Market basket: Add fruit nectar to summer drinks for splash of flavor

Aug 18, 2023

I’m not sure when I became such an avid fan of canned fruit nectar, but it has been at least a decade. Somehow I noticed it languishing there on the bottom shelf in the juice aisle of the supermarket and decided to give it a try. Ever since then, it is always in my pantry, and it never languishes.

Although we think of nectar from flower sources that bees utilize to make honey, this is a different type of nectar. In this case, nectar is simply pureed fruit pulp that is diluted with water. In mythology, it was the drink of the Olympus gods and was drained from their food, which was ambrosia.

Even though I occasionally see someone drinking it straight from the container, I like to use it to add flavor and more importantly moisture to recipes. It is convenient to keep on hand since it has a long shelf life. The best-by date is stamped on the bottom of each can.

I like to use it primarily in baked goods, but it is terrific in sauces, smoothies, ice tea and cocktails as well. My favorite use is in cakes. Think about those tried-and-true recipes for poke cakes, where after baking you poke holes in the cake. Nectars are perfect for that step of slowly saturating the cake with liquid.

When I first started using canned nectar years ago, I could only find it in peach. Occasionally I might find apricot or mango. Now it is easily found in those flavors plus strawberry, apple, guava and a variety of fruit combinations such as banana strawberry and pineapple coconut.

The 11.3 ounce can is the equivalent of almost 1-1/2 cups of nectar. If you don’t use it all, store the excess in the refrigerator and use it within a week.

Roberta James of Atlanta writes, “I thought bechamel sauce was rather straightforward. However at a recent dinner, there were onions in it. What was up with that?”

Roberta,

You are correct that bechamel sauce consists of simply milk, butter and a flour roux. What you enjoyed was Soubise, which is basically a bechamel sauce with the addition of pureed onions.

Tammy Algood is the author of five cookbooks and can be seen on “Volunteer Gardener” on PBS stations in Tennessee. Follow her at www.hauteflavor.com