ISO: QUICK - help finishing out sandwich menu for class tonight - ISO fruit salad or other sides....

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music-city-missy

Well-known member
I have my Velvet Elvis sandwich and can't think of an appropriate side for it so so be it.

Have a Monte Cristo and Hot Brown - I've always had both of those served with fries but wondered about a fruit salad or something else. What do you think - anyone have any good fruit salad recipes or recipes for other suggestions that could be 'commercially' made? I just throw fruit salads together based on what is cheap and in season and just toss with a little orange juice, sugar and balsamic usually. Did have a great Poppy Seed Dressing recipe but I have lost it.

 
I think something a little salty and crunchy would be terrific with a fluffer-type sandwich...

I don't know what exactly is considered "commercial" for your needs, but a homemade potato chip with a little cayenne or even some fried shoestring potatoes sound really good on the side to me. The sandwich you created (yummy!) is pretty sweet and soft so crunch and salt (and a tad heat) seems like a good counterpoint.

 
Two REC: Grand Fruit Salad and Fruit Salad With Citrus-Mint Dressing>>>

These both had great reviews. See link for the first one.

GRAND FRUIT SALAD

Source of Recipe - Bon Appétit

2 cups green grapes
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups sliced plums
1 cup sliced peaches
1 cup orange segments
1 cup sliced peeled kiwi
1/2 cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.

Serves 8.


FRUIT SALAD WITH CITRUS-MINT DRESSING

Serve this potassium-packed fruit salad (662 milligrams per serving) with breakfast or as a light dessert. Use a mini chopper to combine the dressing ingredients--it's the ideal size to blend the small amount of dressing for the salad.

6 kiwifruit, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
2 cups (1 1/2-inch) cubes honeydew
2 cups (1 1/2-inch) cubes cantaloupe
1 medium papaya, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (one reviewer used mango instead, and also added strawberries)

1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons mint
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange peel
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

Combine kiwifruit, honeydew, cantaloupe, and papaya in a medium bowl.
Place sugar and remaining ingredients in a mini chopper food processor; pulse until mint is finely chopped. Pour sugar mixture over fruit, and stir gently to coat.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

Maureen Callahan
Cooking Light, APRIL 2005

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/2099

 
REC: Fruit Salad With Ginger Syrup...

Another one with great reviews. I tried a similar one a few years ago with ginger syrup over cantaloupe with fresh mint, and it was great - I think it was from Fine Cooking. The ginger syrup is delicious with fruit.

FRUIT SALAD WITH GINGER SYRUP

This recipe yields more ginger syrup than you'll need for the fruit salad. Add a spoonful to a glass of club soda, sparkling water, or iced tea for a refreshing summer drink.

For ginger syrup
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups thinly sliced fresh ginger (1/2 lb; from a 10-inch piece), left unpeeled
For fruit salad
4 cups (1-inch pieces) summer fruit (such as mixed berries, melons, peaches, and/or nectarines)
3 tablespoons small mint leaves

Make syrup:
Bring water, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, then stir until sugar is dissolved. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Pour ginger syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding ginger. Chill, covered, at least 2 hours.
Make fruit salad:
Toss fruit and mint with 1/4 cup syrup, or to taste.

Cooks' note:
Syrup keeps, covered and chilled, 2 weeks.

Makes 4 servings.
Gourmet
June 2004

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109548

 
This looks like one I have been trying to copy...

a restaurant does a cinnamony gingery apple cider 'dressing' that you pour over their fruit salad - I think this is a good start.....

 
Well back from class....

sorry but a lot of my classmates are just down right boring and ... I don't know. Their ideas were fair to midland but no originality that I really saw. They did go with my Monte Cristo for the hot sandwich and a grape waldorf salad as the side then we did opt for a fried green tomato BLT (like they make at the famous Loveless Cafe - it's retty good) with herbed potato salad. That was my groups' contribution to the menu. Don't konw what the other group submitted. Don't know if Chef will be any happier with these selections or not but he should have some fun reading my recipes and comments (I put plenty of comments on there JUST for him - he loves a good argument so I argued about the Pan Bagnet and Mozzarella in Corozzo being perfectly legit commercial products).

Some of them just brought in copies of menus from local restaurants with no recipes. Still others didn't bring any recipes or suggestions in AGAIN - the second time around.

I'm still going to try some of these sides - I especially like the fruit salad with ginger syrup.

Thanks for all the help - I just wanted something different and couldn't think. It's been one of those days.

 
Cream Cheese Fruit Salad

This is in my to-try file.
I should think this could be made with nuts instead of pretzels and with different fruits. I just bought some Bing cherries that are quite good.

Cream Cheese Fruit Salad

2 pears
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 ripe bananas, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
3 cups seedless grapes
juice from 1/2 lemon
8 ounces strawberry cream cheese
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pretzels, broken

Combine the pears, apples, bananas, strawberries and grapes. Add lemon juice and toss. Blend together the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; add the fruit and pretzels. Fold together. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped topping or refrigerate until chilled. Serves 8.

 
I am the self professed 'Old Fart in Culinary School'...

I never got a college degree & it's never really hurt me but I decided I wanted one. I am pretty hig up in my profession so a degree in construction/engineering or such at this point in my life really wouldn't serve much purpose or advance my career much by the time I would get it & of course all the engineering & such require 'internships' so I would be one foot in the grave before I ever got licensed.

So Fall of '04 I saw that the local community college had a program in Culinary Arts. Couldn't get any of the courses that semester so Spring 05 I took my first classes and have been going every semester since. Shooting to get all the courses done by next Spring then all I will have left are the two 300 hour internships - the hard part with a full-time job & family.

It's been an adventure & I share stories from time to time. I am finally in the group with some other more mature classmates which has helped. But I am still constantly amazed at the lack of knowledge most are bringing to the table as well as the immaturity of kids these days.

Anyway, this is my 'retirement plan' - to get the degree & teach about food & cooking some day when I retire (can't sit around the house with DH or we'll kill each other). DH is 13 years older than I and getting close to retirement from his regular full-time day job but he's a licensed professional that also does side jobs which he'll continue to do. If we can, he wants me to retire early. Maybe if we both have some sort of freelance type work on the 'side' we can have fun with retirement.

 
Nice recipe. Thanks Meryl. And I'll keep some of that extra syrup for making iced tea to drink on

the boat as an anti sea sick brew. Nan from Alaska gave this hint awhile ago. I believe she is a chef on charter boats up here and always keeps ginger on hand for the queasies.

 
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