Fruit Ambrosia

Fruit Ambrosia brings back childhood memories of Thanksgivings Past.  My mother, always made Fruit Ambrosia, and I love it to this day.   I don't remember how she made it, and she never wrote it down. She always added coconut and maraschino cherries.  Yum.

I forgot about this classic Southern dish, until the December-January 2013 issue of Cook's Country Magazine arrived.  I took one look at their Fruit Ambrosia recipe and I made a note that I had to make this childhood dish.

 

"Noelle" and "Ellen"

Today, I attended a baby shower for a sweet, young, friend (and fellow food blogger) Noelle, of "The Joyful Table".  We were asked to bring a salad. What perfect timing!  I had just purchased the last of the seasonal Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit (that I dearly love), and I also found Blood Oranges and Cara Cara Oranges were in the produce aisle. Score!

If you've never tried Blood Oranges, I hope you can find still find some while they are in season. 

They are such a beautiful color, and have a deep citrus flavor. Yum!

This one orange came from the tree that my husband has lovingly nurtured in our backyard.  I zested it, before adding it to the fruit salad.

What makes this fruit salad recipe a bit different is that the cut fruit is macerated with a little sugar, and then set into a colander that is set into a bowl.  This allows the fruit juices to drain (and it became a delicious morning juice drink), thus the salad doesn't become soggy. Such pretty colors!

The whipped cream is blended with sour cream, orange zest, pure vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  After tasting it, I thought it needed a little bit more sugar.  So, my suggestion is to sweeten it to your liking.  

Coconut is definitely a traditional component to this fruit salad.  If you hate coconut, skip this. We love coconut, so I toasted some in the oven (350F) for about 8-10 minutes.  You can definitely make all the components ahead. Just keep the fruit and whipped cream mixture refrigerated, and blend the salad right before serving.  I transported the components, separately, and mixed it up at the future Grandmother's house.

That "potted garden" that you see in the background is a cake!  Noelle's friend made it and I thought it was adorable.  I've never worked with Fondant, and I was impressed with how she explained that she used Rice Krispy treats as the molds for the veggies, and then used colored fondant to create the vegetables.   The "dirt" was Oreo cookies and graham crackers. Too cute.

 

TASTING NOTES:  Without the whipped cream, these particular oranges (and grapefruit) are sweet and delicious-- and guilt-free.  Of course, once the whipped cream is added, this becomes a creamy dessert that is refreshing and addicting.  I didn't feel one bit of guilt, as I went back for seconds.  I will definitely make this Fruit Ambrosia again, and it was perfect to bring to a pot luck.  

As always, you can find a printable recipe card at the end of this post. 

 

My next post will be a giveaway, where you can win some of these beautiful Macarons from Sucre. I'll be posting details soon.  Here's the Fruit Ambrosia Recipe: