Side Dishes

Spring Fruit Salad

May 18, 2010 by Jennifer

 

I’m so excited that spring is finally here.  Okay, I know spring has been here officially since the end of March, but in Los Angeles, it actually finally feels like spring. The sun is out, the temperature’s up in the high 70’s, there’s no rain or wind… in other words it’s gorgeous.  Just the kind of day you want to spend outside, maybe even at a park with the little one.  Which is exactly what I did last week.

See, I have this mommy group. We get together at least once a week to hang out with the babies. It gives our little ones a head start on their socialization skills while giving us moms a chance to get out of the house.  For all you new moms out there, you know what a big deal this is.  After spending so much time inside playing with baby toys, you need to get out and have some adult human interaction.  So, I have my moms.  We get together, hang out and eat.  Everyone brings something from hummus to salad to cookies, and they’re always yummy.

One of my specialties is fruit salad because it’s easy, it always looks great and it’s always a hit.  And now that spring is here, I can start making it again.  See, the fall and winter months make this dish a difficult one because there’s never any good fruit available.  But last month the strawberries and blueberries came out.  Next month we’ll finally have peaches and pluots.  So I thought to celebrate the return of spring and soon-to-be summer fruit and to celebrate the one year anniversary of my Mommy group I’d bring back my fruit salad.

Fruit Salad

Makes about 12 servings

  • 1 pear – sliced
  • 2 kiwi fruit – peeled and sliced
  • 24 grapes – halved
  • 12 strawberries – sliced
  • a few handfuls of blueberries
  • a few handfuls of raspberries
  • Splash of Amaretto liquor

Throw all the fruit into a nice serving bowl, toss with the Amaretto and serve.

Note: These are just the fruits I used this time around.  But once peaches, pluots and plums are in season, I start adding those to the mix.  In other words, feel free to use any of your favorite summer fruits for this nice light salad.