BRUNCH (continued)

FRESH FRUIT



I just go here by the seat of my pants. Whatever looks fresh and good in the grocery store goes into this fresh fruit bowl and each time I serve it, it's different. But the staples are one package of fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half; one package of blueberries; one package of raspberries; (just check to be sure there are no spoiled ones in the packages and then just dump them into the bowl); one or two navel oranges and at least one red grapefruit. The oranges and the grapefuit should be sectioned, that is, the fruit sections themselves should be cut from the pith and the membranes that separate the sections. I almost always use green grapes, cut in half; they make a nice contrast in both color and texture. (Check to be sure the ones you want to buy are sweet, not sour, and seedless.) But you could use red grapes if you prefer. Sometimes I add sliced bananas, sprinkled with a little lemon juice to keep them from going brown. And if the watermelon looks good, I always use that; it's great color and texture.

I used to put fancy dressings on this salad but I've found that nothing enhances the flavor of fresh fruit like its own juices. So I've given up on the dressings. Just the fruit. Whatever is left over goes on my cereal the next morning.

To save time on the morning of the brunch, I prepare all the fruit the day before but keep it separated, mixing it together only on the morning of the brunch. I always serve this in a big, plain glass bowl, which reveals the differing happy colors of the fruit.

HOW TO SEGMENT FRUIT, LIKE ORANGES AND GRAPEFRUIT



This object here is to get just the segments of fruit without the peel, or the pith of the membranes that separate the segments. First cut away the peel from each flatter end of the fruit, cutting away enough so that the fruit shows. Place the fruit flattened end down on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, with downward strokes, cut away all the peel. (Until you get used to doing this, you'll probably miss some peel at the bottom end of the fruit; just cut this away.) Then, holding the fruit in one hand, and using a very sharp knife with the other (and being careful not to cut yourself), slice each segment away from the membrane, dumping the wedged and freed segments into a bowl. Do this over the bowl, allowing the juice generated by this operation to fall into the bowl itself and when all the segments have been cut away, squeeze the remaining fruit hull to get as much of the juice as you can. This has a lot of flavor. As you approach the end of this operation, use special care not to cut yourself.