Winter Citrus Fruit Salad Recipe
Posted by Gwen Watson on Jan 15, 2016
Although most citrus fruits are available year round, they’re especially tasty during the winter. This is because they are completely in season, which means that citrus fruit growers allow them to ripen on the branches before plucking them off the tree. The result is that the sugars can develop fully and makes the citrus fruits a lot sweeter. This citrus fruit salad tastes best when using only the ripest fruits, which means that this is the time of year to make it!
Winter Citrus Fruit Salad Recipe
Adapted from Food and Wine
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1, 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 medium-sized clementines
- 2 blood oranges
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 1 orange
- 2 pears
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
Directions:
Add the maple syrup, water, and ginger to a small saucepan. Set the heat on medium and cook until the syrup begins to bubble slightly. Set the heat to low and simmer it for a few minutes, or until the ginger starts to impart its scent to the syrup.
Remove the syrup mixture completely from the heat. Cover the pan and let the ginger steep into the syrup and water mixture for about 15 minutes. At this point, the maple syrup will begin to thicken slightly and will also have a pleasing ginger scent.
Pick out the ginger pieces using a small slotted spoon. Whisk in the lime juice and transfer the syrup to a small dish. Set aside. Ideally you’ll want the syrup to cool completely on the counter. However, if you’re in a hurry to assemble the rest of the ingredients for the salad, you can transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.
While you’re waiting for the syrup to cool, you can begin preparing the fruit for the salad. Peel all the citrus fruits and remove most of the pith with a sharp paring knife. Separate the fruit into sections over a serving bowl so that you can save the juices. You’ll also want to remove any seeds that are inside the fruit. Add the citrus fruit wedges to the bowl and set aside.
Remove the cores from the pears and cut them into small slices. Don’t worry about removing the peels – pears have a very thin peel so it doesn’t detract from the salad. Add the pear slices to the bowl of citrus fruits and toss gently.
Peel several pomegranates and separate out the seeds. Repeat the process until you have about 1 cup of pomegranate seeds. If you can find fresh pomegranate seeds that have already been separated from the fruit, feel free to use those instead. Toss the seeds into the bowl of fruit. If you aren’t serving the salad right away, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to serve the salad, pour the ginger-lime syrup over the fruit and toss gently. Garnish the salad with the fresh mint and distribute into serving bowls.