Would You Like to Transform A Simple Red Fruit Salad into A Sophisticated, Delicious Masterpiece? Not Only Is It Gorgeous, There Is No Cooking, Is Super Easy and Oh So Stylish!
What Biscuit Should I Use?
As always, at The Devil Wears Salad, we try not to over complicate our recipes and happily use store bought favourites for our salads, savoury or sweet. Even more so, there are some things that you simply can’t make or replicate easily.
For this recipe, I used a chocolate coated biscuit synonymous with the land down under, the humble Tim Tam. I have however selected the dark chocolate version to reduce the sweetness and to create a darker mood.
Ok! Ok! I can already hear my fellow Aussies grunting with displeasure;
“Dark chocolate Tim Tam? Sacrilege!”.
“You can’t beat the original!”.
“How could you?”
Fists pumping in the air. LOL! Yes, yes, please go ahead and use the original milk chocolate Tim Tam biscuit if you must!
For anyone who hasn’t tried a Tim Tam biscuit, please do yourself a favour and find a grocer or convenience store that stocks them and treat yourself to a packet, or ten.
What is a Tim Tam?
A Tim Tam consists of two crunchy biscuits separated by a chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate. Needless to say, it is positively dreamy and once you start, it is impossible to stop.
For our American friends, I believe that as of 2 years ago, Tim Tams now grace your shelves too! Aren’t you lucky? I’ve heard Walmart sells them so maybe give them a try? Or go to Tim Tam USA site to track down where you can find Tim Tam biscuits near you. The things we do for a Tim Tam!
For our friends in the UK, surely you can find them, with so many Aussies floating around? If you can’t, you can always use Penguins, which seems to have sparked a rivalry as to which biscuit is simply more delicious. For those of you who have tried both, Team Penguin or Team Tim Tam?
Essentially what you’re looking for is a chocolate cream filled biscuit. You want a mixture of the crunch of the biscuit mixed through with the creaminess of the filling. Otherwise, the chocolate biscuit part of an Oreo could do the trick too.
Interesting Facts About Black Plums
What Happens When You Dry A Black Plum?
Let’s see if you can get this right. Head to the bottom to find out!
What Do Black Plums Taste Like?
Black plums are sweet fruits. The texture of unripe black plums is crunchy which softens the riper it becomes. The skin is tart and this fruit is usually eaten with the skin on.
When Are Black Plums in Season?
Black plums are in season during the summer months. That’s when they are in abundance and are very affordable. Thanks to the difference in climate between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, we can now get black plums in Australia in the winter, albeit a little expensive.
We are finding more and more fruits are being imported from the US, which is great because the diversity of fruit offerings during our winter months is plain dismal!
Types of Stones
Did you know that there are 2 different types of pits found in black plums?
Freestone v clingstone pits. Say what?
Well, when I learnt this, I was like “but of course!”. Having eaten plums all my life, I didn’t realise there was proper terminology for the different types of pits. Freestone means that it separates easily from the flesh while clingstone means the flesh clings to the pit. And here I thought I just got lucky with the freestone plums when none of the flesh stuck to the pit. DUH!
Nutrition Benefits of Black Plums
Black plums are low in calories and contain vital vitamins and minerals. Here are some quick benefits:
- Good for blood circulation
- Reduce inflammation
- Prevents eye infections
- Good for bone health
- Reduces heart problems
- Rich in antioxidants
- Helps to control blood sugar levels
How Do You Choose a Ripe Plum?
Plums will give a little when you squeeze them. Please squeeze them gently as they bruise easily. I don’t like overly ripe black plums as I prefer them with a little crunch so I tend to buy the firmer kind. You would need to get the firmer ones for this fruit salad.
If you can only find unripe plums, place them in a paper bag and leave them at room temperature to speed up the process. This helps concentrate the ethylene gas near the plums, causing them to ripen faster. Some believe if you add a green banana, it will ripen even faster! Once ripen, you can leave them in the fridge for a further 3-5 days before eating.
So, What Happens When You Dry A Black Plum?
You get prunes!
Why I Love Red Fruit Salad with Dark Chocolate Biscuit Soil
I love dessert fruit salads in general. It is a great combination of something fresh with a touch of sweetness and frivolity. And because the dark chocolate biscuit soil is added on top, you can make separate fruit salads for any of your guests who would prefer not to have it.
