Summer Came Late

It's September in San Francisco and there's a warm Santa Ana like breeze drifting into the house through my thrown open windows.  Outside, I'd dare say it's hot.  I take every opportunity to celebrate the sun and warmth and this is seriously gorgeous summer weather.  It's days like today that this city really steals my heart.

No matter that I have an exam tomorrow in my management class and I'm supposed to be studying.  Or that I have a lab report to write.  Forget that I have a giant "to do" list staring me down, claiming most my time this weekend.  Today I have no classes, and no motivation speak of.  Sunshine means playing hooky time.  Tonight we will be hosting a movie club night - which let's be honest, sounds so much better than studying.  I just can't take today seriously.

In celebrating days like today, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the food.  The bounty that is the late summer harvest.  It's felt so good to get back into the kitchen, fingers in the bowl, tasting as I go.  Cooking has helped settle me in.

Figs and beets are everywhere right now, on display all over the markets and in corner produce stores alike.  Both sweet and earthy in their own ways, the two work together really well.  The figs, black mission in this case, are candy sweet while the beets have a more wholesome flavor profile.  Layer that with some salty and mild feta cheese and a nutty whole wheat pasty crust and you've got a divine dinner.  I thought it was even better the next day, just barely rewarmed in the oven.

Beet Fig and Feta Tart

adapted from five and spice

There is so much playing around you could do here.  Chevre instead of feta cheese, different types of figs - I used the big green Adriatic figs, but black mission would be just as delicious, if not a bit sweeter - even changing up the dried herbs and using a bit of rosemary in place of the thyme and oregano.  For a more adventurous herby twist, za'taar could work too.  If you don't have whole wheat flour for the crust, go ahead and use all purpose, but maybe consider subbing out few tablespoons for cornmeal to get a nice crunch in there.  Some freshly ground pepper in the crust might be nice too.

4 to 6 servings

crust:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

6 tablespoons cold butter cut into small chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar 

3-4 tablespoons ice cold water

In bowl, mix together the flour and salt to combine. With your fingers or pastry blender mix the butter chunks until you have a mixture that is a coarse meal that still has pea sized pieces of butter in it.  Mix in the vinegar and the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to come together. Turn it out and press it into a ball with your hands. Flatten the ball of dough into a thick disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. 

tart:

3 medium beets, roasted and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1/4 pound feta cheese

2 adriatic figs (or 4-6 black mission figs)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preheat the over to 400F. 

When the tart dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface - preferably on a piece of parchment to make transferring easier later - into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry about the edges being smooth, but fix any cracks by pressing the dough together with your fingertips.

Crumble the feta into small chunks and sprinkle half of the cheese onto the tart crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, then evenly distribute the spices over the cheese.  Spread a layer of the sliced figs on top of the cheese, followed by a layer of the beets (still leaving a 1-inch border). Sprinkle the rest of the feta on top.

Fold over the edge of the tart, toward the center, folding and overlapping the dough to keep it circular, but not perfect. Slide tart carefully onto a baking sheet by carefully picking up the edges of the parchments and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

While the tart is baking, put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn to a low  simmer and cook until thick and syrupy and reduced by about three-quarters, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

When the tart is finished, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  Before eating, drizzle the balsamic syrup all over it and sprinkle the mint leaves on top.  Slice and serve.

On a Stick

I really don't know where it came from - these fantasies of popsicles I kept having - it just started one day and hasn't let go since.  It's summertime, and the weather was warm and perfect all weekend (!) so it would seem normal to want popsicles, but unless you live with me you have no idea how out of control this craving has been recently. 

There was the time where D humored my sick whining insistence for the perfect popsicle by driving to several stores in one trip, only to have me reject them all because they weren't "the one".  Then there's the world's cutest popsicle cart, Viva Pops, at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturdays that I always  manage to wait too long to grab their newest creative flavor (blackberry violet cream anyone?) and it's gone for the day.

I am a woman, obsessed.

So a few weeks ago I hopped over to Amazon and bought myself a brand new ice pop mold, wooden sticks and clear cellophane bags in anticipation of sharing my obsession with others.  Now I can make 10 pops at a time!  In my own freezer!  And did you see how perfect they look?  Those ridges that run up the broad sides and the slightly tapered rectangular shape?  I'm smitten.

