Cherimoya Ambrosia Fruit Salad

An exotic variation on the traditional Ambrosia or Five Cup Salad--using Cherimoya in place of pineapple makes this fruit salad extra special for your holiday table.

Disclosure--I received the cherimoya used in this salad from Melissa's Produce.

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The fruit salad known as Ambrosia (in my childhood) or Five Cup Salad (in the deli down the street) is a staple in a side dish spread. While we seem to eat it year round, it often appears on our holiday table. Sometimes we dress it up with maraschino cherries, sometimes we add pecan halves for crunch.

When I got a box of FreakyFruits from Melissa's Produce last year [yes, I am still sharing recipes from this. I am slow--in the kitchen and on the computer] I consulted my Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Amazon Affiliate link) for advice with all of the unfamiliar-to-me fruits. The book describes cherimoya like "lizard-green pine cones", with "a leathery skin embossed with scalelike scallops". Yep, that's a freaky fruit.

When I read, "an alluring sweet blend of pineapple, papaya, vanilla and banana flavors" I decided to give the cherimoya a try in our ambrosia recipe, in place of pineapple. Because cherimoya discolors quickly after cutting, I use my favorite trick for keeping fruit looking fresh, pineapple juice (instructions in my Cream Cheese Toffee Dip for Apples).

Cut the cherimoya in half, then in quarters. Remove the dagger-like center piece, flick out the seeds, cut off the peel, and cube the rest. Toss them into pineapple juice as you get them prepped so they don't turn brown.

In an effort to lighten things up, I swapped out the traditional sour cream for vanilla yogurt. This adds an additional sweet layer of flavor. Use vanilla flavored Greek yogurt if you want a stiffer texture to your salad as the regular yogurt makes it softer.

For other recipes using Freaky Fruits, please see my Freaky Fruits Recipe Collection. For other recipes using oranges, please see my Orange Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, and seasonal abundance from wherever it grows.

Cherimoya Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cherimoya, peeled, seeded and cubed
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• 1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt (or Greek yogurt)

Instructions

1. Toss cherimoya cubes with pineapple juice in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Drain juice (drink it!) and add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.
3. Mix gently until combined.
4. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving, keeps for a day or two though the marshmallows and cherimoya soften.