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Peach, Mango, and Banana Salad

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 14, 2011

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Peach, Mango, and Banana Salad

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons brown sugar ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and chopped2 bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds

Before You Begin

Avoid overly ripe bananas; they will break down and make the salad stodgy.

Instructions

  1. Combine 1/4 cup chopped peaches, lime juice, water, sugar, and vanilla in saucepan and mash with potato masher until peaches break down. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then strain, reserving juices.
  2. Toss mangos, bananas, remaining peaches, and reserved fruit juice in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve.
Peach, Mango, and Banana Salad

Peach, Mango, and Banana Salad

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds

Why This Recipe Works

A sugar syrup is the best way to sweeten and moisten a bowl of cut fruit, but can a quick fruit syrup do more? We wanted our fruit salad recipe to have fresh fruit flavor, as well as a big jolt from a quick fruit syrup. Adding potent seasonings like vanilla, lime juice, and brown sugar to the syrup as it cooked perked up the flavor. Mashing (with a potato masher) the juicy peaches with a splash of citrus in the simmering syrup provided even more flavor to our fruit salad recipe. We also made sure to avoid overly ripe bananas, as they broke down and make the fruit salad stodgy.

Before You Begin

Avoid overly ripe bananas; they will break down and make the salad stodgy.

Instructions

  1. Combine 1/4 cup chopped peaches, lime juice, water, sugar, and vanilla in saucepan and mash with potato masher until peaches break down. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then strain, reserving juices.
  2. Toss mangos, bananas, remaining peaches, and reserved fruit juice in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve.

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