Apple Pomegranate Fruit Salad

One of the first things I learned about my husband's family when we were dating is that they were very serious about two things: pies and his mom's fruit salad.  Because we started dating in the late fall, I was around his family a lot during the holidays so I got to taste both of these "food groups" first hand. *wink*  I remember sitting at the kitchen counter helping my future mother-in-law de-seed a pomegranate for the fruit salad she was making.  I had already helped prep the rest of the fruit and the pomegranates were the last bit to go in.  Even as I was about to take my first bite of the completed dish, I was nervous that I wouldn't like it.  How was I going to be a part of this family if I didn't like their legendary fruit salad?  The good news: I loved it.  The better news: I got the recipe.

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So many of the fruit salads I've tasted have either too much fruit, not enough cream, too many marshmallows or is too sweet.  This one has the perfect ratio of everything and anyone whose ever tasted it raves about it and remembers it.  Before you get started, make sure you've got enough time to prep everything.  One of the things that makes this salad so good is that (almost) everything is fresh and made from scratch.

Here's what you'll need to make it:

First, you'll need to prep your fruit.  You'll want to grab a big bowl to combine it all together.  Add a little bit of lemon juice to the bowl (to prevent browning) and then start with the apples.  We have this awesome apple corer, peeler and slicer that does most of the work for us and is a huge time saver.  The only thing we have to do is slice the apples into smaller, bite-size pieces.  Be sure to toss the apples around a bit so they all get a little bit of lemon juice on them.

Next, open your cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges.  DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE.  Pour the juice into a small saucepan and set it aside.  Dump the pineapple and oranges into the bowl with the apples.

Then, cut your grapes in half lengthwise on a cutting board.  (Also, be sure to use purple grapes.  Green work too, but purple taste better in this salad.)  To make sure I have the right amount, I just cut up a bunch and then put them in a big measuring cup until I have what I need.

If you bought a whole pomegranate, now is the time to get all the arils out.  After too much time spent getting the arils out of pomegranates, I've turned to buying the kind that are already done for me.  (Another big time saver!)

Once your fruit is all prepped, take the saucepan of fruit juice and add the sugar and corn starch.  Heat over medium and use a whisk to stir it constantly.  It will look like it's not really thickening up and then all of a sudden it's thickened.  Pull it off the heat and set it aside to cool completely.  (You can put it outside, in the garage or in the fridge to cool it down.)

After the fruit juice is cool, you can start making the whipped cream.  We use our KitchenAid for this.  Add about 1/4 cup sugar to the whipping cream and whip until stiff peaks form.  Add about 3/4 of the thickened fruit juice to the whipped cream and gently fold it in.  Taste a little bit of it and see if you like the amount of sweetness.  It shouldn't be overly sweet, especially since you'll be adding it to fruit that is also sweet.  We rarely use all the thickened juice.  There is usually about 1/3-1/2 c. leftover.  (Note: You can choose to make the whipped cream before the fruit juice is cool, but be sure to keep it in the fridge.  Both the cream and the juice need to be cold so that the cream doesn't melt.)

*This next step is important*: Drain all the excess juice/water out of the big bowl with all the fruit before you add the whipped cream/thickened juice to it.

Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to combine the cream and fruit together.  Less stirring and more folding is what you're going for.

Add the marshmallows and combine again until evenly distributed.  Keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve.   This recipe makes enough fruit salad for 15-20 people, but could easily be doubled to serve more.  Be prepared though--people will go back for seconds! (And thirds...)

Apple Pomegranate Fruit Salad
serves 15-20

Ingredients:

• 4-5 apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
• 4 c. grapes (purple are best)
• 1 (20-oz) can pineapple tidbits (save juice)
• 3 (11-oz) cans mandarin oranges (save juice)
• 4 c. mini marshmallows
• 1 lg. pomegranate OR 1 c. pomegranate arils
• 1/2 c. corn starch
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1 pt. whipping cream
• 1/4 c. white sugar

Directions:

1. First, you'll need to prep your fruit.  You'll want to grab a big bowl to combine it all together.  Add a little bit of lemon juice to the bowl (to prevent browning) and then start with the apples.  We have this awesome apple corer and slicer that does most of the work for us and is a huge time saver.  The only thing we have to do is slice the apples into smaller, bite-size pieces.  Be sure to toss the apples around a bit so they all get a little bit of lemon juice on them.
2. Next, open your cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges.  DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE.  Pour the juice into a small saucepan and set it aside.  Dump the pineapple and oranges into the bowl with the apples.
3. Cut your grapes in half lengthwise.  (Also, be sure to use purple grapes.  Green work too, but purple taste better in this salad.)  To make sure I have the right amount, I just cut up a bunch and then put them in a big measuring cup until I have the full four cups needed.
4. If you bought a whole pomegranate, now is the time to get all the arils out.  After too much time spent getting the arils out of pomegranates, I've turned to buying the kind that are already done for me.  (Another big time saver!)
5. Once your fruit is all prepped, take the saucepan of fruit juice and add the sugar and corn starch.  Heat over medium and use a whisk to stir it constantly.  It will look like it's not really thickening up and then all of a sudden it's thickened.  Pull it off the heat and set it aside to cool completely.  (You can put it outside, in the garage or in the fridge to cool it down.)
6. After the fruit juice is cool, you can start making the whipped cream.  We use our KitchenAid for this.  Add about 1/4 cup sugar to the whipping cream and whip until stiff peaks form.  Add about 3/4 of the thickened fruit juice to the whipped cream and gently fold it in.  Taste a little bit of it and see if you like the amount of sweetness.  It shouldn't be overly sweet, especially since you'll be adding it to fruit that is also sweet.  We rarely use all the thickened juice.  There is usually about 1/3-1/2 c. leftover.  (Note: You can choose to make the whipped cream before the fruit juice is cool, but be sure to keep it in the fridge.  Both the cream and the juice need to be cold so that the cream doesn't melt.)
7. Drain all the excess juice/water out of the big bowl with all the fruit before you add the whipped cream/thickened juice to it.
8. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to combine the cream and fruit together.  Less stirring and more folding is what you're going for.
9. Add the marshmallows and combine again until evenly distributed.  Keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
10. Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered bowl or sealed container for 3-4 days.