Dried Fruit Salad

Dried fruit salad is a mixture of dehydrated fruits that are soaked in a flavorful liquid to create a delicious salad.

Dried fruits are readily available in my pantry coming up to the holidays, and I love to use a mixture of raisins, prunes, dried apricots and cranberries to create a dried fruit salad that's just as delicious for breakfast as it is for dessert.

Note: I received a free sample of orange flavored tea to create this recipe.

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Winter Salad

I soak a mixture of chopped dried fruits in tea, just like I would if I was making a tea brack, then add some orange zest to jazz it up a bit, before topping this healthy and tasty salad with a vanilla yogurt and cream topping.

This is a versatile salad, an impressive dessert and a yummy snack that's ever so easy to make. I hope this will become one of your favorite winter salads.

It's a great option when local fruits are out of season, especially if you like to serve produce when it is in season.

Ingredients For Dried Fruit Salad

Here's a list of salad ingredients you'll need. Check out the printable recipe below the instructions for exact quantities in US and Metric equivalents.

• raisins
• golden raisins
• dried cranberries
• chopped dried dates
• chopped dried apricots
• chopped and stoned prunes
• hot tea
• orange zest and juice
• chopped walnuts
• whipping cream
• vanilla yogurt

You can substitute pecans for the walnuts if you wish.

If you wish you can add some chopped fresh fruits to the mixture after soaking the dried fruits. Peeled chopped pears or peaches work great.

Another suggestion is to add some glacé or marashino cherries.

Directions For Dried Fruit Salad

Place the raisins and cranberries into a heat-proof bowl. Chop the prunes, apricots and dates into pieces just a little bigger than the raisins.

You can use whatever combo of dried fruits you have on hand. Dried blueberries, dried mango and figs work wonderfully too. Make substitutions to suit your palate and your purse.

Soaking the dried fruit overnight in a brew of hot tea plumps up the shriveled raisins, making them juicy and extra tasty. You can use cold water, but for my taste buds orange flavored tea works a treat.

This time I used a delicious blood orange tea blend from Plum Deluxe. Just look at the beautiful loose leaves of this exceptional blend.

So pour two cups of hot brewed tea over the fruit. Allow it to cool and then cover the fruit bowl in plastic wrap and place it overnight in the fridge.

Next day zest and juice the orange and add them to the fruit. If you'd like to spice up the fruit salad this is the point when you can add a little zing.

Flavoring options are endless. Liven it up with spirits or spices. The choice is yours.

A little drop of whiskey if you're Irish, whisky if you're Scottish, or brandy if you're French. I could go on and on. Just add a dash of whichever spirits take your fancy.

Transfer the fruit mixture to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer it for ten minutes.

You can create a spiced dried fruit salad by adding a cinnamon stick when you bring the fruit to a boil, or how about some pumpkin pie spice, or honey with a few cloves. The choices are endless.

Return the simmered fruit to a clean glass bowl and allow to cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before serving.

My favorite topping is a mixture of vanilla yogurt and cream.

Whip the cream until it is stiff. Then fold in the vanilla yogurt. You can add a teaspoon of confectioners' sugar if you like, but I find this mixture is plenty sweet for me.

Spoon the dried fruit salad into a glass until it is two-thirds full. A wine glass or a glass mug work great.

Top with the yogurt cream and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Then, simply dig in and enjoy.

You can use all of this fruit salad as a dessert, or you can store it in the refrigerator for two to three days in an airtight container. The flavors develop as it stores, and trust me there are multiple ways to serve this fruity concoction.

Why not use it to top a mini-pavlova. I think this is a very festive holiday dessert, and the vanilla yogurt cream topping is a nice change from simple whipped cream.

How about using this fruit combo as a topping for pancakes at breakfast time, or to smother a waffle.

A sprinkle of confectioners' sugar, or the yogurt topping is perfect to start the day.

Served warm, spiced dried fruit salad is a perfect holiday dessert. Topped with a little yogurt, cream, or ice cream, it's simply delicious. And why not use this fruit to top off a bowl of lovely creamy, luscious custard. Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

And remember you can keep this salad in the fridge - it's a versatile snack whenever you need a little nibble. You can extend the fridge life by storing it in sterilized jars.

And so there you have it, my dried fruit salad with a creamy yogurt topping. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Plum Deluxe Teas

I wish to thank Andy from Plum Deluxe Teas for sending me a sample of his delicious Blood Orange Reflection Tea, and Pumpkin Spice Tea.

These organic loose leaf teas are full of flavor, expertly blended and simply delicious. You know I love my cuppa, like any good Irish woman, so when I say this is good tea, then I really mean this is good tea.

Recipe Card for Dried Fruit Salad

Here's the printable recipe ...

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Disclosure:  Irish American Mom LLC did not receive payment for this post, but received a free sample of teas from Plum Deluxe. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by the fact that I received this product free of charge.You can read more about sponsored posts in my disclosure policy.

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