Simple Easter Fruit Salad

I know I've said before that, unlike Shawn, I like my fruit with a little extra something going on, but really that's only when it's being served for dessert. When it's a snack or a side dish, I feel very strongly the opposite. I don't want it sprinkled with sugar and I usually don't want a fruit dip on the side. I will say, though, that my friend, Sarah, often pours orange juice over her fruit salad which really is quite tasty and it doesn't mess with the healthiness of the dish. Anyway, I like to appreciate fruit in its whole, unaltered, glorious state. When it's fresh and ripe, what better flavor and texture could possibly be offered other than the fruit itself? Sometimes we just need to leave it alone. Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York City and PBS' Avec Eric constantly talks about respecting your ingredients, having the wisdom to edit back, or remove ingredients from a dish, instead of adding something else. He tries to allow edible nature to speak for itself instead of just arrogantly assuming he can make it better. He tries to be sure that whatever alterations he does make to his ingredients enhances rather than covers up their natural flavors. Love you, Chef Ripert!!

Last year we just had sliced oranges with our Easter brunch menu, which was great, but we're seeing more and more fruit hit the shelves with the arrival of Spring, and this year has been so unseasonably warm we're adding a couple of berries that normally aren't peaking for another month. Yippeee!

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Simple Easter Fruit Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 navel orange, each cut into 8-10 even wedges

20 strawberries, trimmed and sliced down the middle

1 heaping cup blueberries

1 heaping cup blackberries

Directions:Toss and serve!

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