24-Hour Salad

This is my grandmother's recipe; Grandma Joan makes 24-hour salad for every special occasion, and always has. I think it is just the most awful creation ever (except maybe for a similar version my father's wife's grandmother makes- with peas!) It's one of those things I would put on my plate at Christmas and scoot under the other left-overs to make it look like I had eaten it. Everyone from my parents generation and younger feels the same way. I never would have imagined in a million years that I'd be asking for the recipe.

With that being said...

I work with old people. And I worked this Christmas, and I wanted to make a special meal. So I called up my grandma and asked her for this recipe. Boy did they love it! I had compliments left and right, "I haven't had this salad for years!" and "I wish we had things like this more often!"

So here it is, Grandma Joan's 24-Hour Salad...

(I never use the almonds, and neither does grandma, but when she passed on the recipe, it was in there. I've also had a hard time finding white cherries, so I use red, which are prettier anyways)


24-Hour Salad
Courtesy of Grandma Joan


ingredients:
2 cups white cherries (Royal-Ann, pitted & halved )
2 cups diced pineapple
2 cups quartered orange sections
2 cups quartered marshmallows (or mini)
1/4 lb. almonds, blanched and chopped (optional)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup light cream
2 Tbsp lemon juice    
1 cup heavy cream, whipped   
1 tsp gelatin

procedure: 

Combine well-drained fruit, marshmallows and nuts if using.

Soften 1 tsp gelatin in small amount of the fruit juice, set aside. 

Beat eggs until light; gradually add sugar, cream and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly and cook over a double boiler until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Mix in gelatin. Cool, then fold in whipped cream.  Pour over fruit mixture and mix lightly.   

Chill for 24 hours.