Strawberry, Orange & Grape Salad with Basil
When invited to someone's house for dinner, or a party, my Mom taught me to always ask if there was anything I could bring. So, when my husband and I were invited to an impromptu barbeque at a friend's house, and asked what we could bring, the answer was fruit salad. Of course, fresh fruit can be found already cut up and ready to go in the produce section of most grocery stores, but it is usually on the expensive side. Don't get me wrong I have been known to pay for the convenience and grab a couple of containers of cut up fruit from the local store in a pinch. In this case, I had just done some produce shopping so I decided to use what I bought the day before (oranges, strawberries and grapes).
Strawberry, Orange & Grape Salad with Basil
1 dozen oranges, (preferably seedless)
2 quarts of strawberries, washed
1 medium size bunch of seedless grapes, washed
2 tablespoons of honey
2 - 3 basil leaves
orange zest
1) First cut up all the oranges into segments, and place in large bowl. Start segmenting oranges by cutting off the ends.
2) Standing the orange on one end, cut the peel and the white rind off the orange from top to bottom following the shape of the orange. Keep turning the orange, and cutting top to bottom until the only thing left is the peeled orange.
3) Create a segment by cutting above and below each section at a 45 degree angle. Let the segment fall into a large bowl. Continue until the entire orange is cut. Do not squeeze the remainder of each orange, I only used what dripped in the bowl naturally while segmenting the oranges. I saved the juice left in the orange pieces for another use.
NOTE: I've always meant to learn how to segment an orange, but never got around to it until now. I watched a very helpful YouTube video on how to cut orange segments.
4) Pour off the naturally occurring juice from the large bowl of oranges into the small bowl. I had about 1/4 cup. (I could have had more if I squeezed the leftover orange parts, but I wanted just enough to coat the fruit).
5) Core and quarter strawberries adding them to the oranges.
6) Cut grapes in half and add them to the orange/strawberry mixture
7) Stir two tablespoons of honey into the orange juice.
8) Finely mince a few basil leaves, and add to the juice mixture.
9) Toss gently, and serve (or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for a few hours).
Strawberry, Orange & Grape Salad with Basil
1 dozen oranges, (preferably seedless)
2 quarts of strawberries, washed
1 medium size bunch of seedless grapes, washed
2 tablespoons of honey
2 - 3 basil leaves
orange zest
1) First cut up all the oranges into segments, and place in large bowl. Start segmenting oranges by cutting off the ends.
2) Standing the orange on one end, cut the peel and the white rind off the orange from top to bottom following the shape of the orange. Keep turning the orange, and cutting top to bottom until the only thing left is the peeled orange.
3) Create a segment by cutting above and below each section at a 45 degree angle. Let the segment fall into a large bowl. Continue until the entire orange is cut. Do not squeeze the remainder of each orange, I only used what dripped in the bowl naturally while segmenting the oranges. I saved the juice left in the orange pieces for another use.
NOTE: I've always meant to learn how to segment an orange, but never got around to it until now. I watched a very helpful YouTube video on how to cut orange segments.
4) Pour off the naturally occurring juice from the large bowl of oranges into the small bowl. I had about 1/4 cup. (I could have had more if I squeezed the leftover orange parts, but I wanted just enough to coat the fruit).
5) Core and quarter strawberries adding them to the oranges.
6) Cut grapes in half and add them to the orange/strawberry mixture
7) Stir two tablespoons of honey into the orange juice.
8) Finely mince a few basil leaves, and add to the juice mixture.
9) Toss gently, and serve (or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for a few hours).
I bet this would be good using fresh peppermint instead of basil!
ReplyDeleteI'll bet your right! Surprisingly, though, the basil is good too. Chuck had a Strawberry-Basil Lemonade at a restaurant and I never forgot it. That drink, in part, inspired my choice in this case.
ReplyDelete