I’ve got creative ideas for cooking with pomegranates in Winter:

1.  Dip

According to the encyclopedic Starting with Ingredients, the Turkish dip, muhammara, is named for its color resemblance to red brick. Pomegranate molasses, red bell peppers, walnuts, and cumin come together in a zippy purée that threatens to dethrone your hummus addiction. Serve muhammara with flatbread, vegetable crudités, or as a sandwich spread. For the recipe, check out Paula Wolfert’s version (from her book, The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean) over at Saveur.

2.  Pomegranate Seeds in Salad

The king of the beautifully composed salad, Thomas Keller, shares a recipe for Little Gem Lettuce Salad with Citrus, Pomegranate, and Honey Vinaigrette in his cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home. The bright flavors and colors bring a festive spirit to this refreshing salad. Lettuce wedges are glittered with pomegranate seeds then dressed in a vinaigrette of honey and champagne vinegar. Segments of citrus like orange and grapefruit are juicy and refreshing while walnuts provide crunch and tarragon lends a licorice note. I’m also into this Pomegranate, Endive, and Blue Cheese Salad over at Martha Stewart.

3.  Cranberry-Pomegranate Marmalade

To quote Rachel Saunders in The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, “Perhaps more than any other preserve, this marmalade just screams ‘holiday!'”She describes the flavor as both sweet and bitter and great for the holiday dinner table or the breakfast table. I’m also intrigued by her floral “breakfast preserve” variation made with rose geranium water. It just sounds so lady-like and lovely. What better to place in a loved one’s stocking than a jewel-toned jar of pomegranate marmalade?

4.  Roast Bird with Pomegranate Seeds

Ruby-red pomegranate seeds are a fantastic garnish for roast poultry this time of year. I like the recipe for Pan-roasted Guinea Fowl with Pomegranates and Spinach from Jamie Oliver’s Happy Days with the Naked Chef. The guinea fowl is broken down into drumsticks, thighs, and breasts. A mixture of ricotta and thyme is rubbed under the skin and the bird is pan roasted with butter, garlic, and white wine coming together for a pan sauce. After a brief stint in the oven to finish cooking, spinach and pomegranate seeds are tossed into the pan. Happy days!

5.  Pomegranate Juice Cocktails or Punch

I found instructions for Pomegranate Cocktail Syrup in the December issue of Food & Wine Magazine. It’s a simple mixture of sugar, water, and pomegranate juice reduced on the stove top for twenty minutes. The syrup can be stored in the fridge for a month and is a good addition to sparkling wine for a festive cocktail. This Pomegranate-Champagne Punch is the bright idea of Melissa Clark featured over at Bon Appétit. It’s perfect for a crowd at your next holiday party.

6.  Winter Tabbouleh

The recipe for Winter Tabbouleh in the Gourmet Today cookbook uses both pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds. Sourced from Sam and Sam Clark of London’s Moro restaurant, this Middle Eastern salad is made with pomegranate seeds, bulgur, fennel, endive, cauliflower, fresh parsley and mint. Pomegranate molasses adds sweet-tart flavor to the dressing of olive oil, cinnamon, and garlic. Serve the salad as an appetizer the traditional Lebanese way with lettuce leaves for scooping, or pack it for lunch.

7.  Compound Butter

Reading Artichoke to Za’atar I cam across the idea for compound butter made with pomegranate molasses. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses, 1/2 teaspoon sumac, 2 shallots finely chopped, 1/2 clove garlic finely chopped, and the zest of 1/2 lemon. Form the butter into a log shape and keep it in the fridge (or the freezer for a month). Slice off discs and stuff them under the skin of a chicken before roasting or serve atop pan seared lamb chops to melt. It’s a clever way of adding an unexpected punch to your cooking.

8.  Glazed Roasted Vegetables

Melissa Clark shares a recipe for Pomegranate Roasted Carrots in her cookbook, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite. Whisk together pomegranate molasses, cayenne, and olive oil. The trick is to brush the glaze over the carrots after they are almost done roasting to prevent scorching. Fresh cilantro leaves serve as a garnish for the caramelized carrots.

9.  Pomegranate Stuffed Dates with Mascarpone and Pistachios

In the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, Judy Rodgers describes this dish,”This ravishing dessert is a study in contrasts-sweet and acid, juicy and dry, sticky and creamy, crunchy and soft, floral and nutty.” She stuffs pitted fresh dates with mascarpone topped with a holiday-inspired mixture of pomegranate seeds and pistachios. The dates are surrounded by orange segments (sprinkled with orange flower water) and even more pomegranate seeds and pistachios. She suggests avoiding hydrated dates as their flavor is inferior. The Medjool date is widely available with good flavor and texture.

10.  Pomegranate Seeds on the Cheese Plate

I like adding Christmas cheer to a cheese plate (be it appetizer or dessert) with pomegranate seeds. Picture this: Soft goat cheese spread into a round and topped with jeweled pomegranate seeds, then surrounded by a wreath of rosemary. Any grande soft cheese would do. The contrast of hot and cold would be nice with a baked brie. It’s a nice twist on the traditional cheese rounds of holiday parties. I love how Nikole Herriot uses pomegranates on a festive holiday cheese plate in her Flavor Stories post over at the Oh Joy! blog.

What is your favorite way to cook with pomegranates? Let me know in the comments section. Click Here.