Tropical Fruit Salad with cute, heart-shaped coconut meringues will be a perfect addition to Mother’s Day brunch!
A Mother’s Love A Mother’s love is something That no one can explain, It is made of deep devotion And of sacrifice and pain, It is endless and unselfish And enduring come what may For nothing can destroy it Or take that love away… It is patient and forgiving When all others are forsaking, And it never fails or falters Even though the heart is breaking… It believes beyond believing When the world around condemns, And it glows with all the beauty Of the rarest, brightest gems… It is far beyond defining, It defies all explanation, And it still remains a secret Like the mysteries of creation… A many splendored miracle Man cannot understand And another wondrous evidence Of God’s tender guiding hand. Helen Steiner Rice
Happy Mother’s Day!
Being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding job in the world. For many women it starts when they learn they are going to be a mom, for others it takes some time. During the first trimester of my pregnancy, it was a Christmas break, we went on a trip to one of our favorite spots, Mono Lake (that’s where my husband proposed). I felt nauseated and extremely sensitive to smells during that period-morning, afternoon and evening- and the trip wasn’t any fun. I wasn’t even able to swallow my “giant” prenatal vitamins without gauging and I remember being worried and thinking that it wasn’t just me anymore. That I was responsible for another human being. That was over 9 years ago and that worry continues. I worry about the obvious things like their safety, health, creating good habits as well as being a good mom and if I’m doing enough. How to ensure that the kids are compassionate, respectful, polite and caring? How to help them to reach their potential and be the best human beings they could be?
What are your thoughts about being a mom?
Today’s recipe, Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut Meringues, is the second part of my Mother’s Day menu suggestion. These coconut meringues are super cute, easy to make and will make any fruit salad special.
To prepare them, beat egg whites with sugar until stiff. Add coconut flakes and gently stir. Using a pastry or ziploc bag with any large tip, create the meringues. Just squeeze some of the beaten egg whites onto a baking pan in any shape you like: star, heart, kiss. Sprinkle some toasted coconut on top. Bake the meringues for 1 hr, then let them cool down and dry on a cooling rack for 2 hrs. Don’t leave them on the baking pan as they might be hard to peel off later without breaking apart.
These meringues can be made 1 day in advance and stored in a ziploc bag. After that they will lose their crispiness.
For the salad choose any fruit you like: mango, pineapple, kiwi, oranges, bananas. Passionfruit would be nice if you can find it. The salad should be served with a dressing made out of orange juice, lime juice and honey.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 30 minutes Ready in: 3.5 hrs
Ingredients:
Coconut Meringues:
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes, divided in half
- 3 egg whites
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit Salad:
- 2 oranges, peel and pith removed, sliced or diced
- 2 ripe mangos, peeled, diced
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 2 kiwis, peeled, sliced
- 1 cup of cantaloupe or fresh pineapple, diced
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or more to taste
Directions:
- Coconut Meringues: warm up the oven to 300°F. Spread 1/4 cup of coconut flakes on a baking pan and toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Lower the temperature to 200°F.
- In a stand mixer, beat egg whites on medium high for about 2 minutes, then slowly add sugar. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Slowly mix in vanilla extract and untoasted coconut flakes.
- Fill up a pastry bag with a large tip and pipe the meringues into any shape you want onto baking sheet. Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on top. Bake for 60 minutes.
- Cool the meringues for about 15 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack and let them dry for 2 hours. Store, covered for 1 day.
- Prepare the fruit salad shortly before serving. Whisk the juices and honey together and drizzle all over the salad. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Decorate individual servings with coconut meringues.
Enjoy!
It's Cooking with Magda 