Kel and I eat a small fruit salad every morning alongside our hot grains cereal (with slices of banana on top), have fruit with lunch and we conclude dinner with more whole fruit. Getting fruit is not a problem for us. But I rarely make a fruit salad with dressing. The collusion of an interesting-sounding sauce from a Cooking Light Annual cookbook and my grocery offering lovely pineapples, mangoes, kiwis and strawberries made me think it was time to put together something special for after dinner one evening. The dressing on this has so much flavor – a little zing from the lime and basil which is balanced by the sweet date sugar. I think this dressing would be delicious with some mint leaves thrown in. One thing – this salad is best consumed the day it is prepared.
- 1/4 cup date sugar (or maple sugar, maple syrup or white sugar, if desired)
- 1/4-1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1 tbsp. lime zest
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
- 1 mango, cut into chunks
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into quarters
- 2 kiwi, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
- unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, optional
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. (If using date sugar, you will need more water. Date sugar does not dissolve and become clear like white sugar so you will end up with a thick mixture.) Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves and lime zest. Set aside to cool.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard solids. If using date sugar, press the mixture gently to extract liquid. You should end up with a 1/4 cup or so of thick liquid. Set aside.
- Combine the fruit in a large bowl, drizzle with sugar mixture and toss gently. Sprinkle servings with toasted coconut.
Oh my! That sounds gorgeous! Can’t wait to have my own Basil again.
Wow! That sounds yummy!
Looks so fresh and gorgeous. I’ve never put dressing on fruit salad. I just mix it up and let it sit a little while to meld. Dressing might be a nice change.
I usually do the same. I just love what the lime and basil do to the fruit.
GORGEOUS! I’m really into basil and lime these days too, especially as I have a darling little basil plant growing away on my screened in porch! Methinks this dressing is promising!
Grow, basil, grow!
What a great combo! Really loved this weeks salad posts, so many great recipes
Thank you! It’s been fun, but I’m also kinda ready for something other than salad ;-)!
I can’t believe it’s “Fruit Salad” season already, but I guess it is! That dressing sounds awesome 🙂
I know, right? It’s been so warm here, doesn’t seem like April at all.
ooh that is so fresh and springy..our strawberry plants are just about starting to get tiny fruits.. a little more wait!
I love tropical fruits! Mangoes & Pineapples are my favorite so I’ll definitely try this one, adding basil is a great bonus. Where did you get date sugar?
My sister sent me a bag of it. No way I could find it locally – but Whole Foods might have it.
That sounds so refreshing! One of my favorite things is just strawberries drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar, so I’m sure I would love this!
Ooh, yum! This combines some of my favorite things…actually I love everything in this! I will try this one out 🙂
🙂
I have a basil glut at my place, so I can’t wait to try this. Sadly no strawberries though – my dog is addicted to sniffing them out at the first blush of ripeness. 🙂
Ha! Smart dog! But not so good for you…
I’ve never tried herbs with fruit. I’m so weird with my fruit…I like it all alone. But I can see where the basil would be a good pairing 🙂
I mostly like my fruit solo – it’s so good without – but the basil and lime really were tasty, too!
Gorgeous photos! And the flavors….lime is just MADE for fruit salad isn’t it?! Gorgeous!
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