Orange-Mint Fruit Salad

I don’t know/remember how to post to Mom’s recipe blog so I thought I’d put this here and she can copy and paste it. This is probably my favorite recipe discovery from 2010, and that’s saying something, since it was my first year of marriage!

1/2 small honeydew melon, seeded
2 plums, pitted
1 nectarine or peach, pitted
1 kiwifruit, peeled
2 c strawberries, stems removed
1 c blueberries
1/3 c finely shredded fresh mint leaves

For the dressing:

1/4 c fresh lime juice
1/4 c honey
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
1/2 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) Trust me, you want this!

To make the dressing, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lime juice, honey, orange and lime zests, ginger, salt, and cayenne, if using. Whisk until warm and well blended. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Using a melon baller, scoop out the melon flesh and place it in a large bowl. Slice the plums and nectarine lengthwise into wedges 1/2 inch wide. Add them to the bowl with the melon balls. Cut the kiwifruit flesh lengthwise into quarters, and then cut the quarters crosswise into chunks 1 inch wide. Add to the bowl. Finally, cut the strawberries lengthwise into quarters and add them to the bowl, along with the whole blueberries.

Drizzle the dressing over the fruit. Toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. Just before serving, add the mint and toss to combine.

There’s a trick to making the thin strips of fresh herbs, called a chiffonade, sometimes asked for in dessert recipes. Pick off large fresh mint leaves from 1 or more fresh sprigs. Try to use same-sized leaves and preferably larger ones, which are easier to manage. Stack the leaves on the work surface and roll them up lengthwise like a cigar. Hold the roll of leaves with your fingertips to keep it tight, then cut the roll crosswise into very thin shreds with a sharp knife.

Makes 8 servings.

My addition: You really should serve this beauty in a clear glass bowl. I swear it makes it taste better.

Of course, I didn’t exactly follow the recipe the last couple times, and have used orange juice instead of lime juice, and probably use a lot more ginger than they say. My fruit amounts also looked more like 1 honeydew, 5 plums, 3 nectarines, 4 kiwifruit, 1 pint strawberries, 1 c blueberries. You gotta have enough for seconds of this.