The first round of flavors was strawberry basil and lavender honey cream; a half batch of each because a girl needs options.  One sweet and dripping with ripe strawberry flavor, slightly tinged with an herby basil note.  The other perfumed with flowers and milky sweetness.

I meant to get this out to all of you before the long holiday weekend started, but suffice it to say that I was busy making more of these concoctions and enjoying them instead.  No matter, there is an entire summer's worth of opportunity ahead of us.

Strawberry Basil Pops

The basil in these is just the barest hint, but I wouldn't leave it out.  If you want more basil flavor, I think it would be worth it to try them with very thin slivers of basil stirred in by hand after you're done pureeing the mixture.  Although strawberries are quite sweet on their own, the addition of the simple syrup, while also adding the flavor of basil, keeps the pop sfrom becoming too icy.

makes about 8 3-ounce pops 

2 pints ripe red strawberries, hulled and halved

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a sauce pan heat sugar, water and basil leaves until the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts to bubble.  Using the back of a wooden spoon bruise the basil in the pan to release more of its oils.  Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.

Once the syrup has cooled strain into blender and add the strawberries and lemon juice.  Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth, but with a few chunks still remaining.  Pour into popsicle molds, insert popsicle sticks and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.


Honey-Lavender-Cream Pops
recipe from Pleasant Pops via Washingtonian

You should love the flavor of lavender if you're going to make these.  To some lavender tastes like bath products or soap, to me it's like a bouquet of flowers that is at once floral and herbaceous.  Also, stick with the whole milk, otherwise your pops may turn out too icy. 

makes about 10 3-ounce pops

3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
1/4 cup organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey

In a medium saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat as soon as it boils. Let the mixture steep, covered with the lid, for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the flowers.

Pour the mixture into the molds, insert popsicle sticks and freeze overnight or according to manufacturer's instructions.

Sweet Return

You deserve a cake.  For sticking around, for checking this little space while I was away, you most certainly deserve a cake.  It's not a fancy towering cake or a show-off, just a homey square cake with a little frosting that's been pushed around to cover the top, but I think it's the proper sentiment.  We're not having a celebration here, just saying thank you.

This pear spice cake will fill your kitchen with the warming scent of cinnamon and spice while it bakes and does its magic in the oven.  And should you choose to make the pear sauce yourself - which I highly recommend - you can mingle for a bit with the sweet smell of pears as they simmer away on your stove top.  Not that I make a habit of questioning such beloved magazines as Gourmet who routinely turn[ed] out fantastic recipes, but I think replacing the applesauce with pears here was a total win.  For one, pear seems less expected than apple.  It doesn't have to be fussy, however we're making a cake here, not applesauce quick bread so I'd rather not recreate too similar of a product.  Also, go make the pear sauce yourself for this recipe and tell me you don't feel all industrious.

You'll be proud to plunk this down in front of dinner guests and equally happy to just have it with a cup of tea.  I'm sorry I can't hand deliver each of you a piece, because I really would like to, but I think you'll be happier to have your own. 

Pear Spice Cake

Adapted from Gourmet.com and Smitten Kitchen

You really should make the pear sauce yourself.  Aside from it taking 30 minutes to simmer on the stove it couldn't be more simple or quick.  The brilliant addition of balsamic vinegar is undetectable in the end, perhaps just giving the sauce a fuller, rounder flavor profile.  I should also note that I made this cake with Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese (accident!) and it worked just fine, I mean who needs the extra fat in their cakes anyway! 

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups pear sauce (recipe below)

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pear Sauce

1 pound of pears

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup water

Peel, quarter, core and de-stem pears.  Place in a medium saucepan with the balsamic and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer; cook with the lid on for 30 minutes, or until the pears are very tender. Let cool in their cooking liquid.  Puree everything in a food processor or blender to desired consistency.  This should make about 1 1/2 cups.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter an 8x8 square baking pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in pear sauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated.  Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Like No Other

Stop what you're doing, go out and buy a watermelon and a couple deep red and golden hued heirloom tomatoes.  Hurry.  Before they disappear for the season and you miss out on something amazing.

