Seasonal Fruit Dessert Class: May 31, 2008 ~Eats

We ate a lot of seasonal fruit desserts today.
    too many?
Well, that's relative.
    to what?
Hmmm.
    yes?
It's relative to not enough.

What we made in class:

Tulare Cherry-Cornmeal Cake
Biscuits
Blackberry-Rhubarb Cobbler
Honey Sabayon
Seemingly Disparate Fruit Salad:
    cucumber, jicama, mango, basil, orange segments, young ginger, & a pinch of serrano pepper

What we saw:

Cherry Stones Roasted and Smashed With A Hammer

What we ate:

Everything We Made
Strawberry-Buttermilk-Ricotta Bavarian with Strawberry Coulis
Melon with Honey Sabayon and a dash of Bee Pollen

and...
    drumroll, really?
Yes, Drumroll!

            A   MANGOSTEEN ! ! ! !

Comments

[Michael Moore]

Hi Shuna, thanks for the great class! We learned a ton of stuff and were talking about various little observations long past dinner.

In your honor I broiled some apricots and drizzled honey on them.

Thanks so much for the great time.
Michael & Jackie

[Tartelette]

What a lot of wonderful things...Only had dried or canned mangosteens so far..but I love them! Lucky you!

[Aran]

melon with honey sabayon and bee pollen...? oh shuna, that sounds like a perfect dessert for a hot florida day... what a great class!

Aran!! Yes, and i think you're the right person for the job. ~ Shuna

[Camille]

Perhaps you can help me understand the mangosteen thing. Why are they so hard to find in the U.S.? Here in Paris, I see them in most of the Asian markets. What's the deal? I know they need to be irradiated to be sold in the U.S., but why? It's made me wary of trying it, but at the same time, I am drawn to this "forbidden" fruit.

Camille, the full answer is complicated, but I will attempt to answer it in a full post soon. Thanks for your enquery. ~ Shuna

[Diane]

I like fruit salad with serranos. i sometimes do this and sprinkle chaat masala over it as well to make an Indian-style fruit salad.

[lisa schiffman]

Thank you Shuna--the class was incredible. It was such a wonderful gift to be able to sit back and learn from you. Since it was my first class with you, I wasn't sure what to expect and was stoked to realize that I didn't have to prep and cook on the spot, but could instead really, really listen and learn. I loved your micro-discussions about the role "sound" plays in your life in the kitchen. That notion was pretty transformative. I'm looking forward to the next class... Lisa

[Rachelle]

Shuna,
Thanks again for an incredible class. It was such an honor to be your "assistant", though I hardly feel my small contribution warrants that title. I have been sharing and enjoying my "leftovers" for the past couple days... delicious! They have received many compliments from my friends and family. I also made a duplicate bowl of fruit salad like the one in class, plus a batch of biscuits over the weekend. The biscuits were the best I've ever made, thanks to your class. It never occurred to me to use the KitchenAid to make biscuits, as most recipes I've seen recommend using a Cuisinart. I'm here to say that the KitchenAid works magic.
Thank you for another enlightening experience. I hope that there will be more classes soon.
~Rachelle