Recipe: Creative Cooking Brandied Fruit Salad

Apples, pears, oranges, green grapes, and strawberries

Read more about Mr. Big Food's journey through the Creative Cooking Course here.

As variety is the spice of life, a variation of ingredients is a most when preparing fruit salad with a flair. An unusual assortment of fruits and flavorings will add a distinctive taste to any salad. Here brandy and wine blend with fruits in a truly marvelous way, as the brandy lends a heady contrast to the tartness of the fruits. The brandy, wine and fruit mixture should be chilled overnight for best results.—The Creative Cooking Course (1982)

CREATIVE COOKING BRANDIED FRUIT SALAD

Makes 12 servings

3 Tbsp strained lemon juice combined with 3 Tbsp cold water in a large salad bowl

3 large apples, peeled, cored, diced

3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, diced

2 large oranges, peeled, separated into skinless sections

½ lb fresh pitted Queen Anne cherries

½ lb seedless white grapes

1 small honeydew melon, peeled and sliced into narrow strips

¾ C confectioner’s sugar

1 C Sauterne (or other dry white wine)

½ C brandy

Place diced apples and pears in lemon juice mixture in bowl, turning to coat well. Let stand 20 minutes. Add orange sections, cherries, and grapes. Add melon. Sift sugar over fruits. Mix together wine and brandy, and pour over fruits. Chill overnight. Serve in individual bowls.