Prickly Pears: The Desert’s Dessert

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Arizona is well into the hottest part of summer. Temperatures are guaranteed triple digits with an added element of humidity from the monsoons. Mind you not ‘in the South’ kind of humidity but when it’s 113 outside and you throw in 35% humidity, it’s pretty miserable. There is ONE thing I will brave the August heat for though…prickly pears. From the spring’s gorgeous blooms, the prickly pear cactus makes a delicious (and definitely p-r-i-c-k-l-y) lightly sweet fruit. The ‘pear’ as the fruit is called can be harvested and made into an unbelievably neon pink syrup; perfect for cocktails, mocktails and dressings. It’s really quite easy to make; requiring only a few basic kitchen supplies, a pair of thick gardening gloves and a set of tongs.

The pokey pokey…that’s what it’s all about!

 

 

Prickly Pear cacti (Cactaceae Opuntia) vary tremendously in size. In the spring, they explode with beautiful yellow, red or purple flowers which later become the fruit; also known as  ‘pear’ or ‘tuna’. The big paddle part of the plant is also edible although I don’t have any experience with that… yet. I love the Prickly Pear cacti because it offers two wonderful (and free) gifts. In April, the blooms are spectacular; like stop the car, I need a picture of that SPECTACULAR! Then, about 4 months later, the prickly pear is covered with this delicious cotton candy like fruit – free for the pickin’…to anyone with a set of tongs

 

 

The fruit of the prickly pear has two sets of slivers or ‘spines’. The large ones are easy to see and pretty easy to avoid. The tiny hair-like spines are the ones you have to watch for. If they get into your skin they are almost impossible to get out and yes, you WILL know they are there. Consequently, many people completely avoid the cacti all together. It really isn’t that perilous though. Just get yourself a thick pair of gloves – like cowboy gloves – and a long handled set of tongs. Off you go.

 

 

 

How to Prepare Prickly Pear

The Prickly Pear are also sometimes referred to as Indian Fig but they remind me of a kiwi fruit much more than a fig. The fruit is vibrant fuchsia in color – almost unreal! Make sure to protect your counter tops if they are porous as the fruit, much like beets, can stain. The fruit is FULL of seeds and they are very hard, like mini stones. I’ve heard you can eat them but that doesn’t seem like a good idea to me – not for your teeth or your digestive system. Since the seeds are so hard to separate from the fruit, I only use prickly pears for syrup; the skin seeds and pulp get tossed.

 

 

Once you have picked your prickly pear you want to give it a good shaking in some cold water. This will loosen many of the spines. Make sure to give your sink a good rinse afterwards to ensure there are no leftover cacti spines. After washing – and still wearing your gloves, cut both ends of the fruit and score the skin four or five times to make it easy to peel. Peel the fruit and discard the skin. Cut the pear into bite sized pieces and place them into a bowl.

 

 

To get the nectar or juice from the Prickly Pear you simply press it through a mesh colander or sieve, working it in 1/2 cup quantities at a time. I find the best tool for the job is the back of a large spoon or a cocktail muddler. I use a combination of pressing, scraping and gravity to get as much nectar out of the pulp as I can.

 

 

 

 

And there you have it. Click on the picture below to watch my quick little YouTube video showing the process in a bit more detail. It’s just a little over 2 minutes and quite informative.

Yep, that picture below.

 

 

What Can You Make With Prickly Pear Nectar?

It’s funny you should ask (tee he he) because I just happened to have two quick and oh so delicious drink recipes using Prickly Pear Nectar. The first one is a cocktail and the second a mocktail (no booze!). Both of these drinks are show stoppers; first for their amazing color and second for their refreshing vibrant taste.

 

Sonoran Mojito 

1.5 ounces fresh lime juice

7-8 mint leaves & a sprig for garnish

1 oz simple syrup or about 2 tsps agave syrup

1 oz prickly pear nectar/juice

2 oz light rum

4-5 oz club soda

Muddle the mint in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, simple syrup, prickly pear nectar and rum. Shake. Pour into tall glass and top with club soda. Garnish with lime slices and a sprig of mint.

 

 

Prickly Pear Ginger Lemonade

juice of 1 medium sized lemon

1-2 tsp agave syrup (to taste)

2 TBSP Prickly Pear nectar/juice

4-5 oz ginger ale

lemon slice and rosemary sprig for garnish

 

Add the lemon juice, agave syrup and prickly pear nectar to a tall glass of ice. Stir. Add the ginger ale and give it another stir. Garnish with lemon slice and rosemary sprig.

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In addition to a variety of delicious drink concoctions, you can use prickly pear nectar to make salad dressings, jelly and even pancake syrup. I hope you enjoyed learning about the prickly pear and as always, may you enjoy a week of 

 

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