Fruit Salad

Today's post was inspired by a simple question from my son-in-law, Kyle, who asked me how I cut the orange in the fruit salad so there was none of the tough membrane on the sections. With the help of some photos, I'll attempt to show you how I cut some of my favorite fruits. First things first, here's the recipe for my all time favorite fruit salad . . .

Fruit Salad

1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
2/3 cup orange-pineapple or pineapple juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 pineapple, cut into tidbits
1 quart strawberries, stemmed and sliced
4 red apples, cored and cut into bite size pieces
2 cups green grapes, cut in half
4 firm bananas, sliced

To make dressing, combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in juice. Stir constantly while cooking over medium heat until mixture slightly thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool completely.

Combine all fruits in a large bowl and add cooled dressing. Stir to combine. Enjoy with a large group of people.

Details, Details, Details . . .

 Don't forget, this recipe is a guideline! I vary the fruits with the season or with whatever whim I am experiencing at the moment. Remember how this all started with a question about cutting an orange? The salad at that moment had at least one orange and probably a kiwi or two and maybe no apples. Use what you like! I almost always use pineapple because I almost always want it; the same with strawberries and bananas, but the other stuff might change. Grapefruits are good, so are blueberries and even raspberries.  

Now For the Tuity-Fruity, Nitty Gritty . . .

Wash pineapple, then cut off both ends.

Stand up the pineapple and cut into quarters.

Trim off the tough core in the center of each piece.

Cut pineapple away from the outside peel of each piece.

Cut along each side and the end.

Do the same with all four pieces.

Cut each section into four long spears.

Turn sideways and cut the spears into small chunks or tidbits.

Look at all the beautiful yummy juicy pineapple!

     And the kiwi . . .

Wash the kiwi. Use a paring knife to remove the stem.

Use the peeler to remove the skin. Handle gently!

Use egg slicer (or paring knife) to slice the kiwi.

Luscious green fruit!

 Now for that orange . . .

A paring knife is all you need.

Cut off both ends of the orange.

Use the knife to cut off the peel from top to bottom.

Cut the sections away from the tough membrane by cutting right next to the membrane down to the center of the orange. Leave the knife in and twist it gently. It "should" sort of pop the section away from the membrane on the other side. Repeat with each section of the orange. 

This technique is a little easier to practice on a grapefruit because the sections are a bit bigger. After you do it a couple of times it is easier to do. Give it a try! Do not be intimidated by a little orange!

Just a little more info . . .

I buy the juice in 6-packs of little cans, found in the juice isle at our local stores. Each can is just the right size for the recipe. Don't measure, just use the whole can.

This recipe makes enough salad for Thanksgiving dinner, but if you want it for a smaller crowd the leftovers are still good the next day. The bananas are a little mushy on day two, but everything is still tasty. However, it is easy to prepare the amount of fruit you want and only use part of the dressing. The rest of the dressing will keep for at least a couple of weeks in a jar in your fridge. 

Dear reader, if you were in my Foods 2 class at NHS in this century (maybe even before), you had this salad on Salad Lab day and you probably enjoyed it then. It was one of the all time favorite, most asked for recipes. I probably made more copies of this recipe than even the Cinnamon Roll or Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. My family, many family friends and the After School Club at church have also enjoyed this over the years. It is time tested and worth passing around.