Recently we went to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles for the screening of an inspiring new documentary, Fear No Fruit. The film is about Frieda Caplan, who introduced at least 200 fruits and vegetables to American markets and urged people to try unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, thereby expanding their produce horizons and helping to change their shopping habits.Today, many of us go to the market expecting to find exotic fruits and vegetables. This wasn’t the case when I was growing up.In the film, Caplan says that until she introduced the kiwi in 1962, over 90 years had passed since Americans had met their last new fruit, the banana, in 1870.After we watched the film, the 91-year-old Caplan, who still goes to work every day at Frieda’s, Inc., the company she founded, shared some of her experiences with the audience.Initially people told her that she was crazy to introduce the kiwi – that nobody would be interested in this fuzzy, brownskinned fruit from New Zealand that was then called Chinese gooseberry. That did not discourage Caplan, who is known for her optimism. To help sell the fruit, she named it kiwifruit, for the kiwi – the brown national bird of New Zealand. Her plan was successful, and she became known as the Queen of Kiwi.Thanks to her, kiwis are now commonplace, and many Americans are familiar with such fruits as guavas, passion fruit and carambola (starfruit), as well as vegetables such as Belgian endive, sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), shallots and habanero chilies.When someone asked Caplan to talk about the prejudice she’d encountered as a woman in the produce industry, which was considered the realm of men, she smiled and said she hadn’t noticed it. “I never saw the obstacles, only the opportunities.”Today we take it for granted that unfamiliar produce items at the supermarket often have labels. This was another of Caplan’s innovations. She decided to add labels to her produce to give customers information such as storage and preparation tips. Her daughter, Karen Caplan, who is now president of the company, mentioned how frustrating it used to be, before there were labels, to tell the different kinds of orange- fleshed squashes apart.Before the age of the Internet, Frieda’s produce labels encouraged customers to write to the company for recipes. Young Karen was in charge of answering the numerous requests and developed some of the recipes. Eventually she published The Purple Kiwi Cookbook, in which people could learn how to use fruits and vegetables like quinces, passion fruit, cactus pears (sabras in Hebrew) and sun-dried tomatoes, which were all new to American markets.Quinces can be tart when raw, wrote Karen. They can be poached, steamed or baked, and “when cooked long enough with sugar, the quince develops an attractive pink blush.” The fruit makes a tasty sweet chutney when it is cooked with fresh ginger, dried apricots, apple juice and apple cider vinegar. (See recipe.)Ripe passion fruit is good to eat with a spoon, or it can be pureed and made into a daiquiri – a sweetened cocktail flavored with rum and lime juice. (See recipe.)Frieda encourages everyone to try a new “scary” – that is, unfamiliar – fruit every day. And we don’t have to worry that the world doesn’t have enough varieties. We learned from Fear No Fruit that the planet has an estimated 20,000 to 80,000 undiscovered edible crops.With Rosh Hashana around the corner, many people will be shopping for exotic fruit to enjoy on the second day of the holiday.Some fruits we will consider are cherimoya (anona in Hebrew), dragonfruit (pitaya) and lychees. And who knows – maybe we’ll find a fruit that we haven’t tried yet.Faye Levy is the author of the award-winning book Faye Levy’s International Vegetable Cookbook.QUINCE CHUTNEYIn The Purple Kiwi Cookbook, Karen Caplan recommends spooning this chutney over a softened brick of cream cheese to use as a cracker spread. You can keep the chutney in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.Makes 2 cups■ 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil■ ½ cup yellow onion, chopped■ 1 garlic clove, minced■ 1 cup apple juice■ ½ cup packed brown sugar■ 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar■ 1 Tbsp. lemon juice■ 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced■ 1 quince, peeled, cored and finely chopped (2 cups)■ ½ cup chopped dried apricots, apples or golden raisinsHeat oil in a 3-liter (3-quart) saucepan, add the onion and garlic and sauté them for 2 minutes. Stir in the apple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, quince and apricots. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the quince is very tender. (Do not allow the liquid to cook away or the mixture will burn; if the pan becomes dry during cooking, add a little water.) Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered.PASSION FRUIT DAIQUIRIS Passion fruit is “the biggest berry in the world,” writes Caplan in The Purple Kiwi Cookbook. It is used extensively in punches and confections labeled “tropical,” but is best enjoyed fresh. Passion fruit can be purple, yellowish-green or red on the outside, and yellow on the inside. To use the fruit, “scoop it right out of the skin and spoon up the jelly- like pulp and the edible seeds.... They are ripe and sweetest when the outside skin is very wrinkled and moldy.”Makes 6 servings■ ²⁄3 cup light rum■ ¼ cup lime juice■ ¼ cup sugar, or more to taste■ 4 ripe, wrinkled passion fruits■ 2 cups chopped ice■ Lime or pineapple slices for garnishCombine the rum, lime juice, sugar and passion fruit pulp (seeds and all) in a blender or food processor. Process until pureed. Strain out the seeds.Return the mixture to the blender. Add the ice and process until smooth. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if desired. Pour into 6 glasses. Garnish with slices of lime or pineapple.DRIED TOMATO AND PINE NUT CROSTINI “These delicious toasts show off the rich, smoky flavor of the dried tomatoes,” writes Caplan, noting that it takes 7.7 kg. (17 lbs.) of fresh Roma (plum) tomatoes to make 450 gr.(1 lb.) of her company’s dried tomatoes, which are salt-free and preservative-free. Dried tomatoes are easy to rehydrate in hot water, and can be combined with sautéed onions, pine nuts and basil to make a topping for crostini.Makes about 24 pieces■ 85 gr. (3 oz.) dried tomatoes■ 1½ cups diced onions■ 1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil■ ¹⁄3 cup pine nuts■ 3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped■ 1 tsp. sugar■ Dash of pepper■ Salt to taste (optional)■ About 24 thin slices crusty sourdough, French or Italian bread, lightly toastedPour boiling water over the tomatoes in a bowl. Let stand until softened. Drain and chop.Sauté the onion and tomatoes in the oil in a nonstick skillet for about 5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.Stir in the pine nuts, basil, sugar and pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat.Spoon the mixture into a food processor or blender. Cover and process until finely minced. Taste, and add salt and more pepper if desired. Spread the mixture in a thick layer over the toasted bread.CACTUS PEAR MELON SALAD WITH MINT DRESSING This recipe is adapted from Frieda’s, Inc. To make the salad more substantial, you can add 2 cups of thin strips of cooked chicken or of cooked, flaked delicate fish such as sole.Makes 3 to 6 servings■ Lettuce leaves (for serving)■ 3 cactus pears (prickly pears or sabras), peeled and thinly sliced■ 1 small orange- or green-fleshed melon, seeded and sliced■ 2 Tbsp. white vinegar■ 2 Tbsp. lemon juice■ 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil■ 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint■ 1½ tsp. sugar■ Salt to taste (optional)■ Fresh mint sprigs for garnishOn each salad plate, arrange lettuce leaves and top with cactus pear slices and melon slices.For the dressing, measure the vinegar, lemon juice, oil, mint and sugar into a jar. Cover and shake well until blended.Taste and add salt if desired. Drizzle over salad; garnish with fresh mint sprigs.GRILLED TUNA AND STARFRUIT SALADInstead of tuna, you can make this salad with salmon fillets.The recipe is from Frieda’s, Inc.Makes 4 servings■ ½ cup light mayonnaise or salad dressing■ 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice■ 1½ tsp. Dijon mustard■ 1½ tsp. chopped fresh dill■ ¼ tsp. paprika■ 1½ pounds (680 gr.) fresh tuna (2.5 cm. or 1 in. thick), cut into 4 pieces■ 2 starfruit, cut crosswise into 6-mm.- (¼-inch-) thick slices■ 8 cups torn mixed lettuce■ 1 cucumber, peeled if desired, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced■ 3 green onions, sliced To make dressing, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, mustard, dill and paprika in a small bowl, and mix well.Chill until ready to use. Makes about ½ cup.Arrange the tuna on a lightly oiled grilling tray or broiler pan. Place ¼ cup of the dressing in a small bowl. Brush some of it over the fish. Grill or broil, uncovered, for 5 minutes.Turn the fish, then arrange the starfruit slices alongside it on the grilling tray. Brush the fish and starfruit lightly with the dressing. Return to the grill or broiler. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes longer, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.Combine the lettuce and cucumber in a large salad bowl.Add enough of the remaining dressing to coat the greens; toss until the mixture is evenly moistened. Divide the salad evenly among 4 dinner plates. Place one piece of tuna on the center of each salad. Arrange the star fruit slices around each salad plate. Sprinkle with green onions.