When I was led into her dining room, there was a beautiful buffet set up on a long antique dining table covered with a crisp, white damask tablecloth. At the center of the table was a big, gorgeous arrangement of just-picked magnolias, smattered with peach-colored roses and fresh greenery. I swear, that table just dripped with Southern charm!
But I have to say that the food on her table was the real star of the brunch. The hostess had truly outdone herself. There were baskets of fresh chocolate croissants, blueberry muffins, and big fat homemade biscuits, still warm from the oven, just beggin’ for butter. Then, served on beautiful sterling silver doily-lined trays, was everything your sweet little Southern heart could desire. There was fresh crab quiche and salmon caviar blinis, Eggs Benedict, shrimp and lobster in a cheesy puff pastry, and omelets filled with cheeses and mushrooms. But my most favorite was the fried country ham with red-eye gravy, and thick-sliced bacon served with cheese grits. I swear, I thought I’d died and gone to country-fried heaven! And then, as if that were not enough, there were stacks of fluffy waffles with sides of crème fraiche and strawberries, and pancakes just callin’ out for their hot maple syrup. It was enough to make a good woman – bad!
But what really caught my eye was a tray filled with these beautifully decorated orange cups bursting with with all kinds of fresh fruit! They added such color to the buffet table, and to my surprise, were not just any ordinary ol’ fruit cups. Oh, no! This fruit salad was delightfully spiked with a spiced rum and honey dressing. And I don’t mind tellin’ you, that these little jewels were as delicious as they were beautiful and elegant.
So, the next time you feel your “Scarlet O’Hara” comin’ on and wanna get fancy with your brunch, try servin’ up some of these here Rum-Spiked Orange Fruit Cups. I promise you; your Rhett Butler won’t be goin’ nowhere!
Rum Spiked Fresh Fruit Salad in Orange Cups
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Dessert & Salads
Cuisine: Southern
Serves: 4
PREP TIME
20 mins
TOTAL TIME
20 mins
INGREDIENTS
Fresh Fruit Salad:
1 fresh grapefruit (peeled and torn into small slices)
1 fresh orange (peeled and torn into small slices)
2 kiwis (peeled and sliced and then quartered)
5 fresh strawberries (sliced)
Plums (sliced thinly)
Green grapes (cut in half or left whole)
Pomegranate seeds (handful)
Fresh mint (for decoration)
Orange Cups:
Four or five fresh oranges (with tops cut and scooped out to serve as cups for the fruit salad)
Fresh whole cloves (to decorate the orange cups)
Rum Dressing:
½ cup spiced rum, dark rum, or even Grand Marnier
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Angostura Bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
Get yourself a big mixing bowl.
Place all the sliced fruit plus the grapes and pomegranate seeds in the bowl. (The smaller the slices, the more evenly it will marinate in the dressing.)
In another small bowl or jar (I use my trusty leftover jelly jar) mix the rum and honey and bitters. Place the lid back on the jar and shake ‘til mixed. Pour the rum mixture over your fruit salad, toss it well and cover with a plastic wrap.
Now, let it sit in your icebox for at least two hours, or preferably overnight.
Before serving, get a sharp knife and cut the tops off the extra fresh oranges.
Then, scoop them out and decorate the outside of the orange cup with the whole cloves. (You may also have to push down on the bottom of the orange cup shell to make it sit flatly before filling).
Spoon the spiked fruit salad into the cups and serve them up. HOWEVER, guests must be 18 or older to indulge! So, check them ID’s before servin’ it up! YUM!
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