Fruit Salad

All right, this is an easy one.  But seeing as I am continually inspired by the bounty of fruit during the Spring/Summer months I thought I'd share with you some techniques beyond your everyday cut and bowl fruit salad.  As well as some tips for how to combine your fruits.

First, as in designing a healthful meal, you want to look at the dish as though you are painting.  Try to mix up the colors to include either a minimalist grouping of colors or a whole rainbow.  You also want to consider the durability of the cut fruit when making the salad in advance of the gathering or feast.  That's where the toppings can help.

Let's think colors:

Red/Purple - Blueberries, Strawberries, Cherries, Black Berries, Raspberries, Grapes, Figs (skin), Blood Orange, Watermelon, etc.

Green/Yellow/Orange - Grapes, Kiwi, Peaches, Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Kumquats, Star Fruit, Ugli Fruit, Canteloupe, Honey Dew, Casaba melon, etc.

White - Bananas, Apples, etc.

Combinations:
I like to think of things in terms of threes.  No spectacular reason other than it's an easy grouping to remember.  When ingredients (or directions) extend beyond those I don't easily store in my short term memory. Typically I'd have representative fruit from all three color categories.  For example, Blueberries, Peaches, and Bananas.  But go with your preferences.  There is no wrong fruit grouping.  If you want a dramatic monochromatic palate, choose fruits from only one category.


Liquid:
Think about the amount of liquids that are generated naturally from the fruit.  Citrus fruit generates significant juice as does watermelon.  However, Cantaloupe, Honey Dew, Cherries, not so much.  Some fruit will excrete more juice if you macerate them first with granulated sugar.  It depends on the purpose.  You may want a lot of juice if you will cook the fruit down into a sauce or to top an angel food cake or other pastry.  For a fruit salad on its own, you probably don't want a lot of juice.


Color Preservation:
Speaking of Bananas, certain fruits are likely to start browning once they are exposed to air.  Bananas are a super culprit of this behavior.  While the browning does not affect their flavor so much, it does negatively affect your desire/excitement to consume them.  There are some "buddy" fruits that will help slow down this process, for example Citrus Fruits.  The best method is to wait to add these fruits (anything in the white category) until right before you plan to serve the salad.


Additions to the Party:
The more flavorful method of color preservation is your topping.  This is like dressing to a green salad; it's what brings everything together.  The topping can add gloss as well as a flavor punch.   Or it can even change the texture of the salad.  For example, you might consider adding nuts and yogurt and a bit of honey.  If you've never tried this, it was my favorite dessert from a Greek restaurant back in Ithaca.


Fresh cut fruit, Greek (unsweetened) yogurt, Walnuts, Honey drizzled.  And the angels sing!


Another topping I had recently which made me run out and buy the ingredients when we got home... Lemon curd.  So, lemon curd has a couple of benefits.  One is the citrus acid which will help slow down the browning effect when oxygen hits the whiter fruits.  The other major benefit is the taste!  Sweet, and tart, and smooth.  It's very balanced in flavor and used sparingly can brighten up the flavor of your salad.  Also throw in some fresh mint.  Fruit and mint were just meant for each other.  Dried mint, not so much.  It's too crunchy.  Fresh mint is almost difficult to over do, but dried, you can over do it pretty much instantly.


Hopefully you're out there having the delicious and sweet bounty Summer has to offer.  Fruit this time of year tastes like no other.  Enjoy!