I LOVE THIS FRUIT SALAD. It's dressed with honey and lime juice. It's scented with fresh mint. And it's absolutely delicious for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Feel free to alter quantities and/or fruit-selection. But please don't alter the dressing. It's heavenly!
A Fragrant Fruit Salad
Ingredients for 10-12 one-cup servings
1/4 honey dew melon, cubed
1 lb strawberries, sliced
2 peaches, chopped
2-3 cups blueberries
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
Dressing:
1/4 cup honey
The zest and juice of one lime
Take one 1/4 of a honey dew melon...
And cut it in half.
Slice the flesh lengthwise just to the rind (but not through the rind), as pictured above.
Then make 1/4-inch-wide, crosswise cuts. The wedge, as you can see, will now lay flat.
Holding your knife parallel to the rind, make a long, horizontal cut...
And poof! You've got bite-size morsels of melon.
Drop the melon morsels into a big bowl.
Repeat the above steps with the remaining wedge of honey dew.
Now grab a pint of strawberries, and patiently hull them (remove their leaves and stems) with a paring knife.
True confession: I have no patience for hulling strawberries. I simply cut off their tops.
I know my secret is safe with you.
Slice the smaller berries in half. Slice the larger ones into thirds or fourths.
Add the berries to the bowl.
Next, take a couple of perfectly ripe peaches...
And slice and dice them into bite-size pieces.
I used Georgia peaches for my fruit salad. Georgia peaches are the best peaches in the world.*
*I have not tasted Connecticut peaches.
Add the peaches to the bowl.
For incredible color and taste, add two cups of blueberries.
Next, bribe someone into peeling 3 tropical kiwis for you.
Note: Kiwi is a pain in the neck to peel. But its interior is so beautiful that you absolutely, positively have to include it in your fruit salad.
Cut the kiwi into rounds, and then slice each round in half. Gently place the kiwi in the bowl.
Note: Do not slice your kiwi too thinly. Otherwise, it will break apart when you toss the salad.
Green, seedless grapes are always welcome in a fruit salad. But some people (not you, of course), who try to get away with adding them whole.
Can you guess what happens when you try to stab a whole grape with a fork?
That's right. It rolls off the plate, and onto the floor.
Consequently, you have to slice each and every grape in half. Halved grapes are stable grapes. They are also stab-able.
Well, just be grateful we don't have to peel the grapes.
Pop Quiz! Tell me the name of the actress who, in 1933, uttered the line "Beulah, peel me a grape."
We might as well slice up some red grapes, too.
Add the grapes to the salad bowl.
And are you thinking what I'm thinking?
A well-made fruit salad is a labor of love. Emphasis on "labor."
Fortunately the rest of our work is easy.
Stack together 10 (or more) mint leaves...
And roll them up, cigar-like.
Cut the cigar crosswise, into very thin slices.
Note: Do not use the cutting technique you see pictured above. I had to cut my mint with my left hand, while holding a camera with my right hand.
I hope you appreciate these dangerous feats I perform on your behalf.
There. We've just created what the French call a "chiffonade of mint."
The strands of my chiffonade are much to wide. But it was the best I could do while holding a camera.
Your strips will look far superior to mine.
In a highly-dramatic gesture, scatter the mint over the fruit...
And then slowly and gently toss the salad with a rubber spatula. A teal-colored spatula will work best.
Now grab a lime...
And grate its peel. If you have a micro-zester, by all means use it.
Set the grated peel aside for a moment.
Cut the lime in half, and juice each half into a small yellow bowl.
Add one 1/4 cup of honey...
And the lime zest...
And then mix them altogether with a spoon.
Pour the sauce over the salad...
And then gently, gently toss the salad again. When you are finished, every piece will shimmer like starlight.
Cover and refrigerate the salad for a few hours, or for up to 3 days.
Folks, I've enjoyed this fruity fantasy for breakfast all by itself. I've also enjoyed it for lunch, atop a bed of yogurt or cottage cheese. And its really, really awesome for dessert, too, when served in a shallow goblet, and splashed with champagne.
Promise me you'll try this salad before summer -- and fresh, in-season fruit -- are history.
For handy reference, here's a copy-and-paste version without photographs:
A Fragrant Fruit Salad
Kevin Lee Jacobs, A Garden for the House (dot) com
Ingredients for 10-12 one-cup servings
1/4 honey dew melon, cubed
1 lb strawberries, sliced
2 peaches, chopped
2-3 cups blueberries
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
Glaze: 1/4 cup honey, combined with the zest and juice of one lime
Pour all of the fruit into a bowl; sprinkle the thinly-sliced mint leaves on top. Gently toss with a rubber spatula. Then pour the glaze over the salad, and gently toss again. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or for up to 3 days.
Serve as is, or atop a bed of yogurt or cottage cheese. For dessert, pour the fruit into individual goblets, along with a splash of good champagne.
Does this salad appeal to you? You can let me know by leaving a comment. As always, I love hearing from you.
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