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Happy Monday!! We're having a party this week and I want all of you to be a "virtual" part of it! Special friends of ours have had a most amazing answer to prayer, and a few couples are getting together to celebrate and praise God for His goodness and faithfulness.
One of the invitees called and asked what she could bring. I told her that if she would be the "funmeister", I would be the "foodmeister". She will be bringing something sparkly to drink and toast with as well as a few crazy games for us to play. These are usually team games; women against the men. I asked her to make sure to include at least one game that the men can't possibly win, since they usually clean our clocks! 🙂 I have the menu planned and am starting to prepare ahead, so we are all set to go!
Today I'm sharing a wonderful Roasted Pinneapple and Pear Salsa recipe and will be serving it with a delicious Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce (recipe and pictures tomorrow!). The salsa can be made a day or two ahead of time and is actually better this way as the flavors have a chance to meld. It's not only a great accompaniment to this pork dish, but is also awesome with tortilla or pita chips for a snack or appetizer.
When I first came up with this salsa, I roasted all of the pineapple and pears. The result was delicious, but wasn't very attractive as the roasted fruit takes on a somewhat dull sheen. I changed the recipe to roast just half of the fruit and keep the other half fresh. The result is a winner, with the awesome taste of the roasted, caramelized fruit combining with the vibrant taste and beautiful color of the fresh fruit, peppers, onion and cilantro.
I'm also planning a tasty but easy Spring Vegetable Saute for the party which I'll share on Wednesday. I'm not going to spill all the beans today, so I'll keep the dessert a surprise. You can look forward to a refreshing and fairly light dessert which I will share in two parts on Thursday and Friday.
There you have it! - A fun party and recipes that will be great for your next get-together, yet simple enough for an family meal or snack. ENJOY!
Roasted Pear and Pineapple Salsa
½ medium fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
3 medium fresh pears, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 medium jalapeno, cored, seeded and finely chopped
½ medium red bell pepper, chopped into small dice
½ medium red onion, chopped into small dice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
4 tablespoon fresh lime juice, (generally 1 lime yields 2 ½-3 tablespoons juice)
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
1. Preheat oven. In the meantime, chop half of the pineapple and half of the pears into approximately one inch chunks. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray to coat with cooking spray. Place chopped fruit on prepared pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Toss to coat fruit with the sugar.
2. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and gently stir fruit being careful not to tear foil. Return to oven and repeat process two times for a total baking time of 15 minutes. Fruit should be golden brown and caramelized on the edges. If necessary return to oven for a few more minutes, watching carefully. You want the fruit to be golden brown but not burned. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool.
3. While fruit is cooling, chop the other half of the fruit into small dice. Combine this fruit and the remaining ingredients in a medium size bowl.
4. Once roasted fruit is cooled, chop into small dice and add to mixture in bowl. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be prepared 1-2 days ahead of time.
The Cafe Sucre Farine says
Sandy, who knows? Maybe we'll have another chance encounter at the grocery store! 🙂 - although I'd rather to just sit and sip a cup of tea with you some day!
SandyM says
Remember I saw you at the grocery that very day? Well, we've eaten the pineapple, & I ate the pears (DH doesn't like them), because I knew I wasn't going to get the salsa made. So I'll have to buy them again... 'cause I AM going to try this!
sweetpeaskitchen.com says
I love all of the amazing colors in this fruit salsa. I bet it tastes incredible. I am bookmarking this...I bet it would be wonderful on a summer evening! 🙂
Sandy says
Make that, "blog" not "blot"!!!
Sandy says
Heading to the grocery I decided to check in here for some new ideas. I already had the ingredients for pineapple/mango salsa on my list, but I think I'll try this. I tried to get to you at the reception Sat. PM to tell you that I'm so glad you are doing the blot & that it is beautiful. But just couldn't wade through the crowd & when I did get to you, you were deep in conversation w/someone. So thanks for the recipes & beautiful pictures that make me want to do them!
Karen says
This sounds delicious and I can't wait, as I am one of those attending this celebration!