You asked for it: Fruit salads deliver some cool surprises

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 14, 2002

Twenty-four hour fruit salads have been popular for generations. Many who shared their recipes wrote that the recipes came from mothers and grandmothers.

Fran Kimel notes that her recipe is an old North Carolina one her family has enjoyed for years. Carolyn Blocker found her recipe 30 years ago in Southern Living's Southern Country Cookbook. B.J. White-Myers has enjoyed her frozen 24-hour salad for more than 40 years. The recipe was given to her by the head dietitian of the school at which White-Myers taught in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Geri Mosher also asked for recipes for creamy dressings to use with fruit salad. Summer is the perfect season for fruit salads, and the recipes for it are varied.

For: Geri Mosher of Pinellas Park.

From: Fran Kimel, 24-Hour Salad I, an old North Carolina recipe.

24-Hour Salad I

• 2 cups cut-up fresh plums
• 2 cups seedless grapes
• 1 cup mandarin orange slices, drained
• 2 cups pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1 cup sliced bananas
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

Mix all in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 24 hours. Fold in cooled Fruit Dressing and serve. Serves 8 to 10.

Fruit Dressing

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon orange rind
• 1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan, beat the egg until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar (or honey), cornstarch and salt. Stir in fruit juices and grated peel. Cook, stirring, over very low heat until thickened. Remove from heat. Cover; chill. Fold in cream that has been whipped fairly stiff. Fold into prepared fruit.

From: Carolyn Blocker of Brooksville.

Recipe: 24-Hour Salad II, from Southern Living's Southern Country Cookbook, 1972.

24-Hour Salad II

• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Dash salt
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 cups diced pineapple, drained
• 2 cups pitted white cherries, drained
• 1/2 cup diced oranges
• 1 cup halved and seeded grapes
• 1/4 cup chopped blanched almonds

Combine eggs, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat until thick. Add butter and cool. Fold whipped cream into cooled mixture.

Combine mixture lightly with marshmallows, well-drained fruits and nuts. Chill for 24 hours to blend the delicate flavors. Yield: 12 servings.

From: Barbara Jeanne White-Myers of Hudson.

Recipe: Frozen-24 Hour Salad.

Frozen-24 Hour Salad

• 1/2 cup butter (no substitute)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 8-ounce can pineapple tidbits
• 1 11-ounce can mandarin orange segments
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 pint heavy cream, whipped
• 1/2 cup chopped Maraschino cherries
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a double boiler, melt butter. Add flour, sugar and salt; mix well. Drain fruit; reserve 1 cup of the syrup. Remove butter mixture from heat; add liquid. Return to heat, stirring. When bubbling, remove 3 tablespoons of this hot mixture and stir into the slightly beaten egg. Stir the egg mixture back into the hot liquid and return to heat source; cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon juice. Cool overnight in refrigerator.

Add whipped cream and maraschino cherries. (At Christmas, White-Myers often adds some of the maraschino cherry juice to the 1 cup pineapple-orange liquid for color.) Add miniature marshmallows and chopped nuts, if desired. Spoon into individual paper-lined muffin cups or into a shallow Pyrex dish (to be cut into squares). Freeze.

From: Bessie Taliaferro of Homosassa.

Recipe: Fruit Salad Dressing from Taste of Home Quick Cooking.

Fruit Salad Dressing

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 6-ounce cans pineapple juice
• 1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/2 to 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Assorted fresh fruit

In a saucepan, combine the flour, pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, sugar, honey and lemon juice. Stirring, bring to a boil and continue boiling for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool.

Serve over fruit. Leftover dressing may be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Yield: 2 cups.

From: Kathryn Wilson of St. Petersburg.

Recipe: Pineapple Cheese Dressing, similar to that served at Graffiti's Restaurant in Rockville, Md., 25 years ago.

Pineapple Cheese Dressing

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 16-ounce jar marshmallow creme
• 3 to 6 tablespoons pineapple juice

Beat marshmallow creme into softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until very smooth. Add pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, checking for desired thickness (thicker for dip; thinner for dressing) and taste. (When chilled, the mixture will thicken somewhat.) Chill before serving. Can be used as a dip for chunks of fruit or drizzled over fresh, prepared fruit.

From: Donald Allison of Dunedin.

Recipe: Fruit Salad Sauce, a family recipe.

Fruit Salad Sauce

1 large egg

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Juice of one medium lemon
• Juice of two medium oranges
• 1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream

In heavy saucepan, beat egg until well blended. Add sugar and flour; mix well. Add the lemon and orange juices to the mixture. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Whip the cream until thick and add to cooled sauce. Toss with fresh fruit and serve.

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