I have been obsessed with this salad ever since eating at The Blue Plate in San Fransisco back in August.  I could gush on and on about all the delicious food I ate in that fantastic city, but it all comes back to this salad for me.  Some kind of genius in the kitchen created this salad and put it on the menu where I ordered it one fateful dinner and nothing has been the same since.  Sure the fried chicken and buttermilk dressing it shared a plate with were delicious as well, but it was the salad that I was in a near romantic relationship with.  Complete spotlight hog.  So fresh and unexpected.  Olives, slightly pickled pieces of onion and tomatoes with that quintessential summertime melon and basil?  I could not get enough.  Could you bring me more, in a to-go box, please?

I know these watermelon salads are hip right now, popping up on menus all over the place this summer (if not last summer as well), though they're mostly based on a melon/feta/mint/balsamic platform.  But have you had watermelon and basil together?!?  Blows the mint pairing right out of the water, bringing just a slight bit of the savory element.  I could never love another summertime salad the way I love this one.  Too perfect.


Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Inspired by The Blue Plate, San Francisco

I did my best to create some semblance of a recipe here, but mostly I was just tossing things into a bowl until it looked right.  Isn't that the beauty of cooking?  A little bit of this, a little bit of that.  Don't let it sit too long, maybe a few hours tops, all the delicious juices start collecting in the bottom of the bowl and the fruit will go a bit soft.

4 servings 

4 cups watermelon chunks, about 1" square
2 cups heirloom tomatoes, cut into rough chunks
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sweet onion, cut into 1/8" thick slices
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
a handful of Nicoise olives (I used about 15)

Whisk the vinegar and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves, add the sliced onion and toss.  Set it aside on the counter for 1 hour, letting the onions soften and get a bit pickled.

Meanwhile chop the watermelon and heirloom tomatoes and put them in a bowl.  Add the basil leaves.  If the leaves are on the smaller side go ahead and leave them whole, otherwise tear larger ones into smaller pieces.  Once the onions are done, fish them out of their liquid with your fingers or a fork and add them to the watermelon/tomato bowl.  Gently give everything a good toss and top with the olives.  Drizzle the vinegar/sugar mix over each serving.

Watermelon Water

Ouf!  I'm going on a vacation from food.  4 days in the bay area of stuffing myself with ridiculously good food at all hours and all I want are salads piled high with vegetables and handfuls of fruit.  Couple that with the hot weather and I don't think I could eat a full meal if pressed.  But I can't complain, really.  These are what my friend would call princess problems.  We stepped off the plane in San Diego, greeted by the sunshine and a cloud-free sky; the summer weather we've been waiting since June for.  I've been making good on all the summer time activities I said I needed to cram in before school starts back up.  Beach days, pool days, happy hours and leisurely days of relaxing.

But back to the fruit.  When we got back home, I opened my mostly empty fridge to find half of a giant watermelon that I bought the week before we left, wrapped up and begging not to be thrown away.  I should have bought a smaller one for the two of us, but they were on sale and I love watermelon so, I couldn't resist.  So here it was, past it's prime, but not yet going bad, laying abandoned on the chilly bottom shelf and me feeling too guilty to toss it.  I could freeze it and make margaritas with it later (which, by the way, watermelon margaritas are the best!), but I wanted instant gratification.  Why wait for freezing when I can just blend it up and drink it now?  Agua frescas - fresh water or refreshing water for those uninitiated - are pure genius and a perfect way to use up the late summer bounty of quickly ripening fruit.  Can't eat all that melon?  All those peaches, strawberries and cucumbers?  Just toss it in a blender with some water, a squeeze of citrus juice for acidity, a little sweetener and you have the essence of summer in a glass.  It was so tasty that I made 3 more batches.  A whole pitcher to have whenever I pleased, because really, it's practically health food!

And this is how I found myself enjoying the long, late afternoon rays of sunshine, sipping my icy glass of watermelon water, relaxed and glad to be home.


Watermelon Agua Frescas

Up the lime juice or sugar depending on your taste and the sweetness of your melon.  Mine wasn't the sweetest, I'd say it was a medium sweetness, and I found these proportions to wok nicely.  Make it into a cocktail by filling a glass with ice and adding a short of gin or vodka to the mix.  Muddle some mint or basil leaves into it, freeze it in popsicle forms, or just enjoy it as is!

make about 4 cups

4 cups of 1" cubed seedless watermelon*
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Throw it all into a blender and let it go for a minute (probably less).  Strain it through a fine mesh sieve and discard the pulp.

