Today we talk about how to prepare a good fruit salad, because the phrase fruit salad may sound a bit old-fashioned, but... do you know why it has been popular for so many years? Because a well-made fruit salad is delicious, for heaven's sake.
Summer is the peak season for fruit salad, not only because juicy, cool fruit is exactly what you want, but above all because we have delicious in-season fruit at their best and at a good price, like melon, watermelon, peaches, apricots and others.
A fruit salad doesn't have to be the fridge's catch-all, collecting all the fruit that's past its prime, unless very ripe fruit is a delicacy for you.
Tips for a foolproof fruit salad
Before suggesting several combination ideas for fruit salad, here are some general tips to turn a random mix of fruits into a delicious fruit salad:
- Don't use an endless variety of fruits - in general I think less is more in a fruit salad, that is, better to use only 3 or 4 varieties, but ones that go very well together, for example, all stone fruits. Have you ever seen people pick some fruits and leave others in the bowl? If the fruits are ripe and well chosen that won't happen to you.
- Cutting matters - don't use huge pieces that won't fit in your mouth and don't make a mash that destroys the fruit's structure and turns the fruit salad into a smoothie. And make the pieces of the different fruits roughly the same size if possible. Use a good sharp knife on a juice-collecting board (don't discard the juices, add them to the salad!) or cube cutters that chop the fruit in no time and leave it perfect to add to the salad.
- If you use juice to add some liquid to the salad, it's better if it's freshly squeezed natural juice than a nectar or packaged juice full of sugar. With a good juicer it takes no more than five minutes to squeeze the fruit.
- Adult fruit salads can be livened up with a splash of alcohol to taste. Orange liqueurs work well, a classic in fruit salads, like Cointreau and Triple Sec. A dash of Calvados is very nice with salads that include apple, since it's an apple liqueur. But there are enthusiasts who even add whisky, vodka or gin to the fruit salad.
- Be careful with some fruits that tend to become very soft or overly oxidize once cut, like banana. If we want to add them, we'll do so at the last moment. It's true that the liquid in the salad usually protects somewhat from the air, but not enough.
To make fruit salad you'll find very useful a well-sharpened knife specially for fruits and vegetables Opinel, a juice-collecting board, the Gefu cube cutter and a good and fast manual juicer or an electric one like the Juice Expert.
Taking all the above into account, it's possible to make a fruit salad in advance in a good quantity and consume it throughout a whole day or even (depending on the fruits and juices used) from one day to the next, but no longer. I'm not going to say vitamins spoil, but the texture and flavor do deteriorate somewhat.
Suggested combinations for fruit salad
- Only stone fruits: peaches, apricots, plums and cherries.
- Melon of various kinds with watermelon.
- Citrus with strawberries
- Red fruits with grapes
- Citrus with pineapple
- Pineapple with kiwi
- Red fruits like raspberries, cherries and blackberries, with a more neutral fruit, such as apple or pear.
Fruit salad is a possible option to convince those kids who are not exactly fruit lovers to eat it even if only in summer. A variety of colors can help. They won't be able to resist a colorful fruit salad served in an attractive serving bowl or in lovely individual bowls (you can also use the soup tureens). We can even involve them in preparing the salad with the kid chef utensils we have in the store.
Present your fruit salad in a pretty serving bowl, in some beautiful Le Creuset soup tureens, in Laura Ashley individual bowls, in some mini cocottes or in the new Le Creuset Kobe-style Japanese bowls, and ask your little one to help you prepare it with the Petit Chef kit.
