Local Recipes
Fruit trees are favorites of many Arbor Day tree giveaway recipients, with a variety of fruit trees being distributed across the state. We offer you a small selection of recipes to provide you with ideas for using locally available fruits and nuts.
Agave-Lime Dressing
Chocolate Delight
Coconut Milk
Coconut-Pineapple Cream Cake
Easy and Moist Lemon Bundt Cake
Fig and Apple Compote
Fig and Olive Tapenade
Fig, Goat Cheese, and Candied Walnut Salad
Figs, Grilled with Bacon
Glazed Meyer Lemon Cookies
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
Lemon Squares
Mango Bread
Pear and Pomegranate Salad
Pansit
Prune-Apricot Mui
Agave-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1 cup agave sweetener (available at health food stores and most supermarkets)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 inch piece ginger root, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Put all ingredients into a blender; cover and blend well. Serve with fresh fruit. Recipe makes about 2 cups or 18 servings.
Chocolate Delight
Bottom Layer (crust):
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal or crumbs. Gently mix in nuts and then gently press mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.
Second Layer:
1 package (8 ounces) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
Mix softened cream cheese with sugar. Stir in whipped topping. Spread mixture over crust; chill.
Third Layer:
3 boxes (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding
4 cups skim milk
Mix together pudding and milk until thickened. Spread over cream cheese layer; chill.
Top Layer:
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
Chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts for garnish (optional)
Cocoa powder for garnish (optional)
Spread whipped topping over pudding. Sprinkle nuts and cocoa over top; chill. Recipe makes 20 servings.
Coconut Milk
2 cups boiling water
4 cups grated fresh coconut
Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 cups grated fresh coconut. Let stand 20 minutes. Strain through poi cloth or a double thickness of cheese cloth, pressing to remove all liquid. Coconut milk should be stored in the refrigerator. Recipe makes 2 cups.
Coconut-Pineapple Cream Cake
1 package (18.5 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup coconut milk
1 package (3 3/4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding
1 can (1 pound, 4 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1 container (13 1/2 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
Preheat electric oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove from pan and finish cooling on rack. In small bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese with coconut milk and pudding; spread over cooled cake. Spoon drained pineapple over pudding mixture, then cover with whipped topping. Sprinkle with coconut. Chill before serving. Recipe makes 20 servings.
Easy and Moist Lemon Bundt Cake
Cake:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup yogurt or 1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Sift flour with salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar, vanilla, eggs, yogurt, and lemon zest. Stir in flour mixture and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until done. Cool slightly and invert onto serving plate. Prepare glaze by mixing sugar and juice together in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze evenly over top of cake. Recipe makes 10 servings.
Fig and Apple Compote
Ingredients
2 Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
14 ounces dried figs
1 (2-inch) stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups apple cider
Place the apples, figs, and cinnamon stick into a large saucepan. Pour in the lemon juice and apple cider. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the compote as it cooks if you prefer the compote thinner. Serve warm or cold with your favorite ice cream. Recipe makes 2 cups, or 16 servings.
Fig and Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped fresh or dried figs
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup finely chopped kalamata olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped toasted macadamia nuts
1 (8 ounce) package low-fat cream cheese
Combine figs and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cook until tender and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Add olives and garlic; mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend. Unwrap cream cheese and place on a serving platter. Spoon tapenade over cream cheese, and sprinkle with nuts. Serve with French bread or crackers. Recipe makes 6 servings.
Fig, Goat Cheese, and Candied Walnut Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salad:
1 tablespoon local honey
8 small, fresh figs, divided
3 ounces soft goat cheese
2 large handfuls of arugula
2 large handfuls of mixed greens
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped, candied walnuts
Preheat the oven to broil, and line a small baking pan with foil. While the oven preheats,
prepare the dressing by whisking olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and Dijon mustard together
in a small bowl. Remove stems from the top of the figs. Cut 4 figs into quarters, from top to
bottom, slicing almost but not all the way through, leaving the figs attached at the base. Place
the figs on the small baking pan and spread them open; lightly brush them with honey. Place a
teaspoon of goat cheese in the center of each cut fig. Broil the figs and goat cheese for 2–4
minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and turn slightly golden. Slice the remaining 4
figs into rounds. While the figs and cheese are broiling, toss the arugula and mixed greens
with the dressing and place the arugula/greens salad on 2 salad plates. Arrange the sliced figs and remaining dollops of goat cheese on top of each salad. When ready, place two broiled figs on each salad and sprinkle with nuts. Serve salads immediately.
