Submitted by Jillian on Fri, 08/02/2013 - 12:56am
Our staff had a wonderful time at the PMA Foodservice Conference in Monterey this year. Bill, Jeanette, & Jestene kept busy at the grill, talking with various retailers, supply managers, and food service teams while refilling samples of different ways to utilize our stone fruit and Apple Pears in simple, delicious recipes - showing you can bring stone fruit to the table in forms other than a fruit bowl.
They started off serving our Quick Crescent Pies as a breakfast option utilizing our Dapple Phoenix pluots.
Mid-morning they offered our Summer Pluot Salsa with tortilla chips - surprising visitors with this tomato-free salsa rendition.
For lunch, Bill livened up traditional grilled Quesadillas by stuffing them with nectarines and a touch of cilantro. This unusual combination gained many fans, as the nectarines made them more filling and added a bit of pizzazz to the mix.
And the final afternoon snack was a big hit with the kids in attendance as well as the kids-at-heart: Pluot Cones utilizing our Dapple Phoenix and Black Raspberry pluots. Serving these up in the waffle cones with a dollop of whipped cream drew people who thought they would find ice cream, but were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the more nutritious idea of swapping the ice cream for the sweetness of fresh summer fruit.
Sliced Apple Pears were also sampled out throughout the day, remaining a favorite item of those who visited the booth (a second, third, or fourth time). As they don't turn brown after they've been cut, they make a great option for schools, lunch boxes, salad bars, and entertaining.