*I wasn't picking the small white seeds out of my watermelon so there was some of that left behind with the pulp, it didn't seem to affect the juice.

What I Should Have Done

I have been holding onto this recipe for a while now, as it keeps getting buried under other posts in my queue.  Which after you make this pie, you will understand, is a grave tragedy.  This pie is delicious, all about ripe sweet juicy peaches and peach pie is my favorite pie.  Remember what I said about being a sucker for crumb topping?  This is yet another example of that love.  Alas, this is not only a tale of love, it is also a tale of caution; as in, I need to learn when not to modify a recipe.  Who am I to say Martha Stewart, or her cooking staff, don't know their stuff?  Exactly.  They do.  Martha-1, Me-0.  But even after I stepped over the recipe modification line, this pie was still terrific.  So learn from me, here's what you shouldn't do:

• When the recipe says to pit and quarter your peaches, do just that.  What I did was I looked at the peach halves, decided they were entirely too large to be cut in half only once more and then proceeded to cut each half into three wedges.  Since the wedges were smaller and the bake time remained the same, what ended up happening was the peaches cooked down and almost melted into the pie.  It didn't come out of the oven looking nearly as pretty as the photo with the recipe, and the pie probably lost some of it's structure.

• One day I will get it through my head that sour cream and creme fraiche are two different beasts that can't always be used interchangeably.  Don't be like me and just use sour cream here because you already have some at home, suck it up and get the good stuff.  Heck, you can even make your own!  The higher fat content in the creme fraiche will make it set when baked into the pie, like little sweet pockets of cheese.  Sour cream on the other hand breaks and separates.   Again, not the end of the world, and though it did add a nice tang, it could have been so much more.

But it's not all bad news.  There was one change I made, and liked, which was to add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the crumb mixture, because peach and cinnamon go hand in hand.  It's just enough to notice, but not enough to outshine the fruit.


Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

As if the info above wasn't enough, here's one last note.  There's been some debate on whether or not the crust really needs to be par-baked.  Since there isn't a lot of moisture in the filling it could probably go without and the crust shouldn't get soggy.  It's up to you, but I thought I had done enough experimentation as it was, and went with par baking.  And remember, if you use dried beans as weights, you can't cook them after, mind as well toss 'em in a bag labeled pie weights because that's all they're good for now.

1/2 recipe your favorite pie dough chilled for at least an hour in the fridge

Streusel

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling

1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered

4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

5 tablespoons crème fraîche

Roll out pie dough to about 1/8-inch thick and fit into a regular (not deep dish) pie plate, 9 1/2 to 10 inches in diameter. Trim edge to 1/2 inch; fold under and crimp as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F right before you take it out.

Stir confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and flour together in a small bowl. Add bits of cold butter, and either using a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips, work them into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Par-bake crust: Tightly press a piece of aluminum foil against frozen pie crust and cover with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully remove foil and any weights you have used, press any bubbled-up spots in with the back of a spoon, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Make the filling: Sprinkle quartered peaches with sugar and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread two tablespoons crème fraîche in bottom of par-baked pie shell, sprinkle with one-third of the streusel and fan the peach quarters decoratively on top. Dot the remaining three tablespoons of crème fraîche on the peaches and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake the pie about 50 minutes. Cover edge of crust with a strip of foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving.

Berry Good

I'm a sucker for a crumb topping.  To my taste, that crumbly top is far superior to double crusts on pies.  Slap it on top of a bar cookie and it doesn't matter what fruit you fill it with, it's my new favorite.  It's best still warmish out of the oven when bits of the topping are still pleasantly crunchy and the juicy fruit underneath hasn't yet seeped through.  No matter, I'll eat them the next day and the day after that regardless if the top still has some crunch because deep down, I just plain love fruit desserts.

And what I like even more about these kinds of bar cookies is that the bottom crust and the top crumb are the same thing, not two different parts; half gets pressed into the bottom and the rest gets sprinkled over the fruit, making for a stupidly simple preparation.  And that lemon zest in there - it's oh so sunny - and makes the whole thing just scream summer picnics.  Or afternoon snack.  Or what's more likely with me, a teeny nibble with (or before) my coffee in the morning. 

