Serve fruit salad in a hollowed out watermelon rind for elegant presentation.
Few things are more refreshing than a chilled fruit salad on a hot summer day. Just about any barbecue or picnic you attend is bound to have a mixed fruit salad. Fruit salad also provides a light and healthy balance to barbecue meals that are filled with heavy meats and fatty potato salad. To make a fruit salad, you simply have to peel, slice and dice up your favorite fruits, toss them together in a salad bowl and serve.
The Fruit
There is no one way to make a fruit salad; you can mix any of your favorite types of fruits. However, there are some fruit combinations that are well-known and pretty typical. One popular fruit salad combination includes cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, strawberries and watermelon. You can also combine certain types of fruits together such as apples, pears, and cranberries for a fall-themed fruit salad; or mangoes, kiwi, pineapple and banana for a tropical-themed fruit salad.
Sugar and Cream
Although fresh fruit salad is often served with just the fruit alone, some include additional ingredients to sweeten and add flavor. Sugar is the most common way to sweeten fruit salad. A light dusting is all you need, as most fruit is already naturally sweet. Feel free to use any sugar alternatives as well. For a creamy fruit salad, you can mix in whipped cream. A popular creamy fruit salad is known as ambrosia, which combines pineapples, oranges and maraschino cherries with sour cream, heavy cream, mini marshmallows and grated coconut. Serve this fruit dessert salad chilled.
Spices and Herbs
Savory spices add an appealing contrast to the sweetness of the fruit. Mint is a common herb used for spiced fruit salad, typically torn and tossed in with the fruit. Another spice sometimes added to fruit salad is dill, which wakes up the flavor significantly. Freshly ground black pepper works well for a fruit salad that include strawberries, by adding a little kick of heat. If you don't want to add a savory spice to your fruit salad, you can add spices more commonly associated with fruit such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Dressings
Fruit salad is often accompanied with a light dressing of some sort. Honey mixed with olive oil to make a vinaigrette is often drizzled over fruit salad. Honey is also sometimes mixed with plain yogurt for a creamier dressing. Balsamic vinegar dressing adds a more savory factor to the fruit salad. Fruit salads with milder flavors such as cantaloupe and melons work especially well with savory dressings, while a citrus vinaigrette will brighten the flavor of fruit salads that do not include citrus fruits.
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