Neapolitan Classics: Summer Berry and Fruit Salad

This is the simplest, quickest yet most impressive informal dessert (and perfect for picnics). I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like it. I learned it from my Mum and it’s a staple on Neapolitan tables throughout the Summer.

You will use up whatever berries you have on hand, whether strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and so on along with any fruit that might not be the most handsome to eat plain.

Maceration is the trick here that will give the dish the complexity of flavours and the creamy texture, all without you having to do anything more than stir and refrigerate.
Recipe after the photo. Serves 4 at a minimum, but add more fruit and berries for a larger dish.

Ingredients

• 500g strawberries, sliced
• 2 white peaches, chopped
• 1 apricot, chopped
• 1 nectarine, chopped
• a handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar (palm sugar is very nice) or agave/date or other syrup – to taste because you might like it sweeter than I do
• 1 Tablespoon rum, optional
• optional: banana, other berries, cherries

Method

In a large bowl, mix the berries and fruits along with the lemon juice, sugar and rum. Taste a bit to make sure that the salad is sweet enough for you. Add the mint. Mix everything well, cover and refrigerate for a hour or two or even overnight. The more you leave the dish to macerate, the more liquid the citric acid will leach out of the fruit and soften all the fruits. If you need the dish in a hurry, an hour will suffice.