Grilled Pluot Salad & Dino Egg Crumble (2012 - Week 22)

Week 22 Featured Ingredient: Dinosaur Eggs (Pluots)

 I went to the grocery store intending to make a Thai Star Fruit Tropical Salad, but the store didn't have any Star Fruit in stock.  What they DID have were 5 or 6 different varieties of a fruit they were calling Dinosaur Eggs.  HUH?!  I had never seen them before, but they looked a lot like a plum.  Turns out they are a hybrid fruit--a pluot, a cross between a plum and an apricot.  Different varieties were different colors, ranging from yellowish to deep purple.  They had samples available, so I tried a slice --or two or three (yum!), and promptly put a couple different varieties in my cart.

Now, Jeremy and I just bought a grill-- and when I say "just", I mean Jeremy was taking it out of its box and putting it together while I was at the grocery store discovering dinosaur eggs.  (I am SOOO excited about all the new grilling options that have now opened up for me...!!)   So, I decided I wanted to GRILL everything for our meal.. including the pluots... why not?!  I found a cool salad recipe online, and it was pretty delicious.  I really liked the dressing.   And then I came up with my own quick pluot crumble recipe for dessert because I had accidentally grilled too many pluots.  Yum again.

Grilled Pluot Salad
Taken from Pig of the Month BBQ Website

Ingredients:
4 pluots, halved and pitted
olive oil for brushing
6oz bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
shallot, sliced (optional)
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
Brush halved pluots with olive oil.  Place cut side down on grill.  Grill over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes.  Let cool and cut into wedges.   For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together.  Toss spinach with dressing (you may have a lot of leftover dressing).  Transfer salad to plates and top with pluot wedges and walnuts.

Anne's Quick Dino Egg Crumble

Ingredients:
pluots, pitted and sliced
panko bread crumbs
walnuts
cinnamon
sugar
ice cream or whipped topping (optional)


Directions:
Place pluot slices in a ramekin.  Combine other ingredients and sprinkle a little bit over pluots.  Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes.  Serve with ice cream or fat free whipped topping if desired.