Today we're talking about how to make a good fruit salad, because the phrase fruit salad may sound a bit old-fashioned to us, but... do you know why it's been so popular for so many years? Because a well-made fruit salad is delicious, plain and simple.
Summer is peak fruit-salad season, not only because juicy, refreshing fruit is exactly what we crave, but above all because we have delicious seasonal fruit at its best and at a good price, like melon, watermelon, peaches, apricots, and more.
Fruit salad doesn't have to be the fridge's catch-all for any fruit that's past its prime, unless very ripe fruit is a treat for you.
Tips for a foolproof fruit salad
Before suggesting several fruit-salad combination ideas, here are some general tips for turning a random mix of fruit into a delicious fruit salad:
- Don't use an endless variety of fruit - in general, I think less is more when it comes to fruit salad, so it's better to use just 3 or 4 varieties that work really well together, for example, all stone fruit. Haven't you come across people who pick out some fruits and leave others in the bowl? If the fruit is at its best and chosen well, that won't happen.
- Cutting matters - don't use huge chunks that won't fit in your mouth, and don't chop it so finely that you destroy the fruit's structure and turn the salad into a smoothie. And if possible, make the pieces from the different fruits even in size. Use a good sharp knife on a board that catches the juices (don't throw them away, add them to the fruit salad!) or cubing cutters that slice the fruit in no time and leave it perfect for adding to the salad.
- If you use juice to add some liquid to the fruit salad, it should be freshly squeezed natural juice rather than a sugary nectar or bottled juice. With a good juicer it takes no more than five minutes to juice the fruit.
- Fruit salads for adults can be brightened up with a little alcohol to taste. Orange liqueurs work well, and they're classic in fruit salads, such as Cointreau and Triple Sec. A splash of Calvados is great with fruit salads that include apples, since it's an apple liqueur. But some people even add whiskey, vodka, or gin to fruit salad.
- Be careful with some fruits that tend to go very soft or oxidize too much once cut, like banana. If we want to add them, we should do so at the last minute. It's true that the liquid in the fruit salad usually protects it somewhat from the air, but not enough.
To make fruit salad, you'll find a special sharp knife for fruit and vegetables by Opinel, a juice-catching board, the Gefu cubing cutter and a good, fast manual juicer or an electric one like the Juice Expert.
Keeping all the above in mind, it's possible to make a fruit salad some time in advance in a good quantity and eat it throughout the day or even (depending on the fruit and juices used) from one day to the next, but no longer. I'm not going to say that the vitamins will go off, but the texture and flavor will suffer a bit.
Fruit-salad combination ideas
- Just stone fruit: peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries.
- Melon of different kinds with watermelon.
- Citrus fruits with strawberries
- Red berries with grapes
- Citrus fruits with pineapple
- Pineapple with kiwi
- Red fruits such as raspberries, cherries, and blackberries, with another more neutral fruit, such as apple or pear.
Fruit salad is a possible way to win over little ones who aren't exactly fruit lovers so they'll eat it, even if only in summer. The variety of colors can help with that. They won't be able to resist a colorful fruit salad served in an attractive salad bowl or in lovely individual bowls (you can also use the soup tureens). We can even get them involved in making the fruit salad with the tools for little chefs that we have in the shop.
Serve your fruit salad in a beautiful salad bowl, in some gorgeous Le Creuset soup tureens, in Laura Ashley individual bowls, in some mini cocottes or in the new Japanese-style Le Creuset Kobe bowls, and ask your little one to help you prepare it with the Petit Chef kit.
