For you see this week's recipe, while it may be called "Apple Brownies," has a lot more in common with what you might know as a "Blondie." In other words, there is no chocolate (brown) to be found here - just apple-y goodness along with the always welcome crunch of pecans. A better name would probably be "Applies" but since that's already a word and would require an ensuing explanation of pronounciation, we'll just stick with Apple Brownies.

Apple Brownies

You need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Granny Smith apples, ppeled, cored, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar then beat in egg
3. Stir in apples and pecans
4. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients
5. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well
6. Pour into a buttered, 8x8 baking dish
7. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean from center of brownie

Find more great fruit recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE!

Recipe of the Week: Kiwi Sandwich



Whee!

 You'll never guess what we saw today! GRASS! That's right, honest to goodness growin' outta the ground, sproutin' up outta the dirt, smellin' all springy GRASS! If you're from pretty much anywhere in the U.S. that isn't Florida you probably understand our absolute giddiness at this discovery.

Friends, it has been a heck of a brutal winter. And while there may still be 5-foot-tall snowpiles on some street corners, we're gonna celebrate that little swatch of green that has reminded us spring is (fingers crossed) just around the corner. February-March (and, let's face it, April) is a tricky time, weather-wise, in New England and we're gonna savor the morsels of non-freezing temps whenever possible until we're safely in July! So while the thermometer hovers around 60, we're thinking green, we're thinking picnic, we're thinking seasonal fruit. Put all that together and what do you get - kiwi sandwiches! No really! Check this out...

Creamy Kiwi Sandwich

You need:

• 1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cheese
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup chopped kiwi fruit
• 16 slices whole wheat bread

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together Neufchatel cheese, lemon zest and honey
2. Refrigerate for one day to allow flavors to develop
3. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over one side of a slice of bread
4. Top with about 2 tablespoons of chopped kiwi fruit, cover with another slice of bread
5. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 8 sandwiches

Find more great fruit recipes on Ruma's web site!

_____________________________________________________

Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE!