Fruit salad dressing, May 2012
This recipe is one that I first made in my teens. A neighborhood friend told me her mom had a recipe for fruit salad dressing, and when I asked for it the mom graciously shared it. The incident was memorable because it’s one of the first times I cooked on my own and used fresh ingredients. It also made me realize that ingredients could change properties (in this case becoming thick when heated) and that certain ingredients (such as sugar, juice, and eggs) combined with others (like fruit) could result in the whole tasting better than the sum of the parts. It seemed like a small miracle. I also felt a sense of gratefulness toward my friend’s mom for sharing the recipe, and whenever I make it, I think of her and that lush Minnesota summer. Maybe you’ve had such experiences and special recipes.
If you need a slightly more healthful sugar, this dressing can be made with palm sugar, also called coconut sugar. This type of sugar has some nutrients and a lower glycemic index, meaning it doesn’t raise your blood sugar as much. It doesn’t taste like coconut but has a slight caramely taste. It will make for a slightly thinner dressing, be darker in color and give less of a “glaze” to the fruit than the version made with white sugar. If using palm/coconut sugar, use 1 cup because it’s less dense.
| Liz's Fruit Salad Dressing | | Print |
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Juice the orange and lemon and place juices in a small bowl. Remove any membrane that rises to the top and any seeds and unwanted pulp.
- Crack the egg into a small saucepan and whisk well. Add the sugar and the juice and stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat, stirring often with a spoon, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thickened and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Refrigerate dressing until cool. Just before serving mix with fruit; 1 scant tablespoon dressing per cup of fruit, or entire recipe for about 12 cups of fruit. (Example: 1 muskmelon, 1 honeydew melon, 1 pint strawberries, and all of the dressing.)
Shared at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and The Gluten-Free Homemaker Gluten-Free Wednesday.
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Oooh, thanks for the recipe!
And I’m glad you have such good memories of your first dish. 🙂