Fruit Salad With Herb Syrup Recipe

Growing up, my mom always cut up fresh fruit and arranged it on a plate with a shot glass full of toothpicks in the middle. It’s always fun to pick your own fruit! I remember one time when I was at my friend’s house. Her mother asked me if I wanted fruit salad — I said, “Yes, please.” You should have seen my face when she opened a small can of canned fruit, put it into a clear bowl, and handed me a spoon. At that point I was yearning for my mother’s fruit salad. My mother’s other version was fresh fruit tossed with some orange or lime juice and sugar. Inspired by her, I came up with my own version: lime, lemon, a little maple syrup, along with an herb syrup made with rosemary or mint. Cut your fruit in large chunks rather than cutting it into small pieces — I find that small pieces of fruit get mealy and mushy. Make the salad the morning you’re going to serve it, but if you’re determined to make it the night before, cut up the fruit and store it in separate containers and toss it together in the morning. Use bananas, apples, berries — the possibilities are endless! And unless you’re using the ripest, sweetest seasonal fruit, every fruit salad needs a little sugar.