Frozen fruit (Recipe: raspberry, lime and mint smoothie)
I live in a fruit-challenged part of the country.
Don't get me wrong. We have fruit, just not the fruit I crave.
Ten miles up the road, in the area known as Apple Valley, you can find apples, of course, and also pears, blackberries and raspberries. Closer to my house, just a mile up the road, is Cherry Valley, but I don't know anyone who grows cherries there.
The fruit I love most -- grapes, plums, middle-of-winter casaba melons -- comes from valleys much farther away, so in order to get fresh fruit year-round, I keep flash-frozen fruit in my pantry.
Sounds strange, I know, but individually quick frozen (IQF) fruits, prepared commercially or in your own kitchen, frozen at the peak of ripeness, retain almost all of their flavor and nutrient value. And until I move closer to the valleys that grow my favorite fruit, I'll continue to stock up on frozen.
What is frozen fruit?
Frozen fruit is 100% natural, with no added sugar or preservatives.
How/where to store:
In the freezer, for up to one year.
More facts about frozen fruit, and ingredient photos, in The Perfect Pantry:
Frozen fruit (Recipe: fruit whiz)
Raspberry, lime and mint smoothie
An indulgent smoothie, made extra-special with frozen yogurt. Serves 2.
Ingredients
6 oz frozen raspberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 scoops vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt
Juice of two limes
6 spearmint leaves
1 banana, cut into chunks
Pinch of black pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Pink yink ink drink
Mango lassi
Lemons stuffed with sherbet
Other recipes that use frozen fruit:
Almost-instant frozen fruit yogurt, from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Frozen mango dessert, from Andrea Meyers
Tropical fruit soup, from David Lebovitz
Triple berry French toast, from Culinary in the Country








Posted by: Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) | June 6, 2010 at 01:13 AM
I love frozen fruit in smoothies. That looks so refreshing, yum!
Jenn
Posted by: Erin from Long Island | June 6, 2010 at 05:52 AM
It's a bitch living where we do sometimes, isn't it? I love mangoes and papaya and peaches above all else. Long Island peaches have a very short season, so local sources are sadly not really possible.
I love frozen fruit in smoothies in the very few I make. Of course, I would love to make yours with a bt of rum = )
Posted by: bellini valli | June 6, 2010 at 06:58 AM
I'd have to say that the fuit I always have on hand would be blueberries. Got to have my blueberries.
Posted by: T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types | June 6, 2010 at 07:33 AM
This has a beautiful color. I'm planning to rely on smoothies a bit, as I try to make good use of summer fruit - especially the fruit I've already started to freeze.
Posted by: mae | June 6, 2010 at 09:16 AM
As a hater of bananas, I've always regretted that smoothies were not for me. Smoothies always seem to have a banana in them. Using my immersion blender, however, I sometimes mix fruit (even canned apricots or mangoes!) and milk ingredients into some other blended beverage.
Posted by: Kalyn | June 6, 2010 at 10:04 AM
I love this fruit combination. Raspberries are one of the fruits I really like (I'm not a big fruit eater; I know I should do better!) I've been thinking about planting some berry bushes along the back fence of my garden. Need to check into it and see how much work they are.
Posted by: Julia | June 6, 2010 at 10:48 AM
Looks like a wonderful smoothie! And in just a few weeks, you'll be able to get local raspberries.
Posted by: Heidi | June 6, 2010 at 01:16 PM
I love to throw frozen cherries, Greek yogurt, skim milk and a little bit of sugar in the blender.
Recently, I blended a slush drink with frozen strawberries & lemon-flavored seltzer! Yum. My blender base is living on the counter this summer.
Posted by: Dave Andresen | June 6, 2010 at 06:22 PM
Hi All;
Some years ago, I would venture down to "Pine Island" n extract a pickum-up truck load of fallen mango fruit to be used by the "Meals on Wheels" group in Sarasota Fl.
I/we always kept a bit of old damaged brown n (very ripe) product for our selvs.
Wine, Yes! very good, preserves,yes! very good.
Now I have more recipes,"smoothies".
Dave A.
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | June 6, 2010 at 10:20 PM
Jenn, this is one of my favorite smoothies. You'll love it!
Erin, a bit of rum would definitely take this out of the breakfast category... or would it?
Valli, blueberries would give this wonderful color and flavor.
TW, those strawberries you picked up at your CSA farm would be perfect in this smoothie.
Mae, you can probably get away without the banana here; the frozen yogurt adds some thickness. Worth a try; the flavor will be delicious.
Kalyn, the raspberry bushes behind our house were invasive, so we took them out. And now, five years later, they're back. So I guess I'm saying beware of the berry bushes.
Julia, my friend Bob has a large raspberry patch where I have picking privileges. I'm looking forward to that.
Heidi, my blender has been seeing a lot of action over the past few weeks, too, as the heat's gone up.
Dave, mango smoothies are delicious!
Posted by: eleni | June 7, 2010 at 08:32 AM
This smoothie is an antioxidant "bomb"... excellent for the body and for the palate, of course!!!
Posted by: carol, boston | June 7, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Quick! Tell me where to re-locate for year-round local watermelon? (my favorite but closely followed by all things "berry".)
@ Mae, I am also not a huge banana fan and hate them in smoothies. Try the "cape codder" smoothie from "Boloco" should you find yourself in Boston.
Posted by: Lana | June 7, 2010 at 09:33 PM
I am in Orange County, California, and I still miss my fruit! We have not eaten any strawberries this season, because they are huge, mutant, with a lot of white around the stem. No fragrance whatsoever. And I cannot find any pick-your-own-fruit farms around here:(
When we were living in Ohio, the farms were everywhere. It seems I have to move to North California to get the goodies.
And your smoothie looks wonderfully delicious. I love freezing fresh fruit (if I EVER find some good ones!)
Posted by: Andrea Meyers | June 7, 2010 at 09:39 PM
We buy frozen fruit, too, especially frozen mango for smoothies and frozen berries for just about anything. That smoothie looks wonderful!