Recipe for Mandarin Orange Dessert Salad
How to Make A Pineapple Orange Jell-O Salad for Holiday Meals
Sep 24, 2009
For a dependable mandarin orange salad, look no further than this basic recipe. With it you can create a dessert that tastes just like the one you remember from those childhood family gatherings. It's a classic.
This versatile recipe can also serve as the basis for a dessert of your own invention. By adding nuts, shredded celery, cranberries or other fruit, or by altering the flavor of the jell-o, you can also create a one-of-a kind dessert that guests will remember for a long time to come.
Mandarin Orange Desert Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 (3 ounce) packages of orange gelatin
- 1 (11 ounce) can of mandarin oranges (Drain well and retain juice for later use.)
- 1 (16 ounce) can of crushed pineapple (Drain well and retain juice for later use.)
- 2 bananas, sliced or chopped
- 8 or 9 chopped maraschino cherries
- 2 cups of miniature marshmallows
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons of flour
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of juice (combined from the mandarin orange and pineapple juices above. Any additional juice may be discarded.)
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1/4 cup or more of grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Prepare both packages of the orange jell-o as directed and pour into a 9 x 12 inch glass pan.
- When partially set, add the drained mandarin oranges, drained crushed pineapple, sliced bananas, chopped maraschino cherries and miniature marshmallows.
- Stir well and place the jell-o in the refrigerator to set until firm.
- Meanwhile, pour a small amount of the reserved juice into a small saucepan.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of flour and mix until smooth, crushing out any lumps that form. Add what remains of the 1 cup of juice, and mix well.
- Add the egg and sugar to the juice mixture. Combine thoroughly.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture become thick.
- Set aside to cool completely.
- In a mixing bowl whip the cup of whipping cream until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the cooled, cooked sauce.
- Spread the mixture on top of the chilled jell-o and sprinkle with the grated cheddar cheese if desired. Keep refrigerated until serving time.
Yields 12 large squares.
This recipe has been a family favorite for many years, and it's great just as it is. It works well as an ordinary family dessert, but it's attractive enough for family gatherings and other special occasions. Keep in mind that you can also use this recipe as a template for creating your own original family dessert tradition by altering the ingredients or the gelatin flavors to suit the tastes and preferences of your family. Feel free to be creative.
