Pineapple Fruit Salad

This fruit salad doubles as a centerpiece. You halve a whole pineapple lengthwise through the leaves, scoop out the flesh, and fill each shell with a mix of fresh seasonal fruit tossed in a warm Grand Marnier lemon syrup.

The syrup is simple but makes all the difference. Lemon juice and sugar simmered for five minutes, then spiked with Grand Marnier or Cointreau. It glazes the fruit with a light, citrusy sweetness that tastes a world apart from a plain fruit bowl.

Alternating slices of pineapple and red apple fanned across the top give each shell a polished, layered look. Dip those apple slices in lemon juice as you cut them. Red apples brown fast, and browned fruit ruins the visual impact.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a grapefruit knife or serrated spoon to hollow out the pineapple. You want the flesh in one piece so you can slice it neatly for the top arrangement.
• Choose ripe but firm fruit for the salad filling. Overripe banana and mango turn mushy once tossed in syrup.
• Let the syrup cool to room temperature before tossing with the fruit. Hot syrup will wilt delicate fruits like kiwi and banana.
• Assemble just before serving. The fruit releases juice as it sits, and the pineapple shells will get soggy if left too long.

Variations

• Skip the liqueur for a family-friendly version. Replace with a splash of fresh orange juice.
• Add passion fruit pulp to the syrup for a tropical tang.
• Swap the fresh cream for coconut cream for a dairy-free option.