Cranberry Apple Salad

Are you ready to make music? Well, the harmony in this beautiful Autumn salad will have you singing all the melodies.

This week, the Autumn celebration goes on and we’re featuring apples. Yes, luscious Autumn apples.

Oh that picture makes me smile! I love apples and right now, there are orchards full of them all over the United States.

Another beautiful fresh food in season is the cranberry. This recipe marries the two together and makes a delightful fruit salad that sits upon our Thanksgiving table every year. Though it has been changed a bit through the generations, the basic ingredients that my Mother gave me for it remain the same.

Have you ever cooked a cranberry? They’re very interesting to watch. Of course, I’m a foodie and all things food fascinate me but these guys tickle me. When you heat them in water, they open with a pop and that’s how you know they’re ready.

Once the cranberries open, you’ll take them off the heat and add sugar.

Place them back on the heat for 5 minutes and then add jello and stir until it’s dissolved.

Place the mixture in a dish and refrigerate until the jello sets up halfway. This part takes a couple of hours and you’ll know it’s ready when it has a jelly like consistency.

The rest of the ingredients for the recipe are chopped into bite size pieces. You can use any apples you like. I chose three different types for my salad this time, the wine sap, a granny smith and a golden delicious. I like the different flavors and texture each offers.

To keep the apples from browning while waiting for the jello to set up, you can place them in a bowl of water with some lemon juice.

I added a pomegranate to the salad because, why not? They’re in season too! They also add a nice juiciness to the salad.

I learned a few tricks for opening a pomegranate. To get all the seeds out without busting them or wasting any, you just have to finagle your way around the peel. Start by tapping the stem with a kitchen mallet.This will loosen the seeds.

Score the skin around the middle.

And then score the skin lengthwise down the sections. There are about 6 sections.

Peel the skin back and hold the pomegranate over a large bowl filled with water.

Gently pry the seeds loose and let them fall into the bowl.

Remove the white bits between the seeds.

The seeds will settle to the bottom of the bowl and you can remove the left over membranes with a slotted spoon. Easy, no?

Alright, once the jello has set up halfway and you’ve got everything chopped and ready, you’ll just combine all the ingredients.

Refrigerate and allow the jello to finish setting up completely.

Serve cold with a little garnish of walnuts on top. And that. Makes me happy. 😉

And so it goes, I follow my bliss and this beautiful fruit salad is on the top of my favorite’s list. I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know how much you love it, too!

Make it a fabulous week and as always, keep it delicious!

Till next time ~ much love, Connie