Most people don’t think of a fruit salad as a dessert. This one makes a fabulous and impressive end to a company dinner or as part of a Sunday brunch, especially one that has been heavy on meats and starches.
This is expensive. But it is worth it and will be remembered by your guests for a long time. Any leftovers can be eaten the next day or turned into a luxurious smoothie. But please, please do not use bananas which overpower the other fruits and turn brown. Also not recommended are grapes or apples. The apples are too crisp and the grapes will not absorb the sugar syrup.
The fruits in this salad can be adjusted according to the season. In the summer, fresh peaches are a wonderful addition. The variety of the colors in this salad make it appear very jewel like; a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe mangoes
1 ripe papaya (if you can find one)
2 kiwi fruits
1 ripe fresh pineapple, core carefully removed
Raspberries, blackberries and/ or really good strawberries.
One package of frozen cherries (if fresh ones are too hard to find)
1 to 3 ripe pears (Bosc pears are great)
Fresh peaches if they are in season and very ripe
About ½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup of Kirsch, Chambord or a liqueur/brandy of your choice (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and cut up fruit into uniform ¾ inch cubes (the salad is the prettiest if all the fruit is cut the same size). Place the fruit in a large container and add ½ cup of sugar and liqueur or brandy if using. Toss fruit to blend then taste for sweetness. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours. The sugar and brandy make a syrup of the blended fruits and develops the flavor of the salad.
Enjoy! Happy Easter.
• Patty Schied is a longtime Juneau resident who studied at the Cordon Bleu in London, has cooked meals for both AWARE and the Glory Hall, and has written a cookbook. Cooking For Pleasure appears every other week in Capital City Weekly.
