Pink Arctic Freeze

09/14/2019 | Sallie's Kitchen Corner | Desserts, Food Blog, Salads & Soups

A friend called me the other day to ask for another copy of a recipe I had given him. He serves a lot of lunches to ladies who lunch a lot so I thought I better get this recipe out there so he would always have a copy and so you would too. It’s almost a rule that some kind of fruit salad is on the plate when a nice lunch is in order. Sometimes it’s simply a mix of seasonal fruits but, at least in the south, it can be a gelatin-based salad or my favorite – a frozen salad. Jell-O salads are okay. Growing up we had them in school cafeterias and on dinner tables with relative frequency. It was quick, easy, inexpensive, and the creative cook could add things like canned fruit or nuts to make Jell-O fancier. Sometimes a desperate mom even tried (unsuccessfully) to dollop it with whipped cream and call it dessert. But a frozen fruit salad is a whole different kind of thrill. It’s frozen, so that’s already fun. It contains fruit – clearly meaning that no matter what else may be involved it’s good for you (right?).

If you make it in little muffin cups with paper liners, it can be kept in the freezer for a quick side dish when needed or a snack when nothing else will do. Best of all this salad just has 5 ingredients that are mixed together in one bowl – no equipment required – no stress involved. The recipe is a version the old classic called Pink Artic Freeze. The original recipe was usually made with cream cheese and oddly – I just don’t love the texture. This recipe has sour cream instead and it makes it just creamy and delicious with a more airy consistency. It’s pink because of the whole cranberry sauce which also makes it a little tangy. Pineapple adds a great taste and mayonnaise – well gee- who doesn’t know it makes anything better? A bit of fresh lemon juice balances it all out. Full confession requires me say that using canola-based mayo and light sour cream is a trick that doesn’t seem to cost flavor and maybe saves a few calories so you can eat 2 instead of just one. Great solution! But any way that you decide to mix this up you’ll love the ease, the taste, and the compliments. Add this to a pretty lunch, a holiday dinner, or the family get-together. Make it soon. Enjoy.