Beautiful Costco pomegranates -- Now what?

[pilotgirl210]

I bought six of the largest, loveliest pomegranates I've ever seen at Costco last weekend, but other than eating the seeds out of hand and tossing them in salads, I'm at a loss as to what to do with them. Any suggestions?

[freshUNI]

TRY THIS:
buy a crusty sourdough/wheat loaf.
slice into thick pieces.
lightly toast.
top with cream cheese, thinly sliced granny smith (green) apples and pomegranate seeds.
the BEST breakfast/snack.
enjoy!

[pilotgirl210]

Thanx so much for all the great responses. I had no idea I could freeze the seeds. That's a great tip! I've also discovered a great way to clean them, avoiding the nasty red stains to my freshly manicured nails...tee hee. I first fill a large bowl with cool water. I slice off the very top of the pomegranate and then slice into the top of it about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. I break the fruit apart under water and then start breaking away the seeds. The nasty dividing membranes all float to the top of the bowl and the seeds drop to the bottom. If I'd only learned this trick 20 years ago!! Again, thanx for all the suggestions!

[nutrition]

You forgot to mention to let the whole fruit to soak in the cold water for a while after scoaring them just through the peel about a 1/4 inch into about 6 sections from top to bottom. You can cut a little deeper, but not deeper then an 1/2 inch into the peel if you look for the slght indentations between sections. Cutting deeper like 1 inch will certainly cut into the ariels unnecessarily.
Of course, this is the way I have learned from experience to do it for maximum results, and others may differ! :)

[pilotgirl210]

I've never done it that way, and I never let them soak. I just break the whole thing apart after making one score across the top, and I never get any crushed ariels. Will have to give it a try, but if my system *ain't broke.............*....tee hee.

[rworange]

Scoring and soaking them for a while softens the white part and makes the seeds easier to remove. Still remove them under water, but the soaking makes it even simpler.

[nutrition]

Yep, the areils practically fall out of the pulp on their own after scoring the whole outside peel and soaking.

[pilotgirl210]

Well, I trust you, rworange, so I will give it a try. I have five huge pomegranates left and can't wait for the weekend to get them all peeled. Will be making some sauces, salads and freezing the rest!

[urbnmns]

Thanks to both of you for the great "hands clean" tip (now I don't have to bribe my spouse to do it!) :) Ditto on freezing. Yum!

Pomegranate sauce is wonderful with lamb - it's a very popular Persian dish with many variants. I've seen recipes on epicurious & there's one with grilled haloumi (a soft, bouncy salty cheese) on Bravo's website (recipes.bravotv.com) that I've been wanting to try when I get the hours (3+!) free to prep! (it's rated only 3/5, so it's not a high priority, despite my husband's obsession with haloumi!)

[HillJ]

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/457453

a pomegranate thread from earlier this month.

[pescatarian]

make crostini with brie (nice and saggy brie) and throw a few pomegranates on each.

you can make some pomegranate lemonade - not very seasonal but will still taste good

[nutrition]

I wait all year for the promegranate season to arrive. Costco has the freshest, biggest, tastiest around at half the price of other grocery outlets. Even better then WF and Bristol Farms, etc.
Most important is they are the healthiest food to eat for blood fats, digestion, brain function, blood sugar levels, etc.

[rworange]

Two great tips I got from the Chowhound boards in the past
- Add to oatmeal ... this really, really tastes great
- freeze the seeds - they freeze very well

I also like to mix them into yogurt.

I bought about a dozen last week for 75 cents a pound and took all the seeds out at once. I kept half in glass jas in the fridge to throw in the oatmeal in the morning and froze the other half. I'm considering making some pomegranite gelatin.

This will only use up a few, but they are nice to garnish a glass of sparkling wine.

[bigjimbray]

I know its work but in the end your friends, neighbors, and relatives, will thank you for
a gift of homemade jelly. It is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity as far as jams/jellies are made. If you try it , you will thank me and the other person above for
suggestiong it.

[bebevonbernstein]

I also use them in oatmeal, with toasted pecans and maple syrup. I will say that one of the things that I like about 'em is that they last a long, long time, even in the fridge.

Has anyone every tried juicing them?

[willownt]

My grandma juices them before they become pomegranate jelly. I am not sure how she juices them, though. Pomegranate jelly is really *amazingly* delicious! I don't know if you have enough fruit to make much jelly, though.

I find them fabulous on their own, and they seem to last a while on the countertop.

[highforpie]

Try tossing them over plain frozen yogurt or ice cream. Very yummy!

[oakjoan]

Can you eat the seeds, too? I always thought you had to suck off the juicy fruit and spit out the seeds. Never could figure how folks put them on salads, etc. Now I get the idea that one can eat the whole seed. True?

[rworange]

Yep. You can eat the seed. I was like you for years, I'd suck the juicce and spit the seed out. There is even ground pomegranate seeds that are sold for mid-eastern dishes.

[pescatarian]

I've never eaten a pomegranate and NOT eaten the seeds. They are delicious and crunchy - and completely edible.

[Egg]

Pomegranate jelly!
Pomegranate granita?
And I know you said you're eating them in salads, but I *love* a salad of just pomegrante, raw fennel, blue cheese plus balsamic vinaigrette.

[oakjoan]

Yeah, I'd appreciate pomegranate recipes, too. We've been getting at least 3 a week in our CSA box for the past month. They're starting to pile up!. Will look for recipes for jelly...maybe there's a recipe around for pomegranate molasses!