A dash of rubies to brighten up your day

Pretty edible rubies aka pomegranates are in plenty in the market these days. We say grab them to brighten up your plate. Plus, they are packed with nutrients known to drive weather blues away. It's packed with enzymes that are good for your gut and nutrients good for overall immunity. Check out our recommendations on how to add them to your meals. As for the boring laborious task of deseeding a pomegranate, an easier method is also mentioned in the copy! Read on.

5 ingredient pear pomegranate salsa
Pic credit: gimmesomeoven.com
5-ingredient pear pomegranate salsa
This recipe's creator Ali Ebright calls this treat "a total crowd-pleaser"
The secret ingredient is lime. "It definitely pulls the salsa together and gives it that classic citrusy kick," says Ali. What you have here is a sweet-savory combo that you enjoy straigth from the bowl or pair with tortilla chips.

Recipe (Makes 3 cups)
Ingredients
2 fresh pears (any kind), cored and diced
1 fresh pomegranate, seeded (see my tutorial on how to open and de-seed a pomegranate)
Half a red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of half a lime

Method
Toss all ingredients together until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

Festive pomegranate chocolate clusters
Pick up compound chocolate bars that are easily available at your grocer's or a shop that sells baking supplies. Simply melt the bar in your microwave or with the double boiler method, spoon in pomegranate beads and mix well. Then spoon portions on a non-stick baking sheet. Allow it to cool, and you have pomegranate chocolate rocks! Tip: If you don't like the taste of compound chocolate, mix in equal proportions compound chocolate and melting bar of your favourite milk chocolate.

Garnish with rubies
Sprinkle on top pomegranate before you serve your dessert or even breakfast dish. They look specially good on kheer and lassi.

Pomegranate jewelled cheese ball
Pic credit: howsweeteats.com
Jessica of howsweeteats.com once posted this awesome looking cheeseball - a pomegranate jeweled white cheddar, toasted almond and crispy sage Cheeseball. While sourcing some of these ingredients (read a good quality sharp white cheddar) is an expensive affair here, we think Britannia and Amul cheese cubes mixed with some mascarpone cheese (optional) could be a good substite to make cute-looking treats. Just roll each cube into a ball and press in the pomegranate arils. But if you want to serve these to serious food connosieurs, then surely head to Jessica's blog for the orginal recipe!

Pear and pomegranate crostini
If you are a crostini fan, then recipe developer and blogger Katie Goodman (www.goodlifeeats.com) has a perfect recipe for you - spiced Pear and pomegranate crostini in a cinnamon maple sauce with just a touch of balsamic vinegar to balance out the sweetness. For the base, go for a toasted baguette sliced about 1/2 inch thick. For best results use a day old baguette. For the topping, melt about a tablespoon of butter in a pan, ass two ripe pears, peeled and diced, pone cup omegranate arils, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar and saute for three minutes. Layer the slices with some cream cheese and top with the fruit mixture.

Bubble
Enjoy pomegranate arils in bhel, pani puri, dahi vadas, dhokla, even sandwiches. Mix arils with masala aloo to make a crispy toast.

Tip: Easy guide to deseed pomegranate
Cut the pomegranate in half, push out the center a bit, then just start whacking the back of it with a wooden spoon holding it over a bowl. All seeds should fall right into the bowl.

Wishlist
Syrupy goodness
There's one ingredient we wish gourmet stores start stocking up some – that's pomegranate molasses. While looking up for some pomegranate recipes, we came across some delicious looking goodies where pomegranate molasses was an important ingredient. And it tastes wonderful too, we discovered on a trip to Middle East. Plus, we have a good word on it from Chef Moshe Shek, Mumbai's most loved chef and expert on Middle Eastern fare. Chef Moshe tells us, "Pomegranate molasses in of two kinds - sweet and savory." In terms of flavour, you could draw parallels to a good aged balsamic, he says. "It's great with salads, lamb and chicken. In Persian cuisine it's often added as a finishing touch to a stew. In Iran you have many local brands," he says. But making it at home here is not something he'd recommend for the lack of good quality pomegranates in the market here.