Frozen fruit drinks quench summertime thirsts

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Frozen fruit drinks quench summertime thirsts

Thursday, July 20, 2000

By Arlene Burnett, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

You can quench your thirst by gulping down a glass of ice water, or you can slowly sip a Cantaloupe Cooler or an Orange-Mango Smoothie. Or maybe a Strawberry Spritzer.

An Orange-Mango Smoothie blends milk, orange juice, banana and mango. (Joyce Mendelsohn, Post-Gazette)

These fruit coolers are made with fresh fruit, frozen fruit or fruit juice in a blender. Most are nonalcoholic, although one recipe calls for rum. In another, rum is optional.

There's no other way to describe Cantaloupe Cooler but to say it tastes like a creamy cantaloupe. The kids loved it and thought it tasted like a Creamsicle.

Orange Mango Smoothie is a tropical drink. The orange juice, banana and mango blend well together. But make sure you get a ripe mango -- an under-ripe mango could ruin this drink.

Mango Rum Batidas also calls for mango with the addition of lime and rum. This fruit cooler looks pretty served in a margarita glass.

Strawberry Spritzer Pitcher was our favorite fruit cooler. Chunks of sweet strawberry float through this refreshing drink. We made it twice, the second time with vodka (about 1 cup). It's delicious with or without the vodka.

Pina Colada is another tropical drink but without the rum (and you won't even notice).

Pineapple Apricot Cooler sounds refreshing, and it is. The apricot and pineapple are a perfect pairing for this drink.

Fresh raspberries and raspberry sherbet are the main ingredients of Creamy Raspberry Sipper. It is a great way to take advantage of fresh raspberries while they last.

Pineapple Orange Slush tasted like a gelato (Italian Ice) This was another favorite.

Prepare fruit with care

We hate to bring this up. You're thinking of a nice cool drink, and now we toss out the nasty topic of upset tummies and other troubles. Maybe you've never even given a through to washing the melon before you drop it into the Cantaloupe Cooler.

Cindy Javor, nutrition and health agent at Allegheny County's Penn State Cooperative Extension, recommends washing melons. "Melons contain bacteria on their skins that can be transferred into the flesh by the knife that you use to cut them," she said. "In fact, there have been cases of salmonella in store cut melons."

Javor passed on these tips from the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S.

A Pina Colada is another sweet summer treat, but you might not be able to tell it doesn't contain rum. (Joyce Mendelsohn, Post-Gazette)

Department of Agriculture:

Fresh produce must be washed under cold tap water to remove any lingering dirt. This will help reduce bacteria that may be present.

If the produce is firm, such as an apple or melon, it can be lightly scrubbed with a brush.

Never use detergent or soap. These products are not approved or labeled by the federal Food and Drug Administration for use on foods. You could ingest residue from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce.

When preparing fresh produce, cut away any damaged or bruised areas because bacteria that cause illness can thrive in those places. Immediately refrigerate any fresh-cut items for best quality and food safety.

In short, the chance of foodborne illness from fresh fruit can be greatly reduced by following these simple guidelines. Here are other tips from the federal Food and Drug Administration:

Fresh produce should be refrigerated within two hours of peeling or cutting. Leftover cut produce should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Wash hands often with hot soapy water when cooking with fresh produce.

Wash surfaces often. Use one clean cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for other foods, such as meat or poultry.

Fresh fruit tips

Here are some fun facts about fruit -- what you need to know, what you want to know, what you would like to know.

They come from "The Food Lover's Tiptionary," by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Room temperature fruit will yield more juice than refrigerated fruit

To get the most juice from citrus fruits, prick the skin several times with a fork, being careful not to go all the way to the flesh. Microwave on high uncovered for 10 to 20 seconds, depending on the size of the fruit. Let stand 2 minutes, then roll the fruit on the counter top with the palm of your hand.

If you don't have a microwave, place the fruit in a preheated 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. Cool before juicing.

The zest of citrus fruit (cut or grated) can be kept in a heavy duty freezer bag in the freezer for up to six months.

It's easier to grate citrus fruit by running it diagonally across a grater, rather than up and down.

Cantalope and honeydew (as well as casaba, Crenshaw and Persian) are muskmelons. When ripe, muskmelons should give slightly when pressed at the blossom end with your finger. They should have a sweet and perfumy odor. cantalopes in particular should have a thick, well-raised, cream colored netting over a golden green rind.

Fresh lemon juice can be placed in ice cube trays and frozen in heavy duty freezer bags in the freezer for up to six months.

Only need a drop of lemon? Pierce the skin with a toothpick and squeeze out what you need. Reinsert the toothpick and store the lemon in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Here's how to pick a ripe mango: As a mango ripens, its green skin turns yellow and red. The flesh is bright orange and quite juicy. Choose a mango with unblemished skin that's yellow with blushes of red. You'll need a sharp knife to cut around the mango's overly large seed. The juice from mangos will stain clothing, so be careful.

Three medium oranges (1 pound) will yield about 1 cup juice. That means one medium orange yields about 1/3 cup juice.

Choose oranges that are heavy and firm for their size.

One-half pint of raspberries yields 1 cup. Remove any moldy raspberries before storing. The fungus will spread to other berries if you don't.