Winter(ish) Fruit Salad with Sugared Lime Zest

My brain has been in all out deny.deny.deny. mode. Watch.

There are so many days until Thanksgiving. So many.

Let’s just wait for spring clearance sales to buy snow boots anyway.

No one even does holiday potlucks anymore.

These were the things in my head this morning…when I woke up to 26 degrees and a dog eager for a walk. When I chopped apples and pears last minute and crossed my fingers they wouldn’t turn brown before the lunch potluck. When I realized there is one full week of work left before Thanksgiving. And this winter/holiday/entertain like crazy frenzy is basically already here.

Yikes.

Simple, sort of winter fruit salads with a kick of lime (that makes me think of summer) are the only way to deal.

Okay, maybe not only. Black Friday snow boot sales and leftover Halloween candy are probably equally acceptable coping mechanisms.

Crisp apples and juicy pears are the base of this salad, but tart cranberries are also halved and sprinkled throughout. It gives things a red and green look. Truly…I didn’t plan this. I’m not really ready for Christmas colors. It just kind of happened.

I like all these fruits. But my favorite part of this is the lime. I think it’s because it feels like summer…in the midst of a not summer world. I dunno. But it’s happening in the juice (that legit keeps the fruit from browning) and the sugared zest. Also, a hint of salt gives things a little margarita flavor. No one can argue with this.

Letting the fruit sit in the sugar for a few hours cuts the tartness of the cranberries and balances sweet and sour all around.

I definitely crossed my fingers that there would be leftovers of this to take home.

There weren’t. Which only means…I’m making it again tomorrow.

And not just because it feels like summer. (I’ll maybe accept the fact that it’s winter…eventually.)

Winter(ish) Fruit Salad with Sugared Lime Zest
recipe adapted from Shutterbean

1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 limes

juice of 2 limes
3 medium apples, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 pears, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup cranberries, cut in half

Combine sugar and salt in a small bowl. Zest limes over the bowl, and stir to combine. (I did this the night before, covered the bowl and refrigerated it. It made the sugared zest a little chunkier…which was perfect.)

Juice two limes into a serving bowl. Chop apples and pears in bite sized pieces, and add to the bowl, stirring well to coat with lime juice. Add halved cranberries and sugared zest, stirring to combine. Finish with a garnish of additional zest. Cover and let sit for 2-3 hours before serving. (This gives the sugars time to work their magic.)