How is one quick way you can jazz up any dish with a bit of whimsy? Starfruit!!! I love dreamlike shapes (hearts, stars, moons,smiley faces). I have been intrigued by this fruit for years. But kind of nervous to try. If you pick up the fruit it has a waxy texture to the outside. The thought of peeling this fruit is a nightmare. But after reading a couple of facts about this beautiful fruit I learned that most recipes recommend the fruit to be eaten in its raw state without peeling the waxy layer. Its recommended to cut the fruit into THIN vertical slices so that you can maximize the fascinating shape. Another reason I was tempted to stay away was that I thought the fruit would be overly sweet like a pineapple. As the starfruit (a.k.a. carambola) ripens it moves from a greenish tone to a bright yellow. Think of the coloring of another tropical fruit like the banana. When unripened there is a greenish hue to the fruit and as it ripens it develops an intense yellow shade of color and once you start to see brown spots the fruit is beginning to become overripe. The texture of the waxy peel is hardly noticeable once you cut the slices thin. Also when you think of tropical fruit ; it is easy to imagine a juicy, sweet bite. The starfruit is quite crisp - think of the crunch when biting into an apple - there is that really bright crisp bite. However I found the flavor to be more like a dry nectarine. The flavor is familiar but not automatically common and the tone doesn't linger on your taste buds. It really is a great addition to a salad. First it adds such a dazzling display as a garnish or topping to the salad. Plus with it not being overly flavorful it blends really well with other flavors but gives that fresh bite and sturdy texture with its crispy bite. Nutritionally, there is a lot of good that comes from the starfruit. Like most tropical fruits it is a vitamin C powerhouse. It is a lot of fruit for a little amount of calories. The average starfruit will only cost you about forty calories with a good fiber exchange. According to this website http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Fruits/Carambola.html : a starfruit has the ability to meet fifteen percent of the recommending fiber intake.
A starfruit is really easy way to try a new produce item that probably isn't common in your household. It is mild flavor. Easy preparation before eating. Wash the fruit under water, remove the ends, and slice vertically. There were about three seeds that were easy to spot near the center of the fruit that we just flicked out with the knife. And voila you have a fruit ready to eat. Plus it is star-shaped! How much fun is it to eat foods in fun shapes? And this one is naturally made like a star.
May your HealthFULL Journey delight you with the beauty and whimsy of nature. 'Til we meet again. . .
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