The Prickly Pear Syrup

This weekend I was hosting a party for my latest book (Flowers by Day, Stars by Night: Finding Happiness after Loss and Change) at the home of friends in my hometown. I thought it was a good opportunity to share some New Mexico so I brought along the last bag of frozen prickly pear puree from last year's harvest.

However, the morning of the party, I realized that I needed to turn it into syrup. And then I realized I didn't have the recipe. No problem, I thought, pulling up this web site only to realize that while I had promised to put the syrup recipe here, I never did. And obviously no one is reading the blog because no one noticed!

Thankfully, I texted Greg and he took a photo of the main recipe I use from The Prickly Pear Coobkook by Carolyn Niethammer and I set to work.

I generally double the recipe for the syrup because I'm usually serving it for a party. And I let it sit on the stove, under a cold burner, after it's done cooking, to give it more flavor.

The syrup is great for punch (as I've written about before) and can be mixed with a seltzer for a fizzy drink.

Prickly Bear Syrup

1 cup prickly pear puree

1 lemon, juiced

1  1/2 sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup begins to thicker. Let cool.

And finally...the prickly pear margarita

Need I say more? It's a good way to wrap up a month of prickly pear recipes. We served this at our rehearsal dinner which we held here at the house so we could including all our friends who had traveled in for the wedding. Needless to say, it was a hit. And not just with alcohol– we had the mixture set out in a pitcher with a bottle of tequila next to it (because I hardly drink, I have been accused of making them too weak and prefer to let people make their own). What we found was that most people never added the alcohol. They drank it virgin instead. And loved it.

The recipe below serves at least four. Multiply as needed.

Prickly Pear Margaritas

6 ounces tequila (optional and based on taste)

1 cup lime juice

1 cup prickly pear syrup

1 cup orange juice

Mix all ingredients and serve with ice. 

Prickly Pear Smoothie

When I started to use prickly pear fruit for drinks, I found out early that it needs to be mixed with something else. While prickly pear itself tastes okay, it’s also a unique flavor that needs a companion. What it lends most to any beverage is the color: the vibrant pink that comes naturally and you won’t find anywhere else.

While I haven’t tried a huge number of mixtures yet, I am also always looking for what’s easy: using ingredients I have on hand. The prickly pear smoothie below has become a go-to drink for the days when lunch passes me by and I need to eat something quickly before more time escapes. It’s also proven to be a good mid-afternoon snack, to keep me energized until dinner.

And because it only uses the puree, it’s easier to make than anything with the syrup– one less step. I also don’t use a sweetener but that’s a personal choice. I don’t like my drinks as sweet as I used to and I often cut back on sugar when I’m baking, too.

Finally, while the recipe below is what I make, feel free to use other juices or fruit. I’ve read that mango and pineapple work well with prickly pear.

1 cup prickly pear puree

1 cup plain or Greek yogurt

½ cup orange juice

1 cup fruit pieces (I usually use strawberries)

ice cubes

1 scoop protein powder

1 tablespoon sweetener of your choosing (honey and agave are two suggestions), if desired

Combine all ingredients in the blender and whirl until combined.

Prickly Pear Ice Cream

Last week I wrote about how to make the prickly pear syrup, however, this week's recipe uses the puree, meaning there is one less step to complete. However, get that syrup ready for the margaritas! We'll make those next week. In the meantime, between the color and taste, this is one of the most unique desserts you'll ever taste. The key is that you always need to combine it with another fruit to complete the flavor. I made enough to serve our fifty guests at our rehearsal dinner party last month, giving them a taste of quintessential desert New Mexico.

The photo above shows the depth of the color of the prickly pear ice cream (it's on the bottom with triple berry on top). And check out the photo at the bottom as I began to stir the prickly pear puree with the half and half and milk.

1 cup prickly pear puree

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 cups sugar

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

2 cups milk

2 cups half and half (or heavy cream for a richer flavor)

In a food processor, combine the sugar and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice and prickly pear. Combine the sugar mixture, the prickly pear mixture, the milk, and the half and half. Run in an ice cream maker for 20 minutes and freeze overnight before serving.

The Prickly Pear Recipes

After a month hiatus to get married, I am back blogging here, now as Michelle L. Rusk. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting the various prickly pear recipes I've been using. But first, the question that everyone asks: how do you turn prickly pear cactus fruits into something tasty?

The photo above was taken last fall (you can tell by the sunlight that it's fall rather than summer) after we had finished picking the fruit off our cacti and two sets of neighbors' cacti (yes, we had permission!). We filled four big bowls with the fruit and they sat on the counter for a few weeks until I had time to work with them. I had read I needed to scoop out the fruit from the center of it and I set to work, buying multiple pairs of gloves at Lowe's only to stain them and find almost nothing kept the needles from penetrating onto my hands.

After I ordered The Prickly Pear Cookbook by Carolyn Niethammer, I found out I was wasting my time. I could scrape many needles off when I washed the fruit and throw them straight into the blender. After blending the fruit, running it through a strainer removed the needles and skin. 

From there I froze the puree in ziploc bags.

Up next week? The syrup. And then it gets even better after that...stay tuned...