My great aunts specialty was a "fruit" salad she called ambrosia, a retro salad dating back to the fifites. Webster defines ambrosia as food for the gods; something wonderful to eat and smell. Her cloying interpretation of "ambrosia" was anything but that.

She tossed canned pineapple, mandarin oranges and maraschino cherries with nuts and marshmallow fluff. I didn't like it as a child, and bless-her-sweet soul, I wince when I recall forcing it down at her table.

What qualifies ambrosia as "good", however, is subjective. I doubt she'd appreciate my substitution of yogurt and ginger for marshmallow fluff, and fresh fruit for canned. I wonder if she's rolling in her grave?

Time: 25 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4-6 main course servings

Ingredients

28 ounces plain yogurt, strained Greek yogurt preferred
4-6 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup plus 1 cup grated coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/3 cup pineapple or orange juice
1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans
6-7 cups fresh cut fruit*
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint, plus extra sprigs for garnish (optional)

* I used a pint of raspberries, 2 small red grapefruit, 1 gala apple, 1 pear, and a fresh pineapple. Pomegranates, grapes and bananas would be good additions as well.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, 4 tablespoons honey, lime juice, ginger, 1/2 cup coconut, juice and walnuts. Add additional honey to taste.
2. Divide yogurt between 4 large bowls. Combine fruit with remaining cup of coconut and chopped mint, if using.
3. Divide and spoon fruit over yogurt, garnish with mint sprigs if desired, and serve.

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