Grandmother's Five Cup Salad

Most Sundays I go to my sister's home for Sunday Dinner. Sometimes it's a roast beef dinner, other's it might be chicken or even pork. Whatever the main course, it is a wonderful opportunity for us to get together as a family and break some bread together.

This week I decided to bring some dessert. I was feeling very nostalgic so I decided to make Grandmother's Five Cup Salad.

This simple dessert is very quick to throw together, although it does take a number of hours to macerate and meld the flavors together. But, really it is as easy to make as stirring together a few simple ingredients.
Its also known as Ambrosia Salad, and has five very basic ingredients. Crushed pineapple, mandarin orange segments, sweetened coconut, miniature marshmallows and sour cream. That's it. Its a real store cupboard recipe!

Its a real favorite on buffet tables and at covered dish suppers, church suppers, etc. Probably because it sits well and is deliciously popular, not to mention colorful! It really is embarrassingly easy to make.
You can add other fruits for color and variety if you wish, like maraschino cherries, or even halved grapes. I have even seen it made with rice.
My favorite way to enjoy it however is the way I am sharing it today. Unadulterated and simple. Don't ask me why it is called a salad, when it is a dessert. I have no answer for that. Just eat and enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GRANDMOTHER'S FIVE CUP SALAD
Very simple store cupboard ingredients.

1 cup (75g) shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup (50g) mini marshmallows
1 cup (225g) well drained crushed pineapple (pineapple crush)
1 cup (200g) well drained tinned mandarin orange segments
1 cup (120g) full fat sour cream

HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST FIVE CUP SALAD
I have made this with unsweetened coconut before, but trust me when I say you really need the sweetened coconut, especially if you are using mandarins and pineapple in juice and not syrup. Sweetened coconut also helps to counteract the acidity of the sour cream.
It is really important that you drain both the pineapple and the oranges really well. I set them in a sieve over a bowl and leave them for at least half an hour. Failure to make sure they are drained can make for a sloppy finish which you don't want.

Do plan on leaving it for at least several hours in order for the flavors to meld together beautifully. It will taste much better for doing so. If you can stand to leave it overnight, so much the better. The marshmallows kind of melt into the mixture and get seriously yummy.
If you are not a fan of sour cream, I have also seen this made with whipped cream. Do use actually real cream which has been whipped until stiff, not the spray cream.
You can also use the frozen cream product, but I cannot speak for how it tastes as I have never done so myself. I always just use sour cream.

If you want to charge it up a bit, you can use canned fruit cocktail, which has peaches, pears, etc. in it. Again make sure you drain it really well.
You can also use sliced ripe banana. Soak it for a few minutes in some lemon juice to help prevent the banana from turning brown.

If you like things really sweet, you can stir in a tablespoon or two of sweetened condensed milk. This also adds a hint of richness.
I have added toasted nuts before. Pecans and walnuts are especially nice. Don't add them until you go to serve the salad however. If you put them in too soon, they will lose their crunch, and DO toast them first. Toasting increases the nuttiness. (Let them cool down before using!)
Spread them out on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated moderate oven (350*F/180*C/gas mark 4) for 8 o 10 minutes will do the trick.

Don't overmix the fruit. Fold it all together gently. If you work it in too much you will break up the fruit and it won't be as pretty.
This is not a dessert which freezes well. If you freeze it the dressing/sour cream splits. You also shouldn't leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. It will become watery as well if left that long.
It really is best served chilled from the refrigerator.

You can use colored marshmallows if you want to use more colors. I used white today and to be honest most of the time I use white. I am a purist when it comes to that I guess!!
This really is a simple and easy salad/dessert to make. It would be perfect for Mother's Day. You could even get the kids to help you make it.
Its also very easy to reduce the amounts. As there is 1 cup only of each ingredient, you can halve it (to serve 4) by reducing the amount to 1/2 cup of each ingredient, or (to serve 2) using only 1/4 cup of each ingredient!
That's how simple and versatile this tasty dessert is!

Some other easy and simple desserts here in my English Kitchen are:

EASY BLACKBERRY AND LEMON DESSERT - A simple layered dessert of Greek yogurt (tangy), a lush whole blackberry syrup, tart lemon curd and crisp broken sweet meringues. Such a simple and yet incredibly delicious thing! A great last minute dessert!

JAM JAR TRIFLES - Fresh berries are mixed together with a small bit of jam to sweeten and make a kind of a sauce, and then layered together in jars with store bought pound/madeira cake and a lush lemon cream! Simply delicious. A perfect warm weather dessert as well.

Yield: 8Author: Marie Rayner