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Farmers market report: Pomegranates are in season

Pomegranates at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
(David Karp / For The Times)
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What’s in season: Anyone who has ever dealt with a fresh pomegranate, generally in season from late September through December, can appreciate the project that comes with extracting the juicy arils — the juicy fruit-like covering around the seeds — from the leathery flesh and pulp. But the results are well worth it for the sweet-tart flavor they provide. Look for heirloom varieties, such as light-skinned Spanish Sweet pomegranates, or newer varieties, such as flavorful Angel Red fruits.

What to cook: Fresh pomegranate arils are usually served as a garnish, adding color and bright notes to salads, fall stuffings, dips and soups. So what’s the best way to tackle a pomegranate? Simply halve or quarter the fruits and submerge them under water. Slowly peel away the arils; they will sink to the bottom of the bowl as the skin and pulp float to the top.

What’s on the horizon: Related to apples and pears, quince can be grown almost year-round but is typically found during fall and winter months, and we recently spotted varieties including pineapple and Cooke’s jumbo.

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Click on the photo gallery for some of our favorite pomegranate recipes:

POMEGRANATE-GLAZED ORANGE CHEESECAKE

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Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus 4 hours chilling | Serves 10-12

Note: This pretty cheesecake is from Mayi Brady of The Times’ Test Kitchen. To toast almonds, heat a dry skillet and add the nuts, shaking the skillet often, for about 5 minutes. Look for pomegranate juice with the refrigerated juices in well-stocked supermarkets.

CRUST

1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs

1/4 cup ground toasted almonds

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the vanilla wafers, almonds, sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

3. Bake the crust until just very lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let come to room temperature.

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CAKE

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (8-ounce) tub mascarpone

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

4 eggs

Grated zest of 1 orange

1. Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the cream and then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Stir in the zest. Pour into the cooled crust.

2. Place the springform pan inside a larger pan filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake the cake until the center is still a little soft but the edges are set and the top is lightly browned, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then chill at least 4 hours.

GLAZE

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups pomegranate juice, divided

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

1. Stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice and set aside.

2. Bring the remaining pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Stir in the juice-cornstarch mixture and simmer 2 minutes to thicken.

3. Let the glaze come to room temperature, then pour over the chilled cheesecake. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds.

Each of 12 servings 399 calories; 263 mg. sodium; 151 mg. cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.54 gram fiber.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter

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