I don't bake nearly as often as I'd like or nearly enough to tackle all the recipes have saved in an unimaginably large bookmark folder and/or all the dogeared pages in my cookbooks so when I do, I'm usually motivated by either already having all the ingredients on hand when a mood strikes or there's a seasonal ingredient that I won't be able to get if I hold off for too long.  Truth be told, I should have used fresh blueberries for this, since they're in season and all over the markets, but what I had already was a bag of mixed frozen berries.  Yep, I'm lazy like that.  And I was pressed for time (they were being dispatched to friends later that afternoon).  But as a testament to the recipe, they were still as good as I'd imagine they would be had I used fresh berries.  At least I'm sure no one who ate them could tell the difference, and that's all that really matters.  That they were good and much enjoyed.

P.S.  How fitting that I leave you this weekend with a dessert, because you see, it's my birthday on Saturday!  And who doesn't like to celebrate with dessert!  Albeit, mine will be a cake, but feel free to consume a sugary confection on my behalf sometime in the next few days.  We'll celebrate together!

Berry Crumble Bars

Adapted from All Recipes

I actually made these with a frozen berry mixture (still using 4 cups, measured when still frozen) and it turned out great.  For fear of sog and oozing, I defrosted the berries first and drained off most of the liquid before mixing it with the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch and everything turned out just peachy.  Although I'm itching to make them again with fresh blueberries.

Makes about 32 small squares

1 cup white sugar


1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold unsalted butter

1 egg


1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 cups fresh blueberries


1/2 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

For a Day Like Today

I'm having the hardest time sitting down at the computer right now, writing this post.  You see, after all the "May Grey" and "June Gloom" and the whatever the heck you call it when July is still cool and overcast, we finally have glorious cloud free skies!  And it's hot!  It went from 67F to 80F in one quick day, and I really couldn't be happier.  I'm antsy sitting in my chair, sun streaming through the window - the cat lounging in a pool of sunlight on the ground next to me, because she might be just as happy as me about the return of sun and sunbathing - I gotta get outside and soak it up.  The beach calls to me.

But first let me give you this fruit salad.  It's cause to celebrate as well - in my opinion at least.  It's all at once sweet and tart and just the right amount of spicy from the addition of serrano chiles.  Blows my mind.  Last October we took a little family excursion and went camping in the Anza Borrego desert and my Dad brought this amazing fruit salad.  It's one of those, some of this, some more of this, a little of that kind of recipes, and it's been stuck in my head ever since.  I was just biding my time until the mango, pineapple and blueberries were all in season and ripe.  In a pinch you could use canned pineapple, but everything else should be fresh.  So working from my visual memory I recreated the salad and even managed to write down the proportions for you, dear reader.

I've seen similar recipes out there but they were more salsa oriented with the inclusion of cilantro and maybe even some olive oil.  Meh.  I like this one better.  And don't turn your nose up at the use of onion with fruit - I know the words onion and fruit salad don't seem to go together, but trust me, they do here.  For one, it's a sweet onion.  For another, you rinse the cut up onion before adding it to the fruit so whatever bite the onion had it's much less now.  You of course could use this as a salsa and spoon it over grilled fish or even atop some plain nachos (just tortilla chips with some melted jack cheese), but this salad doesn't last long around here and I'm yet to try either of those myself.  The salad gets made then promptly gobbled.  Straight from the bowl.  With a fork.

The beach, this salad...happiness.


Spicy Mango Pineapple Salad (or Salsa)

If you want to use this more as a salsa, you can cut the pineapple into smaller chunks so everything is more uniformly sized.  As far as the serrano in this recipe is concerned, I actually used a whole one, but depending on your heat/spice preferences you may want to start with just 1/2.  I usually test the heat of the chile by touching my tongue to it lightly after cutting the stem off and make my judgment from there.  This one seemed unusually tame so I threw the whole thing in there, but once I mixed everything up it was surprisingly spicy, thus I'd say, start with half and taste once it's all mixed up.

4 servings

1 mango, about 1 cup, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup pineapple, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced and rinsed in cold water
1/2 serrano chile, finely minced
1/2 lime, juiced

Combine the mango, pineapple, blueberries, sweet onion and serrano in a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice over and mix it up.