Prickly Pears

[Free Rider]

Okay, so my cranberry ordeal started when I found a recipe for a cranberry-prickly pear tart that sounded neat. The recipe-writer said to replace the prickly pears with raspberries if I couldn't find any prickly pears. I set off to get prickly pears which I felt should be readily available at the little grocer in the rather Mexican part of town. They were. I bought a bunch of prickly pears and then the cranberry thing started.

Anyway, last night, I prepared the prickly pear purée for the tart. I love the color! Now I want to do more prickly pear recipes that show off that color. Anybody have any ideas?

[ChefTorrie]

I dont have any recipes off hand, but I have found, that prickly pairs are great when mixed with raisins, espicially golden ones...

[Suzanne]

I remember reading some time ago about a chef who used prickly-pear puree as the basis for sorbets and cocktails.

BTW: they are a seasonal product, so get them while you can. And the prickly pear fruit is also referred to as tuna so you might ask for it by that name.

[abefroman]

Prickley pear margaritas are good.

I've made prickley pear creme brulee.

And prickely pear mole, which tasted more like a bbq sauce because I used a shiraz in it too.

[abefroman]

PS. There are tuna rojas and tuna verdes, make sure you get the tuna rojas and there is also a smaller on that looks like the tuna roja that I bought by mistake and its whitish inside and really sour, big mistake, BIG mistake.

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by abefroman

PS. There are tuna rojas and tuna verdes, make sure you get the tuna rojas and there is also a smaller on that looks like the tuna roja that I bought by mistake and its whitish inside and really sour, big mistake, BIG mistake.

That white-inside one goes by a name that begins with X here. Long Aztec name that I can't remember. No worries, I know my prickly pears and I like that sour X thing too just in case I tgo wrong.

[abefroman]

Yeah, its like Xonoconsante or something.