What a nice sounding topping, Ruthanna. I used to make these up in Sint Maarten so we could have them ready for lunch guests. From C. Claiborne: TANGERINES EN SURPRISE (serves 6) 10-12 tangerines 2 cups water 1 cup + 2 TBL sugar 2 TBL corn syrup 2 TBL grated tangerine peel 2 TBL lemon juice 2 egg whites Fresh mint sprigs Cut the tops off 6 of the tangerines. With a spoon, gently scoop out the fruit sections. Reserve the shells & tops. Remove the seeds from teh sections & extract the juice by pressing the sections in a potato ricer.. Use enough additional tangerine sections to make 2 cups of juice. Combine the water, 1 cup of the sugar & the corn syrup & boil briskly 5 minuts. Add the grated tangerine peel & cool. Add the tangerine & lemon juices to the syrup mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve & pour into a shallow pan. Freeze until mushy. When the ice is partly set, beat the egg whites with 2 TBL sugar until stiff. Fold into the ice & continue to freeze until the ice is solid. Using an ice cream scoop, fill heach tangerine shell with 2 scoops of the ice. Cover each with a tangerine top. Assemble in a pan, wrap with foil & return to the freezer until ready to serve. Garnish each with a sprig of mint before serving.~~

Thank you! All the recipes sound wonderful. I am definitely going to try the prawns, and if I can ever find blood oranges, the Sangria will get made, too! Linda

As for what fruits go good in Sangria, well it is basically a wine punch so you have to know something about wine to figure that out, since wine already has "notes" of flavors in it which is what the fruit enhances in the punch. And I agree, go with just one type of wine unless you know a whole lot about blending wines. There are blended wines out there that you can buy, such as "Menage a Trois" which is a blended red wine that I like. I'm interested in blended wines and I have tried a few and found that a lot of them I don't like, so that's why I say you have to be careful and if you're new to Sangria I would agree with Sushipup, start with the basics and you can branch out from there. Also, there are certain fruits that seem to go more with red wine and others that go with white wine, which is why there are recipes out there for both types of Sangria. It has to do with the flavor notes of the wine. For example, I would say that kiwi would be good with some white wines but I can't imagine it with a complex red wine, but I can imagine blueberries going OK with a red. Another example is peach, which I think goes extremely well with white wine but just gets lost in a red wine. Same with strawberries--they are great with wine but would be lost with a strong red wine. Cherries and apples and blackberries, on the other hand, would go well with a red. I love to eat grapefruit, but in my experience with trying it in mixed fruit things and salads, etc., it just doen't play well with too many other tastes. It is one of the flavor notes of some wines though, but I'm not sure which ones. But if you're not a wino and don't know all the nuances of the different wines, best to start and stick with the tried and true.

The recipe below is from St. Thomas & Carol Bareuther is a nutrionist here. Here's one from Puerto Rico: PIGEON PEAS & RICE (serves 8) 2 TBL olive oil 1 small yellow onion, minced 1 stalk celery, minced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded & minced 2 cups shelled pigeon peas (or use canned, drained) 1 TBL tomato paste 1/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp thyme 4 cups water 2 cups white rice Salt & pepper to taste In a deep saucepan saute the onion, celery, pepper & garlic in the oil until onion is soft. Remove from pan & set aside. Add water to saucepan & bring to a boil. Boil peas until just barely tender. (Skip this step if using canned.) Return vegetables to pan along with tomato paste & spices. Add rice & bring to boil. Reduce heat & cook until all water is absorbed.~~Angela Spenceley Here is a link that might be useful: Coconut Red Beans & Rice