YIELD: 6-8 SERVINGS

EASY WINTER FRESH FRUIT SALAD

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

FRUIT:

•  *Fruit is adaptable; see note below*
•  1 cup fresh blueberries
•  1 cup peeled and diced kiwi fruit 
•  1 cup mandarin oranges, drained, or fresh mandarin/navel orange segments
•  1 cup diced apples or pears
•  1 cup halved grapes
•  1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

DRESSING:

•  1 tablespoon honey
•  2 tablespoons orange juice (see note for lemon variation)
•  Light pinch of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the fruit in a serving bowl. (If using pears, because they sometimes darken faster than apples, I like to toss them with a light squeeze of lemon juice before adding to the salad.)
2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the fruit and toss to combine. 
3. The fruit salad can be made a couple hours ahead of time - keep in mind that depending on what type of fruit is used, the colors may seep into each other as the salad sits. 

NOTES

Fruit: as noted above, the fruit is very adaptable to what is in season and what you prefer. You'll want about 5-6 cups total fruit (not including the pomegranate seeds). The lineup listed above is my favorite (I use pears when I can find delicious, ripe ones). 

Pomegranate Seeds: I personally think the pomegranate seeds are essential for this fruit salad - for color, texture, flavor and prettiness. I haven't had great luck with the cups of pomegranate seeds you can buy at various stores (they are often mushy and have a weird texture), so I prefer digging the seeds out of a pomegranate myself. TIPS: you can either halve and peel apart the pomegranate and gently pound the skin side with a wooden spoon, letting the seeds fall out into a bowl OR quarter the pomegranate and submerge the pomegranate quarters in a bowl of water pulling apart the pieces and letting the seeds fall to the bottom (the skin and white parts of the pomegranate will float to the top).

Dressing: my favorite way to make the dressing is to use 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (both freshly squeezed, if you can, especially the lemon juice). I love the tangy freshness from the lemon. But if you want it a bit sweeter and not as tangy, use all orange juice. 

Cinnamon: you want a very light pinch of cinnamon - less than 1/8 teaspoon. It adds something so special to this salad and the small amount doesn't overpower the flavor.

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