During these cold and dreary months of mid-winter, it’s a good time to consume as much fruit as possible. And with the new year as well, a lot of people are looking to get healthy. That’s why fruit baskets make a perfect gift for these mid-winter milestones, from birthdays to anniversaries and more. GiftTree’s gift baskets of fruit are filled with premium gift-grade pears, juicy California oranges and of course, our home state, Washington-grown crisp and perfect apples. Every piece of fruit in our gift baskets is hand-selected, inspected and arranged perfectly, so your recipient gets the best fruit basket they’ve ever seen.
With fruit on the mind, we decided to put together a few of our favorite fruit recipes, too! Keep reading to get some fresh ideas for delicious fruit gifts.
🍎 🍊 🍐 A Few Of Our Favorite Fruit Recipes 🍎 🍊 🍐
Our Favorite Pear Salad
For the Roasted Pear Vinaigrette: 1 large ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut in half
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
2 to 3 teaspoons honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Salad:
1 head Red Leaf or Romaine Lettuce, washed and roughly-chopped
2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup candied walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the pear halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place the pan in the oven and roast the pear for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. To make the vinaigrette, place the roasted pear, remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, shallot, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top with the sliced pears, candied walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, and pomegranate arils. Drizzle with roasted pear vinaigrette and toss. Serve immediately.
French 75 Punch with Oranges
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces (2 cups) gin (preferably a London dry gin, such as Tanqueray)
8 ounces (1 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces (3/4 cup) simple syrup
1/2 teaspoon orange bitters
32 ounces (4 cups) Champagne or other dry sparkling wine, chilled
1 large ice block or two smaller blocks
8 orange wheels, for garnish
PREPARATION
In a punch bowl, combine the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters and stir until thoroughly blended. Just before serving, pour in the Champagne and stir gently. Add the ice and garnish with the orange wheels. To serve, ladle into punch glasses.
Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Apple
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-size acorn squash (approx. 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, diced (approx. 1 and 1/2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
2 celery, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
2 apples, cored and chopped (approx. 1 cup, preferably Granny Smith)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the top stem off of the acorn squash then cut it in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and softer pieces then rub the outer edges of the flesh with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place each half facing down onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Once the squash is done, turn off the oven and set it aside to cool. Meanwhile, warm the two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrot, sprinkling with salt. Allow to cook for another 3 minutes. Next, add the apples, turmeric, curry and ginger, stirring together and cooking for 5 more minutes. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh of the roasted acorn squash into the pot and stir. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a low boil, cooking for another 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or wait for it to cool and transfer it to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pot to reheat if needed. Divide the soup into separate bowls and garnish with a swirl of coconut milk, salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Comment Below
What’s your favorite recipe that features succulent in-season fruit?
