Restaurateur Richard Blais oversees Atlanta eateries Flip Burger Boutique and The Spence, and at press time he was set to open a new restaurant, Juniper & Ivy, in San Diego.
This month, the Top Chef All Stars winner will appear as the host of Cook Your Ass Off, a televised culinary contest that focuses on everyday health issues. The show premieres December 1 on upwave on HLN (7 p.m. EST).
When he’s in the kitchen, Blais currently has a hankering for pomegranates.
“I love their juicy and tart flavor, their texture and the ‘pop’ they add to a dish,” says the native New Yorker. “They are also perfect in the winter because their antioxidant quality makes them the perfect disease-fighting ingredient. I use them to finish salads, spreads and more.”
POMEGRANATE FUN FACTS
In Hindu tradition, pomegranates are a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
The trick to getting the seeds out? Cut the pomegranate into quarters and pull it apart underwater.
The name pomegranate derives from Anglo-French pome garnette, which translated means “seeded fruit.”
Get It Now
Pomegranates add sweet flourishes to the following dishes around the country.
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| Try Miami’s Mercadito Midtown’s chile en nogada—stuffed poblano pepper with walnut sauce sprinkled with pomegranates. |
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Chicago’s bellyQ serves vanilla soft-serve accompanied by a pomegranate glaze and lemon pepper crumble. |
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Chattanooga’s Easy Bistro & Bar crafts a honeybell orange salad with a pomegranate syrup and pomegranate seeds. |