Pomegranate Recipe Pt. 3: The Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a wonderful fruit, but it's also really tricky! Unless you go get a bottle of juice (which is infinitely easier but less rewarding, i think), you have your work cut out for you! Here are some helpful hints for how to conquer the pomegranate.

Warning! You may not want to wear your best white blouse or shirt while doing this as the juice sprays wherever it wants to and can stain!

De-Seeding
The seeds are actually the part you eat, which I didn't know until my first encounter.

1. Cut your pomegranate in half.
2. Get out a medium to large bowl and fill it with lukewarm water. (Most directions I have seen say cold, but I froze my fingers doing as such in London).
3. Add the halves of pomegranate into the water, seeds facing down and round rind facing up. Depending on the size of the bowl, you may only be able to do one at a time.
4. Let the pomegranate halves sit for 10 minutes.
5. Now the fun part! Carefully peel away the white membrane to expose the deliciously red arils (or seeds). The arils will sink, and the membrane will float. Also, watch out! If you are not gentle enough, you will get squirted by an exploding seed.

Have patience! This could take a while.

6. Skim off the floating membrane as best as you can. Pour the water and seeds into a strainer that has holes small enough that the seeds will not escape. Rinse with a gentle stream of cold water to remove any extra membrane.

It takes a lot of seeds to make the amount of juice you'll want for both the cupcakes and the frosting, so don't be surprised if you need more than one pomegranate. Otherwise, POM and other bottled juices are good as well and save the time.


De-juicing!

Ok, there are many ways to de-juice the pomegranate, and I'm going to give you two.

Way One:
Place all the harvested seeds into a freezer bag and roll over it with a rolling pin.

Advantage: Fast and easy!!
Disadvantage: The crushed seeds within the juice arils will make your juice slightly bitter.

Way Two:
Place all the harvested seeds into a freezer bag, sit down, and play pop the seed!! When done, open a hole in the bag just big enough for the juice to come out but the pulp to stay in the bag.

Advantage: You don't get the bitterness and you get a fun game similar to bubble-wrap.
Disadvantage: The game is very tedious and can take a long time.



You no longer have any reason to fear the pomegranate!! Have fun and I hope your kitchens smell fabulous after this! :D

Pomegranate Recipe Pt. 2: The Frosting

Because I'm in love with pomegranates, I want these cupcakes to be ultra-flavored! To top off our pomegranate cupcakes, let's add the frosting.

Pomegranate Frosting!!

Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter softened or vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp of pomegranate juice (more only if your mixture looks dry)

Directions
1. Cream the butter. (Note, if you're using vegetable oil as a substitute, then you can skip this part).
2. Add in the pomegranate juice and mix until well blended.
3. Add the powdered sugar in slowly as you mix. You may include more juice if the mixture is looking a bit dry.
4. Frost your cupcakes! :D

Pomegranate Recipe Pt. 1: Cupcakes

I promised them long ago, and I'm now delivering!! (now that I have finals to procrastinate for :P)

Pomegranate Cupcakes!


Ingredients
1 cup white sugar (the finer, the better, but regular works too)
1/2 cup butter or vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup of pomegranate juice (fresh is best but it's also a hassle!)
1/4 cup of water, if needed

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, go ahead and line your muffin/cupcake pan with the paper liners (note that without the liners or some kind of support, the cupcakes will sink).
2. In a bowl, mix your wet ingredients. Start by mixing the sugar and butter until creamy. Then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. (hold off on the water and juice just yet)
3. In another bowl, mix your dry ingredients. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients slowly into the wet.
4. Add the juice to the mixture. If the mixture is still fairly dry, add a little bit of water as needed. Stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners, filling them to just below the top.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes. BUT! As always, you should keep an eye on the cupcakes after about the halfway point as all ovens have different interpretations of 350 degrees.
7. Set them out to cool while you mix up the frosting! :D