Figs, Grilled with Bacon
6 slices bacon
12 fresh figs
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Cook the bacon until lightly brown but not crisp. Cut each bacon slice in half; wrap each half around a fig and secure with a toothpick. Grill until figs are tender. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving. Recipe makes 6 servings.
Glazed Meyer Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, slowly beat in flour mixture. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle cookies with glaze and let set for about 1 hour. Recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
Ingredients
1 small garlic glove, peeled and diced
2 fresh red Hawaiian chili peppers, stems removed and halved
1 teaspoon Hawaiian salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 3/4 cup water
Place garlic, peppers, and salt into a bowl and use a muddler or pestle (to mash ingredients together and release their flavor) until incorporated. Place chili pepper mixture into bottle or jar and set aside. Bring water and vinegar to a rolling boil, turn off heat, and allow to cool (about 10 to 15 minutes). Add water mixture to bottle or jar and seal tightly; keep refrigerated. Recipe makes about 2 cups.
Lemon Squares
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Topping:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking power
Powdered sugar
Instructions
Crust:
Preheat electric oven to 350° F. Cream ingredients together. Spread into 9” x 13” pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Topping:
Cream eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon juice together; add flour and baking power. Pour over hot crust and bake for an additional 25 minutes at 350° F. Dust with powdered sugar. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Recipe makes 24 servings.
Mango Bread
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 cups chopped mangoes
3/4 cup salad oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat electric oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Sift flour with baking soda and cinnamon into mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, coconut, and nuts. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Recipe makes 1 loaf, 12 servings.
Pear and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
3 cups green leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn
1 Bartlett or Anjou pear, halved and cored
Seeds from 1 fresh pomegranate (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
Ground black pepper to taste
Divide the lettuce between two bowls. Divide the pear slices and pomegranate seeds among the two bowls and mix gently. In a saucepan, combine the vegetable oil, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, mustard, honey, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the dressing thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Pour the warm dressing over the salads and serve. Recipe makes 2 servings.
NOTE: Pomegranates can be enjoyed as a fresh fruit, sprinkled on a fruit salad or on a mixed greens salad, squeezed into juice, or used in cooking.
Pansit
Ingredients
8 ounces long rice
4 large dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 pound lean pork
1/4 pound shrimp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 tablespoons patis (Filipino fish sauce)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces fried egg noodles
Lemon wedges or calamansi (calamondin) halves
Soak long rice and mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes; drain. Cut long rice in 3-inch lengths. Remove stems from mushrooms; dice caps. Slice pork thinly. Shell, clean, and cut shrimp into small pieces. In a skillet, heat oil; sauté garlic and brown pork. Stir in shrimp and mushrooms; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, patis, and pepper; bring to a boil. Add long rice and noodles, stirring lightly until noodles are heated. Serve with lemon wedges or calamansi halves. Recipe makes 6 servings.
Prune-Apricot Mui
(A Chinese preserved fruit recipe)
5 pounds dried pitted prunes
1 1/2 pounds dried apricots
1/2 pound dried lemon peel, cut into pieces
1/2 pound li hing mui (Chinese dried preserved plums)
1 pound dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
3 tablespoons whiskey
3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
1 tablespoon five spice powder
10 whole cloves
In a large bowl, combine prunes, apricots, lemon peel, and li hing mui. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over fruits, mixing thoroughly. Let stand 2 days before serving. Recipe makes 1 gallon.
Recipes are courtesy of Hawaiian Electric Company.