How to Serve a Pomegranate
Few winter fruits can compete with the distinctive taste of a pomegranate. Their tart, juicy seeds make an excellent garnish to seasonal recipes such as stuffing. They can be sprinkled on top of salads, added to yogurt, used as part of a table centerpiece or even just eaten raw as a healthy snack. As tasty as they are, however, pomegranates can be extremely messy. Their juice stains just about everything it touches and can spray everywhere if you're not careful about opening them. Here's how you can serve a pomegranate without all the mess. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Lay down some paper towels on top of the kitchen counter where you're going to work. They will help contain any spilled juice.
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2
Slice the top off the pomegranate using a knife, creating a flat space on the head of the fruit. This eliminates some of the hard white pith on top and makes the pomegranate a little easier to handle.
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3
Cut the pomegranate into sections (either four or five sections are usually best) and carefully pull them apart. Some methods call for making shallow cuts about 1 inch deep on the flat space you created in Step 1. You can then gently pull the sections apart. This reduces juice from the cuts, but take care to wrangle any errant seeds.
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4
Fill a bowl with water and put each of the pomegranate sections into it, submerging them completely.
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5
Roll your fingers gently across the seeds until they come away from the rest of the fruit. The water will help you remove them cleanly and prevent any juices from spraying across the counter. Remove the hard white sections of the pomegranate when you're done---they're pretty much inedible.
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6
Empty the bowl into a strainer and let the seeds drip-dry. You can then add the seeds to an existing recipe, crush them into juice or simply serve them in a bowl and eat them a few at a time. The hard seeds in the middle of the juicy pulp (or arils) are edible, so you can chew and swallow them with no trouble.
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Tips & Warnings
Like most fruits, pomegranates go bad after a few days. You can store them at room temperature if you intend to eat them immediately or place them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for a couple of months. The seeds and arils are more delicate and should be eaten within three days of removal from the fruit.
