On the (not so) Humble Fruit Salad

Fruit salad. So easy to make, anyone can make it. Right?

Well yes, I suppose so. You can just cut up a bunch of fruit and mix it together in a bowl.

And maybe add a bit of sugar to help bring out some of the fruit juices.

And you end up with … a bunch of cut up fruit in a bowl. And before I go on, let me just say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a bunch of cut up fruit in a bowl, especially if it’s seasonal fruit at its peak of ripeness. A bowl of strawberries in June, with just the tiniest bit of sugar can be perfection. Or sticky alphonso or honey mangos that need nothing more than a fork to spear the luscious chunks with. I’m almost salivating just thinking about it.

Raw perfection

But let’s face it, it’s February in Britain and there’s bugger all in terms of seasonal fruit at the moment. Apples, oranges and bananas have become incredibly boring, and berry, mango, peach, plum, cherry, (fill in blank) season still seems years away.

So what’s the solution to this fruity hungry gap? Fruit salad. Not cut up fruit in a bowl, but fruit salad. A mix of dried and fresh fruits that may or may not be at their peak, brought together with a vanilla bean infused sugar syrup. That, to me, is fruit salad.

I have a little story to tell you about my fruit salad. Last year we catered a 2 day event (breakfast, lunch & afternoon tea) that was attended by one rather famous person. And before you ask, I can’t tell you who it was because I signed a confidentiality agreement. Oh well. But I can tell you that on day 1 this person remarked (in a most positive fashion) on the fruit salad we’d served as part of breakfast and asked if we’d be having it the next day. Well we were going to be having it the next day, but because (blank) had mentioned it I went back to the kitchen that evening and made extra. And good thing I did because on day 2, said famous person ate bowls and bowls of the stuff! Seriously, one of the team refilled this person’s bowl every half hour or so throughout the day.

I’m still quite pleased that (blank) liked my fruit salad. But if I may say so, it was good. So what’s the secret? It’s the vanilla bean sugar syrup (a light concentration). The syrup of course diminishes the healthy factor, but given that the dish is mostly made up of fruit, it’s still way more healthy than say a cream puff, or cheesecake, or chocolate cake. The taste of vanilla is there in every bite. Not too overpowering, but there nonetheless. Hydrating a bit of dried fruit in the still hot syrup makes it luscious and plump and brings extra flavours and textures into the salad. And the sugar syrup ties everything together and enhances fruit that, let’s face it, is not overly inspiring at this time of year (in this part of the world).

I like it best for breakfast, with thick Greek yogurt and crunchy muesli. Or with a bit of vanilla ice cream or a shortbread for dessert. Or just a bowl of it on its own when dinner is still hours away. I just like it. As does the man. The girl mostly likes the mango and blueberries and would rather leave the other bits in her bowl. The boy is going through a purist phase and doesn’t like mixing different fruits together. So he won’t touch it. His loss, our gain.

Try this. It will brighten up your day.

The Ultimate Fruit Salad

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Serves	6-8
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Breakfast, Dessert, Salad
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable

Healthy and delicious with gorgeous vanilla undertones, this fruit salad is so much more than just the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

Syrup

• 100g Caster Sugar
• 500ml Water
• 1/2 Vanilla bean

Salad

• 1 handful Dried fruit and/or berries (e.g. dried apricots, figs, sour cherries, cranberries, blueberries)
• 5-6 Portions Fresh fruit and/or berries (e.g. orange, mango, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries, apple, pear, plum, peach, melon)

Note

I have been very non-prescriptive with the type of fruit to use in this recipe. It should be based on personal preferences as well as what's in season. In the winter I use some dried fruit/berries to add variety, whereas in the summer I use fresh berries instead. It's up to you to experiment and come up with combinations that you like!

I have tried this recipe using good quality vanilla extract instead of actual vanilla bean, and highly recommend spending that extra bit and using vanilla bean. It gives you a much purer vanilla flavour and once you're finished with it you can always rinse the pod and put it in a jar with sugar to make lovely scented vanilla sugar.

Directions

1	Put the sugar and water into a saucepan. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and open it out a little to allow the seeds to escape while it simmers. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the vanilla bean is nicely softened.
2	While the syrup is simmering, cut any large pieces of dried fruit into smaller pieces. I generally cut apricots and figs into quarters.
3	Remove the syrup from the heat and immediately add the dried fruit &/or berries, leaving the vanilla bean in the syrup. Leave to cool. Once the syrup is completely cool, take the vanilla bean & run your finger down it to loosen the remaining seeds. Swish it (and your finger with vanilla goop on it) around in the syrup so all the seeds are released into it.
4	While the dried fruit is hydrating in the cooling syrup, prepare the fresh fruit. Cut it into more or less uniformly sized pieces (similar in size to the pieces of dried fruit). The important thing is to have a nice variety of fruit in terms of flavours, textures & colours. If you're using apples, it's a good idea to also use some acidic fruit such as oranges or pineapple, as the acid in these will keep the apples from turning brown. Prep your apples last.
5	Add the fresh fruit to the cooled syrup and stir well. You can also add some frozen blueberries at this point if fresh aren't available (and if you like blueberries!). Leave to rest in a cool room or in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. If adding fresh berries to the salad, add them just before serving.
6	Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.