Cooking with Chef Jo: It's All About The Fruit Now

With the temperatures reaching 90 degrees, it's too hot to cook in the kitchen again. I'm canning, dehydrating, jamming, jellying, and preserving fruit while waiting for the vegetables to ripen. So this waiting period is all about fruit and so is this post. Last week I talked, about our wild blackberries, now it's the beginning of the peach and blueberry harvest season. I also noticed the prices for pineapple is dropping. Occasionally, I'll see sale prices for under $2 a piece and I'll snatch half a dozen or so the can for later enjoyment.

We've been eating a lot of fruit salads with dinner. It has a way to hit all the taste buds with a well rounded dinner. It also serves for dessert. I happened to find pineapple at my local wholesale produce market so I snatched a dozen. The price was $1.50 a piece! Bananas prices ($0.99 a lb) had dropped too! And one of the local farmers still had sweet, juicy strawberries ($12 a flat). With my fruit bargains in hand, I hit the local dairy for milk and heavy cream.

On the menu tonight was Banana Split Salad! When I was working as a cook for the local hospital deli, this was one of my hottest selling side salads. A combo consisted a meat/vegetable sandwich, a side salad/side, and a 20 oz drink. Each day, I handcrafted two different salads/sides to go in my  6'x 4' deli case. The "special" of the day varied from day to day as did the salads/sides to go with it. The 30-serving sides had to be different than what was offered in the salad bar and utilize leftovers/over purchased goods which presented a challenge. Whenever I made this salad, the cell phones came out with hurried calls to the various floors, clinics, and departments. "She made it! How many do you want?"

This salad would sell out within thirty minutes after opening. You see unlike the Fluff (dippable marshmallow), this salad was made with real whipped cream. So you got everything you'd get with a real banana split except for the ice cream. Relatively high on the glycemic index because of the bananas and pineapple, but lower in fat than the real version of banana splits even with the heavy whipping cream. I've pared down this recipe to four 4oz servings for you here. Everyone was clamoring for this recipe and nothing could be simpler to make. It just looks decadent and elegant.

Jo's Banana Split Salad
Make 4 4oz servings

shown here with mini chocolate chips

What you'll need
6 strawberries, hulled half/quartered depending on size
1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed 1" pieces*
1 banana, sliced 1/2"-3/4"
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream*
1 TBS lemon juice
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1 oz chocolate syrup* or mini chocolate chips
Maraschino cherries

Notes *You can substitute canned pineapple.
* You can substitute a vegetarian/Vegan alternative
* I make my own and can it in 4 oz jars.

Putting it together

• Chops and slice all fruit as directed.
• Place fruit except banana slices in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl toss the banana slices in the lemon juice until coated.
• Add banana to the other fruit pieces.
• Whip the cream into stiff peaks form. 
• Toss fruit lightly and well with the whipped cream.  
• Place in fruit salad in a serving bowl.
• Drizzle with chocolate syrup ot mini chocolate chips. 
• Sprinkle peanuts on top
• Top with maraschino cherries because everything is better with a cherry on top, isn't it?

Serving suggestions- This goes with any summertime meat dish. Change up the recipe for the 4th of July by substituting the pineapple for blueberries for a red/white/blue themed dish. Make all you can eat in one serving. Bananas tend to get mushy and the whipped cream tends to split when combined with fruit juices if kept in refrigerator overnight.  Or, for something more exotic substitute Lychee or Rambutans for the banana. I especially like it with BBQ or grilled rosemary skewered chicken kabobs.  While I'm thinking about it I'll give you the rosemary kabob recipe below. It's been a while since I did a twofer.

Jo's Rosemary Skewered Chicken
4 servings

What you'll need
2 lbs of chicken breast or boneless thighs, cut into 2" cubes*
4-12 fresh rosemary sprigs, depending on the size
1/2 bottle or recipe for Italian dressing
1 clove of garlic, minced*
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp spicy brown mustard

Dipping Sauce
Leftover marinade
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream

Putting it all together

• Strip rosemary leaves off the woody stems leaving 1/2"-1" of leaves at the very tip.
• Mince 1/2 tsp rosemary leaves for the marinade. Dry the remaining leaves for use in other recipes.
• Mix your Italian salad dressing with minced garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp minced rosemary, and mustard. The mustard adds to the emulsification of the dressing so it shouldn't separate as quickly.
• Place skewers and chicken in a plastic bag or covered bowl.
• Pour the dressing/marinade into the bag/bowl.
• Shake/stir well to coat and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Stirring/shaking once during this time.
• Place chicken on skewers and wrap the rosemary tips with foil.
• Place skewer over hot coals, turning every five to six minutes until are sides are cooked.
• Take the leftover marinade and put in a small saucepan on one corner of the grill. When mixture comes to a boil, remove it. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Whisk until smooth.

For service- remove foil from the rosemary tips and serve with dipping sauce. Serve with Banana Split Salad or alternative with some fried green beans, or baked beans, or other picnic/cookout fare. For a make ahead option, the chicken in marinade can be prepared the day before.Come to think about it, I just gave you part of my 4th of July menu. 😁 It's easy to transport to wherever you want to go either raw or cooked. If you are lucky enough to have fresh rosemary (mine's planted as a hedge at my front garden gate), you can cut the rosemary any length you want, but if you buy it at the grocery store, you'll be stuck with the 4" stems.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo