Fruit Salad

Another side dish for my non-cooking associates is a simple or not-so-simple fruit salad. It is perfect as a light and fresh counterpoint to starch and protein-laden plates.

As with all things, balance is key. By balancing the sweetness of some, the sourness of others, and the bitterness of yet others, a light and refreshing taste is created.

My favorite combines citrus, grapes, and banana with a few maraschino cherries macerated in a light sugar syrup, but the only limit is your imagination. These types of salads have also been topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, chunks of flavored gelatin, nuts, and grated coconut.

The recipe as written reflects the fruit salads of my youth, with the inclusion of the roguechef twist of a good tot of bourbon. I may just replace the maraschino cherries with the macerated cherries from my cherry bounce.

From Wikipedia:

Fruit salad is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either their juices or a syrup. In different forms, fruit salad can be served as an appetizer or a side as a salad. A fruit salad is sometimes known as a fruit cocktail (often connoting a canned product), or fruit cup (when served in a small container).

There are many types of fruit salad, ranging from the basic (no nuts, marshmallows, or dressing) to the moderately sweet (Waldorf salad) to the sweet (ambrosia salad). Another “salad” containing fruit is a jello salad, with its many variations. A fruit cocktail is well-defined in the US to mean a well-distributed mixture of small diced pieces of (from highest percentage to lowest) peaches, pears, pineapple, grapes, and cherry halves. Fruit salad may also be canned (with larger pieces of fruit than a cocktail).

FruitSalad

Winter fruits all in a bowl

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Resting time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Servings 4 people

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 ea Apples Tart, Washed, sliced and cross sliced
• 2 ea Oranges peeled, segmented and cross sliced
• 2 cup Green grapes washed, stemmed, halved
• 1 cup Maraschino Cherries stemmed, halves, with juice
• 1 ea Grapefruit Ruby Red, peeled, segmented and cross sliced
• 2 ea Pears Semi Firm, Washed, sliced and cross sliced
• 8.5 oz Canned Peaches Small can with juice
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1.5 oz Bourbon Optional, Good Stuff
• 2 ea Bananas Peeled, sliced to 1/4"

Instructions

 

• Mix all in a non reactive container
• Rest for at least 1 hour
• Serve cold

Notes

A memory from my past,  thanksgiving would not be thanksgiving without a helping of fruit salad to mix into my cornbread stuffing.

This is a simple and basic fruit salad / cocktail.  The difference being the size of the fruit chunk.  I usually go for an apple / pear, wedged to 8ths, thence each slice cut to 1/4″.  Citrus is peeled, segmented and cut to 4-6 pieces per segment.  Grapes and cherries are halved, Canned peaches are cut similar to the citrus.

Note I wash the apple, pears, grapes quite well as I will not be peeling them, and do want the contrasting colors of the peels in the salad.

The “dressing” is a simple maceration due to the sugar, and the optional addition of a good bourbon.

Do feel free to explore, some addons might include:

• Chunk pineapple
• Kiwi
• Berries
• Melon
• Chopped nuts
• Passion Fruit
• Mini Marshmallows
• Pomegranate
• Gelatin / Jello Chunks
• Whipped Cream

 

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 308mgFiber: 3gSugar: 67gVitamin A: 273IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Fruit Mix, Salad

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