Patriotic Fruit Salad
An easy, fresh dessert (or side dish?) for celebrating. The best part? It takes 20 minutes to assemble, and kids love helping arrange the colorful fruits, and it's a great way to cool down on hot days.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
The fruit:
- 1 ⅓ cups blueberries
- 2 cups quartered strawberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- ½ cup cubed pineapple
- 2 cups cubed watermelon halved pitted cherries also work
- 1 mango sliced to cut star-shapes
The dressing:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons honey, sugar or simple syrup
Instructions
Prep the fruit:
- Wash 1 ⅓ cups blueberries, 2 cups quartered strawberries and 1 cup raspberries and pat them dry with a kitchen or paper towels. Hull and slice the strawberries into bite-sized pieces or quarters; they work great for most berries.
- Have ready ½ cup cubed pineapple and 2 cups cubed watermelon, making sure there are no seeds. For the pineapple, cut into small chunks that match the watermelon bites.
- Slice 1 mango into thick slices, then use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to create star pieces. If you don't have a star cutter, you can carefully cut star shapes with a knife, or simply cube the mango – it'll still taste amazing and have the colors, if not the shape. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Make the dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ cup orange juice and 3 tablespoons honey, sugar or simple syrup until well combined. The lemon juice will help prevent browning and add a bright, fresh flavor that complements all the fruits perfectly.
- Or use simple syrup (see Notes below) instead of honey. If using sugar, stir well to dissolve as it can pool and not mix well.
Assemble and chill:
- In a large serving shallow bowl or platter, make two layers, combining the prepared fruits except the stars.
- Drizzle ¾ of the citrus honey dressing (eyeball it) and toss very gently with a large spoon to coat everything evenly. Be careful not to mash the berries or break up the delicate fruits. You can do this in a separate bowl if you feel more comfortable.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let the salad sit in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld together. It benefits from being made a few hours ahead.
- Scatter the star-shaped mango on top, drizzle with more dressing and serve chilled on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip on top and fresh mint leaves.
Notes
To make simple syrup, combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. When it breaks into a boil, remove it from the stove and let it cool to room temperature. Place in an airtight jar and keep refrigerated. It keeps for months, if not a year or more. I use it mostly for cocktails like sangria and fruit compote.
Star-shaped pieces: I mostly use mango (though not technically white, it works) and sometimes pineapple, but the pieces may not be large enough for my star cutter. Apples, pears and bananas also work; they're white and have a good surface, but they brown too quickly, and I like a summery feel to this salad, so I usually avoid them.
Too sweet or not sweet enough: Taste your fruit before adding the honey or sweetener of choice – if it's already very sweet, you might want to reduce it; remember that the orange juice is also sweet. If the fruit is tart, feel free to add an extra tablespoon of sweetener. Don't be afraid to taste and adjust the honey and citrus juice to complement your specific fruit combination. This is essential as fruit can vary greatly in flavor depending on the time of year.
