Fall Fruit Salad

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It always feels a little strange to share a recipe for something like fruit salad where the ingredients and execution are somewhat obvious, and yet, here we are.

Last Thanksgiving, after hosting the celebration several years in a row, I felt like I began to hit my stride. Things that used to feel hard (pie dough, roasting a turkey) began to feel easier, and so, armed with confidence, I decided to add a few non-essential dishes to our menu. Among them, a fall fruit salad. As with the Sharp Green Salad I shared last week, the Fall Fruit Salad turned out to be the darling of the Thanksgiving after-party.

Once we all ate our fill and the kids scampered off to play outside, the adults lingered around the table enjoying another glass of wine and (I kid you not) nibbling non-stop on the fruit salad. We were not hungry. We had all eaten dessert. And yet, the fruit salad was exactly what we all wanted.

It was cold, crisp, sweet and refreshingly sharp. The colors were gorgeous, and the flavors highlighted the acidity of citrus with the crunch of apples and pears. Everything was sliced beautifully thin, making it easy to snag a slice of blood orange or pick up a piece of pear without needing to involve a fork. The entire experience stuck with me more than the turkey or dressing because who expects to enjoy fruit at Thanksgiving?

Out of necessity, I chose to serve my fruit salad in a white, porcelain tart pan since all of my other serving dishes were occupied. The shallow, flat shape of the tart pan not only displayed the fruit beautifully (more like a platter than a bowl), but it also encouraged nibbling. If you don’t own a white tart pan, a dinner plate would work the same magic. Store it in the freezer to make sure it is ice cold before serving.

I know you have a lot of things to make for Thanksgiving, and a lot of logistics to consider, but if you have the time and bandwidth to add one more thing, the Fall Fruit Salad might win your heart.