Cooking with Fruit:: The Complete Guide to Using Fruit Throughout the Meal, the Day, the Year

High in fiber, low in fat, fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet. But how to incorporate it beyond the usual apple in the lunchbox? The answer of Boston-area fruit growers Payne and Speyer is to use it in every meal, from breakfast to entrees. Each chapter of their book covers a different fruit, and features various recipes that will put that fruit in everything from pancakes to consomme. The authors also provide a brief history of each fruit, information on its nutritional value, and tips on how to select, store and prepare it. There is even information about cultivation for the ambitious. The emphasis is on using fresh fruit--but some recipes call for dried or canned. Payne and Speyer's recipes are an excellent way to increase your consumption of fruit, whatever the reason. They include such classic recipes as figs and prosciutto, and intriguing diversions like sole with pears. One chapter concerns exotica--e.g., persimmons and lychees. (May)