North African Fruit Salad
Looking for a fruit salad to feed a party full of people? This North African fruit salad calls for ten oranges, 6 mint sprigs and a half pound of dates, which is sure to please the hungriest of appetites.
Ingredients
- 10 oranges
- 2 tablespoons orange-flower water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 limes
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 pound dates, chopped
- 6 sprigs mint, shredded
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Choose very juicy oranges; peel, trim and separate into sections, removing all pith and strings.
- Add orange-flower water and 1 tablespoon sugar; stir to dissolve sugar and refrigerate.
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove zest from limes and lemon, then cut zest into thin strips.
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil; add citrus strips and simmer for 1 minute.
- Drain in a strainer, cool under running cold water, drain again and pat dry on paper towels.
- In a saucepan, combine remaining sugar and 1 cup water.
- Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved; add the lemon and lime strips, lower heat and cook for 5 minutes until zest is soft.
- Transfer zest to a greased cookie sheet, separating any tangles.
- Leave until dry. Do this step ahead of time if you wish. When ready to serve, arrange oranges on 6 salad plates.
- Scatter dates, citrus strips and mint shreds over the oranges.
- Add a pinch of cayenne and garnish with sifted confectioners' sugar.