And by using a dark chocolate biscuit, it is also not as sweet. As you can probably tell by now, I’m not a massive sweet tooth but I do still like a little something. So, this satisfies my craving for fruit and chocolate all in one!
To accentuate the dark and moody undertones, I served it in a stem glass, which also lent itself to a little sophistication. Great if you’re having a dinner party for adults only but don’t really have the time to create a complicated dessert for the evening.
How to Make Red Fruit Salad with Dark Chocolate Biscuit Soil
How to Make the Dark Chocolate Biscuit Soil
This couldn’t be any easier.
Using a large knife, cut 2-3 biscuits into quarters in angled shapes. Set this aside for garnish.
Cut the remaining biscuits until they are almost minced and resembles soil.
How to Prepare the Fruit Salad?
For the cherries, discard the stem. Using a small knife, cut the cherry around the seed. With your hands, twist the fruit so that one half of the cherry comes away. Using the small knife or your fingers, remove the pit. It is pretty much the same process as you would deseed an avocado. Place them in a medium size bowl.
As for the black plum, leave the skin on as we want the dark colours to set the mood for this red salad. Cut them into small cubes and add them to the bowl of pitted cherries.
Remove the leafy stem off the strawberries. Cut them into small cubes and add them to the bowl of cherries and plum.
Cut the dragon fruit in half lengthwise. With your hands, peel the leathery skin away from the flesh. Cut the red dragon fruit into cubes. As the fruit stains, place them in a small separate bowl until you’re ready to serve.
How to Assemble the Red Salad
This red salad deserves to be showcased in a stemmed glass. You can use any wine glass you may have at home to create a sophisticated moody aesthetic.
When you’re ready to serve, add the red dragon fruit to the rest of the fruit. Give it a quick toss. Divide the fruit salad evenly across the 4 stemmed glass.
Sprinkle a generous portion of the chocolate soil on top of the fresh fruit salad. Add 1 or 2 of the quartered Tim Tam biscuit on top as garnish.
Serve immediately as the crunch of the biscuit can get soggy over time from the fruit.
When I last served this red fruit salad, the kids devoured it in seconds. And because I knew I had a few sweet tooths at dinner, I had extra chocolate biscuit soil on the side. Upon finishing the top layer. They went for seconds and doused the next layer of fruit with more chocolate soil!
The dark chocolate muted the sweetness and needless to say, it was well received. Personally, I loved the dark and moody tones of the dessert fruit salad and it sure does make for an easy Valentine’s Day recipe!
That’s all!
More Salad Recipes with Strawberry:
Summer Strawberry Salad with Baby Bocconcini And Rocket
Red and Green Fruit Salad with Vanilla Persian Fairy Floss
Berry Salad with Sumac Dusted Meringues
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Red Fruit Salad with Dark Chocolate Biscuit Soil
Ingredients
Salad
- 24 cherries
- 1 red dragon fruit
- 1 black plum
- 200 g strawberries
- 1 cup dark chocolate biscuit, chopped
Instructions
Salad
- Cut 2-3 biscuits and cut them into quarters in angled shapes. Set aside for garnish.
- Using a large knife, cut the rest of the biscuits until they are minced and resembles soil.
- Remove stem from cherries. To pit the cherries, use a small knife, and cut the cherry around the seed. With your hands, twist the fruit so that one half of the cherry comes away. Using the small knife or your fingers, remove the pit. Place them in a medium size bowl.
- Cut black plum into small cubes and add them to the bowl of pitted cherries. Discard the pit.
- Remove the leafy stem off the strawberries. Cut them into small cubes and add them to the bowl of cherries and plum.
- Cut the dragon fruit in half lengthwise. With your hands, peel the leathery skin away from the flesh. Cut the red dragon fruit into cubes. As the fruit stains, place them in a small separate bowl until you’re ready to serve.
Assembly
- To be served in a stemmed glass.
- Add the red dragon fruit to the rest of the fruit. Give it a quick toss.
- Divide the fruit salad evenly across the 4 glasses.
- Sprinkle a generous portion of the chocolate soil on top of the fresh fruit salad.
- Add 1 or 2 of the quarter Tim Tam chocolate biscuit on top as garnish.
- Serve immediately
Notes
- Serve the dessert fruit salad immediately as the crunch of the biscuits can become soggy from the contact with the fruit.
- The red dragon fruit stains so be wary of contact with your clothes.
- You can use any red fruit although it’s important to have a good balance of flavours.
