Delicate syrup is perfect for this fruit salad

Surely I could find some way to dress up my fruit salad. A beautiful serving of fresh fruit would be healthy and colorful on the Easter table, but I didn’t want it to be boring and predictable. I went out to the herb bed next to the back porch and plucked some mint springs to doll up the serving dish (using my mother’s sherbet bowls from her crystal stemware), but what else could I do?

Martha Stewart would know, I decided, so I visited marthastewart.com and typed in “fruit salad” recipes. Out rolled all kinds of fruit-salad doll-ups. I chose the marinade that accompanied her Ruby Fruit Salad, which called for chopped plums, blackberries, and blueberries to take center stage. I used the fruit I had on hand—Granny Smith apples, bananas, kiwi, red grapes, and strawberries (For Hubby I always have to make up a small batch minus the strawberries, who develops severe gastrointestinal problems from the strawberry seeds. He can hardly be in the same room with a strawberry without pains developing, so I have to be very careful not to get these mixed in.)

The Ruby Fruit Salad dressing is a mixture of brown sugar and lime juice, in which the salad ingredients soak overnight. As the lime juice and brown sugar sit together, they create a delicate syrup that suits this fruit salad perfectly. Plus since the dressing acted as a preservative, I could cut up all my fruit (including the banana) the night before without anything turning brown. This saved bunches of time in the panic between church and lunch when I was trying to get the food ready.

Ruby Fruit Salad Dressing atop Fresh Fruit

3 tablespoons light-brown sugar (or brown-sugar substitute)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)

2 cups seedless red grapes, sliced in half

3 kiwi, peeled and chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

1 large banana, diced

1 cup strawberries, stem removed, diced

In a large bowl stir together sugar and lime juice. Let stand 10 minutes for sugar to dissolve. Add red grapes, kiwi, apples, banana, and strawberries; toss to combine. Refrigerate up to 1 day. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Serves 4.