St. John and a Star Fruit Smoothie Recipe
Eating at restaurants can get tiring after a while. Don’t get me wrong I love a good restaurant more than anybody but no matter how good or polished the food is, it feels soulless after a while and is far from satisfying. After a week of eating at restaurants, I wanted nothing more than a bowl of warm oatmeal or an omelet with fresh slices of tomato doused with olive or argan oil. The simplest things rank highest in my book, you see, and I always end up going back to them.
Our recent trip to Saint John was a series of breath-taking moments. Three fourths of the island is national park and virgin to the extreme. A paradise of green forests and blue water everywhere you turn your head. Nothing I say will describe how gorgeous it is. No picture I took will convey its beauty. With 5500 inhabitants, it remains sparsely populated and pristine. Its easy vibe creates a very relaxing ambiance. St. John is a great place to get away from it all and connect with nature. Even though there were many visitors, the island didn’t feel as touristy as islands like St. Thomas or St. Martin.
Star Fruit (Carambole) Smoothie Recipe
While on the island, I had a star fruit smoothie; it was very refreshing. Star fruit is one of those fruits that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar. I would have sworn I had it before but could not remember when or where. I asked, Agnes, the lady who made it for us, about the recipe and she graciously shared it with us.
For a single serving, Cut the ends of two ripe star fruits and slice them.(the slices are shaped like a star and pretty.) Blend them with one cup of cold water, some ice and a few drops of vanilla essence. If the star fruits are not ripe and sweet enough, sweeten the smoothie to your taste and enjoy.
P.S. If you’ve never had a star fruit before and are wondering how to eat it. Here are some tips. Be sure to wash the star fruit well to get rid of the dirt that likes to hide in the creases of its segments. You can peel or eat it with the skin. If you prefer it peeled, slice it first then carefully trace the skin with a knife to remove it. Slice it into medium thin slices and enjoy your star. It rocks!
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Bryan — 12/29/2010 @ 1:32 pm
I have always liked the sweet melon like flavor of the star fruit plus it really looks great on a fruit plate. Thanks for the smoothie recipe!
Joanne — 12/29/2010 @ 1:42 pm
Sounds like a lovely vacation! The pictures are gorgeous! I've never really dabbled much in star fruit but this smoothie sounds delicious!
SaraOneTribeGourmet — 12/29/2010 @ 3:00 pm
wow, you are so lucky to get away, St.Johns looks beautiful and so does the smoothie! Delish! :)
Happy New Year Dear Nisrine!
Reeni — 12/29/2010 @ 3:05 pm
What a beautiful place! And I would of never thought to use star fruit in a smoothie – delicious!
Ben — 12/29/2010 @ 3:33 pm
I understand what you say about eating at restaurants. There's nothing like a comforting homemade meal. Those picture are amazing. I wanna be there right now.
Jennifurla — 12/29/2010 @ 5:44 pm
I love your pictures, I agree homey meals just are so comforting.
Nisrine Merzouki — 12/29/2010 @ 6:26 pm
Bryan and Joanne–yes, they are beautiful sliced on a plate.
Sara–Happy New Year!
Ben and Jennifurla–I totally agree with the comforting part.
Lisa — 12/29/2010 @ 8:16 pm
I would love to visit St. John one day. As I look out my window and see snow everywhere, a sunny beach would be mighty nice! ; )
Smoothie Operator — 12/29/2010 @ 10:48 pm
What a gorgeous looking place! I've made it to Puerto Rico, but never Saint John. It really does look relaxing.
I love Smoothies, but have never seen a recipe using Star Fruit, nor have I ever tried eating one. I'll give it a try!
Interesting picture, showing how they grow, too.
♥peachkins♥ — 12/29/2010 @ 11:07 pm
I love starfruits! Happy New Year!
Fresh Local and Best — 12/30/2010 @ 2:30 am
I completely understand what you mean about eating out for days sequentially, you and your liver just become overtired of that fancy food. I've never been to the Caribbean, but it looks beautiful – like paradise! I adore starfruit, and would eat it all of the time if it was more available here in the Northeast.
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE — 12/30/2010 @ 3:25 am
Oh that sounds fantastic! It would be even better if I were sitting in some tropical climate right now! Maybe I need to plan a trip…
Chow and Chatter — 12/30/2010 @ 4:44 am
wow have fun on your vacation looks beautiful and your right eating out is OK but home food is always best love the sound of the star fruit smoothie
Happy New Year
Rebecca
A Canadian Foodie — 12/30/2010 @ 7:02 am
What a treat! I loved the picture of the star fruit on the tree. That is a first for me. I love star fruit… but can't imagine them in a smoothie as their flavour is so delicate!
:)
valerie
Coses de Llàbiro — 12/30/2010 @ 8:56 am
What a lovely place! Here is winter so for me is hard to imagine a sunny Christmas.;)
I understand you about eating out: is good but after a week there's nothing better than homemade food.
Happy New Year!
My Carolina Kitchen — 12/30/2010 @ 12:35 pm
You've made me very homesick for the islands with your gorgeous photos. When it's cold I question our thinking when we moved from the Bahamas to the mountains of NC.
It's nice to see a post about carambola fruit. So many people have never tasted it. My MIL had a tree in her yard when she lived in south Florida and it was fabulous to be able to pick our own.
Happy New Year.
Sam
Lael Hazan @educatedpalate.net — 12/30/2010 @ 1:05 pm
Beautiful photos of what looks like an ideaic location. Thank you for your suggestions on how to peel the star fruit, although I've enjoyed them when other people made them, I've been a bit intimidated by the rind.
Kimberly Peterson — 12/30/2010 @ 2:40 pm
I used to have a lot of star fruit while I was in Malaysia, but the fruit is never to be found now that I live in Australia, hehe.
And OMG! Saint John looks heavenly!! Absolutely breath taking as you described.
Emily — 12/30/2010 @ 6:28 pm
Looks like an incredible vacation – beautiful photos!
Magic of Spice — 12/30/2010 @ 9:03 pm
What a beautiful get away…and love the sound of this smoothie :)
Hope you have a most wonderful New Year :)
rosanna — 01/01/2011 @ 11:34 pm
A wonderful trip, nice pics. I perfectly understand this need of eating simple and at home. Eating out for a certain period of time gets very tiring and you finally stop enjoying of the restaurants offers.
Greetings.
A Year on the Grill — 01/02/2011 @ 3:19 pm
Oh Boy, St John!!!
First, thanks for finding my blog and leaving a comment this morning. You may have found me through my 6 months on St Thomas last year. My condo was only a short walk to the boat to St John, so I took several trips there. What a great place to be. Hope you relaxed and did a little exploring. For such a tiny island, the restaurants are incredible.
But, as you said, after 6 months of "paradise", I sure did miss my kitchen. Hope you come back to my site again. I am heading off to look through your archives.
Dave
Tracy from Rah Cha Chow — 01/02/2011 @ 6:44 pm
What gorgeous pictures! I'm positively jealous! I'm not sure I tire of eating in restaurants, though. Your blog is lovely. I'll be back for sure.