The Hip Hostess

Menus, tips and ideas for hosting with style!

Hip Tip: Citrus “Caviar” March 6, 2012

citrus caviar

If you’re looking for a super fancy way to garnish your cocktails or anything else that’s delicious with lime, get yourself a package of Finger Limes.  These funny looking little limes are known as citrus “caviar” because they house beautiful, tiny balls of tart citrusy goodness.  They look like roe but taste like a burst of lime.  Serve them on your favorite ceviche or on oysters.

Finger limes are available (from Australia) from January through April.  Fresh Direct recently had finger limes available, but I don’t see them listed this week.  Look for them at your local grocery store, or ask for them in the produce section and hopefully they’ll start to carry them.

 

The Hippest Berry: Kiwiberry January 14, 2012

Mini kiwis

Have you tried these amazing little fruits yet?  If not, you’re missing out.  Kiwiberries look like teeny, tiny kiwis with an edible, fuzz-free skin.  They’re adorable, but even more importantly, they’re delicious.  Biting into a kiwiberry give you a burst of sweet-tart flavor.  To me, they taste sweeter and less acidic than their regular-size cousins – a combination of melon and strawberries, with the smoothness of banana. They’re also a nutritional powerhouse; packed with antioxidants, Vitamin C, and significant amounts of Vitamins A, E, B6, B2, folate and carotenoids.  Eat them when they’re soft to the touch and slightly wrinkly.

Kiwiberries are in season in February-March in Chile, September-November in Oregon and September-October in Pennsylvania.  I look for them whenever I pass by the berries in the fall/ winter, but sadly only find them on occasion.  When they’re available, you can get them at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Fairway.  Start asking for them at your local grocery store and hopefully they’ll start to stock them too.  Or you can order them directly from the growers in Pennsylvania, KiwiBerry Organics, when they’re in season.

Serve these bite-size berries on a fruit platter at a fall party, or skewer them and use them as a garnish for a kiwi-flavored cocktail or smoothie for brunch.

 

 
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