Classic Fruit Salad for Two

Cantaloupe, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, and strawberries cover the color spectrum and the texture range; soft against firm, juicy against dense. The dressing is a simple mix of apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and oil, just enough to add a sharpness that keeps the sweetness of the fruit from becoming one-note. It is a dressing that supports rather than leads, which is exactly the role a fruit salad dressing should play.

The only real variable is ripeness. Fruit that has not quite gotten there will not be rescued by anything in the bowl. Beyond that, this is a recipe that adjusts easily to whatever is in season, sized for two and ready in the time it takes to cut everything into bite-sized pieces.

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple
• Blueberries
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Dressing – made from apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, oil, salt and pepper.

How to Make a Classic Fruit Salad

• Step 1 – Wash your fruit, when applicable. Like strawberries, blueberries. Obviously, you don’t need to wash the kiwi, cantaloupe and pineapple as you will peel those first. Make sure you dry the washed fruit as you don’t want water to dilute your fruit bowl.
• Step 2 – Cut all fruit in bite-sized pieces. That can be quarters or slivers, all depending on the type of fruit. Blueberries don’t need to be cut at all.
• Step 3 – Place all fruits in a large bowl.
• Step 4 – Make the dressing by mixing apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, oil and salt & pepper.
• Step 5 – Add dressing to the bowl of fruit and mix.
• That’s all it takes, to make classic fruit salad.

Fruit Salad Tips

• Shop for seasonal fruits. The main reason to do this is flavor, flavor and cost. When fruit is in season it is usually in ample supply and that lowers the price.
• Use ripe fruits. When using fresh fruits, make sure you allow them to come to full ripeness before you cut them up for your salad. Not all fruits are ripe when you buy them at the grocery store and some need to ripen further in your kitchen.
• Vary fruit combination, based on color. Select fruits of the same color, like red: strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, red grapefruit, red cherries and red or black plum, or green: kiwi, green grapes, melon, avocado, green apples, pears or orange/yellow: peach, orange, apricot, mango, banana, pineapple. Alternatively, you can do whatever color combination you prefer and that is available to you at the time. Sometimes it is nice to have a few fruits of the same color and just one contrasting or sometimes. This classic fruit salad has fruits of all colors. Herbs, like parsley, thyme, basil or mint can play a role in making the fruit salad look stunning.
• Cut your fruit in appropriate bite-sized pieces. I guess bite-sized may not mean the same for all of us, but in general a fruit salad is not served with a knife, so keep the pieces relatively small.
• Compose and taste the dressing. I believe wholeheartedly that a dressing may be needed to support the salad, but a dressing should not play the leading role. So keep the dressing simple. If you like a sweet fruit salad, select sweet tasting fruits and create a dressing from fruit juice and add some honey or maple syrup for even more sweetness. On the other hand, if you prefer brighter flavors, think about lime and lemon juice or zest or apple cider vinegar. Last but not least, many fruit salads benefit from a little bit of salt and pepper.
• Decorations. The easiest way to serve a fruit salad is mixing the fruit pieces and dressing in a bowl. You can also think of other serving ‘vessels’, like a pineapple, cut in half, or a half a watermelon, cantaloupe, melon, grapefruit etc. You can serve a fruit salad spiked on large wooden candy apple or grilling sticks or use a cookie cutter to cut the fruit in fancy shapes, like stars or hearts.

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Other Fruit Salads to Try

• Strawberry Mango Avocado Salad
• Juicy Green Fruit Bowl Salad
• Triple Berry & Spinach Salad