Fruit salads are generally recommended in summer. A fine mixture of different summer fruit, lime juice and perhaps a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream is irresistible. While most restaurants, cafes and other venues generally include the dish on their menus, very few of these places understand the exact balance required to create the perfect fruit salad.
Today, we are planning on adding an extra layer of deliciousness to this traditional dessert: Limoncello, a famous Italian liquor. The ingredient adds a great deal of taste and flavor to the mixture, but it can of course be optional for those who want to enjoy a non-alcoholic fruit salad.
Granted, it is not easy to find Limoncello in Egypt. Famously made in southern Italy, the lemon-based alcoholic drink is a favorite for those who enjoy a tart taste. The liquor is available in the Free Zone in Cairo International Airport, so international travelers can pick up a bottle or two on their way back to the homeland, or Egypt-bound people can call upon a foreign friend to purchase the drink for them when returning from overseas.
Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestivo, so this recipe suits perfectly as a great dessert for a late summer night dinner with friends or family.
A tour of the fruit section at your local market will offer up a number of different summer fruits such as pineapple, banana, berries, peaches and grapes. For this recipe, six peaches, half a kilo of strawberries, a mixture of green and red grapes, one lime and three bananas are enough to serve up to six people. Don’t forget to pass by the juice section as you will need half a liter of pineapple juice.
After washing the fruit, slice and chop the peaches, strawberries, grapes and bananas into medium-sized pieces and combine together in a large serving bowl–then start tossing them gently.
In a small bowl, prepare the dressing for the salad by squeezing the limes and adding in the pineapple juice. The lime juice will prevent the fruit from turning black and the pineapple juice acts as a great base taste for the salad. Whisk the ingredients together with one teaspoon of ginger.
Here comes the Limoncello. You can add three shots of the liquor to the dressing and keep whisking until you are satisfied with the mixture. If you are interested in a non-alcoholic fruit salad, ignore this step.
Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently. Finally, place the fruit salad in an air-tight container and chill thoroughly before serving.
