What You'll Need to Make a Fruit Salad
- 1/2-3/4 cup of sliced fruit per person4
- The type of fruit you use depends entirely on your personal taste. Fruit salads traditionally contain a combination of melons, citrus fruits and berries. See Step 1 for some additional tips on selecting fruit for your salad.
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
Step 1: Select the Fruit
- Your personal taste, with a touch of creative whimsy, is the guiding principle here. Select whatever fruits are in season, what you like or what you have on hand.
- Choose fruit that is ripe and flavorful, but not overripe.5 Overripe fruit won't hold up well when mixed.
- Very fragile fruits, such as raspberries, can be used to garnish the salad.
- Aim for a balance of different fruits. Don't let one fruit overwhelm the mix.
Step 2: Prepare the Fruit
- Compared to other dishes, fruit salad is relatively simple to prepare. For many fruits, all you need to do is wash and cut them into bite-sized pieces.6 A few fruits do require a bit of extra care, however:
- Apples should be soaked in lemon juice or citric acid to prevent the discoloration caused by oxidation.7
- Peel fruits with a tough skin, such as kiwi or mango.
- Remove seeds from fruit such as watermelon, oranges, grapefruit and the like.
Step 3: Mix the Dressing
Fruit salad doesn't really require a dressing. The juices of the fruits themselves will blend when you mix them, nicely flavoring the fruit. You can add a mix of lemon or lime juice and sugar to the fruit to perk up the natural flavors, if desired. You can also achieve a more sophisticated taste by macerating the fruit in a few tablespoons of a fruity liqueur, such as Cherry Heering, Cassis, Cointreau or Grand Marnier. If you would like an actual dressing for your salad however, here are two traditional choices that work well:
Poppy Seed Dressing
- ■ 1/3-3/4 cup sugar
- ■ 1/3 cup vinegar or lemon juice
- ■ 1 cup olive oil
- ■ 1-1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Yogurt-Honey Dressing
- ■ 1 cup plain yogurt
- ■ 2-3 teaspoons of honey, to taste
- ■ Flavorings such as cinnamon, ginger, vanilla or lemon zest can be added.
Step 4: Assemble the Fruit Salad
- Combine the fruits you prepared in Step 2.
- If you're adding juice and sugar, or a liqueur, add it now.
- Refrigerate if you're not serving the salad immediately.
- When ready to serve, toss the fruit with a dressing if desired.
- Add bananas, if using, at the last minute, as they discolor quickly.
- Garnish with tender berries, coconut or chopped nuts, as a final touch.
- Serve and enjoy!
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