Pomegranate Ambrosia Salad Food

CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE AMBROSIA SALAD

Steps:

• Finely chop cranberries in a food processor. Add to a fine mesh sieve and push out any excess moisture (over the sink). Add drained pineapple and push down with a spatula to remove any excess moisture. Stir in sugar until well combined. Place sieve over a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator. Let chill 2 hours up to overnight.
• Add cranberry mixture to a serving bowl. Stir in the marshmallows, followed by Mandarin oranges. Set aside.
• Beat heavy cream in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute then beat in powdered sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Fold vanilla yogurt into whipped cream.
• Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cranberry mixture. Right before serving, garnish with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately or best if chilled 1-4 hours.

AMBROSIA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the oranges, pineapple, marshmallows and coconut. Add sour cream and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

FLORIDA AMBROSIA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Pierce the softest eye of the coconut with a metal skewer or small screwdriver and drain any liquid into a small bowl to sample-you should have about 1/2 cup liquid. (If the liquid tastes sweet, the coconut is fresh; if it tastes oily, the coconut is rancid and should be discarded.)
• Bake the coconut for 15 minutes then transfer to a folded towel on a work surface. Using the back of a knife or a cleaver, crack the shell open. Break the shell into large pieces and use a strong knife to carefully remove the flesh from the shell. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the brown skin then shave the coconut into thin strips-you should have about 4 cups shaved coconut. Reserve 2 cups for the ambrosia salad; wrap and freeze the remainder for another use. DO AHEAD: Coconut shavings can stored, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the peel off the grapefruits and oranges. Cut the fruit crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds then cut the rounds into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl; add the pineapple, kumquats, pomegranate seeds, 2 cups coconut shavings, 1/2 cup coconut juice, and the apple juice, and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled. DO AHEAD: Florida Ambrosia Salad can be prepared ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator up to 8 hours.