fruits and berries

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Ok here is another unenlightened question. I ,being a strait from the sticks hillbilly, am trying to bring as much of home with me. When we were kids we used to pick wild black berries and make fried pies with them. Are there any similar fruits that grow well in the DR that would be good for making fried pies and quick jams for using for breakfast with biscuits? I am looking for something sweet, colorful and just a touch of tartness.
I want to try and try some weird ethnic merging when it comes to food.
John
P.S. on a similar theme is there a good local mozzarella and Parmesan style cheese made? I want to build my own recipes using local ingredients.
 
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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Guavas grow wild and there are several other local fruits that do so which work well in jams and pies - mangoes, and lesser known fruits like manzana de oro and cereza (like cherry but not quite).

At least two local companies make mozzarella, IMO it is good quality but who knows what a purist would think. The producers are based in the north of the country but the products are available at most large supermarkets in the capital at least.

The local take on parmesan is called Queso Picantino, made by several local producers. I would not class it an adequate substitute but judge for yourself.

Try the www.dominicancooking.com message board perhaps?

In any case I hope you will share the results of your experiments with us.

Happy New Year,

Chiri
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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no way purist

I am not a purist I am just a Navy cook that is wanting to play around when I retire. I will be there in 17 months and then I am goign to start playing around with local ingediants.
I am a country boy and I feel food is a shared thing so I will share any recipes I build up.
ManzaNA dE ORE THAT MEAN GOLDEN APLLE? Is that similar to star fruit of something like that. I know that there is insufficiant chill time for apple to bud so it really is not able to produce there.
JOhn
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Don't know what manzana de oro is in English, the literal meaning is golden apple but it's not really anything like an apple. All apples here are imported.

Star fruit is carambola here. Forgot to mention chinola - passion fruit which is also abundant.

You will have fun discovering all the many unusual fruits that grow here, like granadillo, nispero, mamon and jagua. No idea what they are called in English!

The purist remark wasn't aimed at you in particular, just a way of saying I am not a mozzarella connaisseur but that the locally produced variety seemed OK to me.

Chiri
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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if it is good it is good

My goal is not to replicate the authentic but rather to make something that somehow seems oddly familiar yet different. Making a Chicken cordon blue that instead of being breaded is made by skinning and boning the chicken then stuffing the ham chicken and cheese back in its skin and cooking it on a rotisserie. Served with saffron rice pilaf and Asian stir fried vegetables and grilled pineapple while some kid is cranking an ice-cream freezer and a cobbler is baking. By the way while all this is cooking someone chiseling on a 300-pound block of ice just for the show.
So do not worry I did not take offense to the purist I was just wanting to let you know I am open to almost anything as long is can taste good.
John
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Some apples are grown here!

Up in Constanza, and I'd bet you could grow black berries there too. I saw them in Mallorca, so they should grow here, up in the mountains. I'll have to ask Mr. Ure?a if he has tried that....he grows Macadamia nuts galoore!

HB

And they are grown aplenty in Guatemala. In fact, Guatemala exports blackberries to the US every day!
 

Tom F.

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Jan 1, 2002
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One of my favorites in zapote. Don't know if you can make a jelly with it. I like it nice and ripe and just eat it will a spoon. I have only seen Dominicans make batidas with it.

The tart fruits are the dominican cereza (now sold in frozen form in Bodegas in NYC), chinola, or tamarindo. Guava and mananza de oro never did much for me eating them raw.

I had a jagua drink in the campo one time, it was bad. If it had some medicinal value maybe I could try it again.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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thanks everyone

I am so glad I am getting this information. I hope to get to use fruits that outsiders would have never heard of. Also does anyone have a red fruit that would work in a sweet and sour sauce?
I make a mean sweet and sour using lemon juice and pineapple To replace the cherries I just need a red fruit or berry to give it the red color.
John.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Sweet fruit

Any sweet colorful fruit would work I think. To make it tart I could use a little lemon juice. I am realy going to have fun when I get down for good. 559 days until retirement and 492 until I go on terminal leave. Life is good.
John