Mom's Fruit Salad

Here is a quick recipe I got from my mom. At first blush, it looks like one of those handy housewife - early 60s style insta recipes found in the local church bulletin. (she assures me that in fact, it is exactly that) The extended family loves it, the local church asks for it specifically, and both my sister and I like it. It's straight-up, non-healthy, non-ethnic, verrry non-cosmopolitan, quick, tasty, almost foolproof, plop on your picnic plate food. Don't try to tart this one up. If a more upmarket presentation is required, you're probably better served by starting with gelatin or a Maderia aspic and building from there. If your hot dog and sweet corn need a spoonful of something and cole slaw just won't do, this might be the ticket. (and you would not believe how much slaw gets moved from bowl to dish to garbage in restaurants)

Dry mix 1 box (3oz) lemon jello and 1 box (3 oz) orange jello in serving bowl. Set aside. Combine a 12 oz can of pineapple, 1 can mandarin orange, and 1 cup of grated carrots in a work bowl. Drain and reserve the liquid using water to bring it up to 2 cups. Boil the liquid and use it to melt the jello. Add 1 cup of ice water - mix - add fruit and fridge. Stir after 1 hour.

A quick rule of thumb is 3oz jello, 1½ c fluid, 1 c fruit. If you're in the middle of a heat-waves (like the one that just made N.Y. melt down), you could drop a tablespoon or two of fluid to make things stiffer. The almost foolproof remark comes from the inclusion of pineapple. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, which is a protease enzyme. This enzyme chops (digests) the long protein molecules that need to tangle to make the jello set. (kiwi - actinidin: same deal) Heat denatures a protease, hence canned fruit - boiled juice.