Pineapple Fruit Dessert Create a Tropical Fruit Salad with Fresh Pineapple

If you are craving a quick, easy, and delicious light dessert smothered in fruit juice and the fresh flavors of pineapple, then this pineapple fruit dessert is perfect for you. Well-suited to warm-weather gatherings, brunches, or just as a refreshing treat any time of the year, it's one of those fresh pineapple desserts that do not require much time and effort to create.

Once the crowning glory of the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands, European sailors first experienced this fruit at the hands of Christopher Columbus. Shortly thereafter, pineapple became an imported luxury. Therefore, many traditional Hawaiian fares feature a wide variety of fresh pineapple desserts, along with other sweet treats made with coconuts and other tropical fruits.

While fruit salads were often served after meals in royal courts to finish off meals, they were never considered standalone desserts. But they gained wider acceptance as travel and cultural exchange expanded. Cut to the present day, when fruit salads have assumed the status of a legitimate dessert – made with all sorts of fruits such as strawberries, kiwi, and mango.

Here is a fresh pineapple dessert that will whisk you away to the warm, sunny beaches without spending a dime on travel.

Ingredients:

• 450 gm pineapple
• 310 gm strawberries
• 220 gm kiwi
• 210 gm mango
• 105 gm sugar
• 50 ml lime juice
• 22 ml honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 40 gm mint leaves

Method:

1. Soak all the fruits in a mix of water and salt for a few minutes before washing them under running water, and then drying them all to remove any extra water.
2. Soak the pineapple, strawberries, kiwis, and mangoes again in a large bowl, this time with the juice of one lime, and set it aside in the refrigerator to prevent the fruits from blackening.
3. As you move on to the dressing, you have to take a small bowl, and in it, whisk together sugar, lime juice, honey, and vanilla until they are fully mixed.
4. You have to carefully add the dressing to the fruit mixture and toss gently to coat the fruits.
5. You must remember to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it refrigerate for at least 40 minutes to allow the flavors to mix together.
6. When it is time for serving, sprinkle chopped fresh mint leaves over the top.

Suggestions for Serving this Pineapple Fruit Dessert

You can play with different sophisticated and chic ideas to serve this dish. For starters, you can serve the fruit salad in individual fruit cups or glasses. For a larger party, you could use a big serving bowl or platter. To take the aesthetics up a notch, you can choose to garnish it with edible flowers or fresh herbs.

While pineapple is at the center of this dish, you can pair it with other fruits such as grapes, blueberries, or peaches, that have a complementary flavor profile. If you are feeling experimental, you can try sprinkling spices like cinnamon or cardamom on top to take down the sweetness a notch. This is one of those dessert recipes using pineapple that can also double up as a topping for smoothie bowls, frozen yogurt, oatmeal porridge, or even ice cream.

Though controversial, pineapple is also often incorporated in savories because of its fleshy texture, which is even better highlighted when the fruit is chargrilled. The same culinary formula applies here too. Which means, you can add bits of protein – boiled chicken, maple brushed bacon bits, tofu or paneer – into your fruit salad to make it even more filling.

You can also spike the salad by making a dressing of white wine, synthetic vinegar, soya sauce and brown sugar. If you are making it for teetotallers, you can just use the other ingredients to make the dressing. If you want a slightly more indulgent dessert, serve the salad with a generous helping of lavender honey.

While fruit salads are generally simple to make, making a pineapple salad dessert can be challenging for a novice if they have to deskin and slice the entire fruit. In this case, opt for canned pineapple wheels but add more citrusy fruits and a good squeeze of lemon into the salad to take down the sweetness.