Tamarind Apple Salad

I'm not a fan of the hotel fruit salad, a jubilee of unseasonal and underripe cubes with little or no thought to structure and shape. And so when I set out to make a fruit salad it must have perspective, maturity, and reason. You'll never find a tumble of melons, citrus, berries, and grapes on my table. Our brunch was in close enough proximity to Passover that my brain subtly injected this reference to Charoset. Chopped apples, dates, and cashews, dressed with lemon and tamarind. It's a Southeast Asian take on my Jewish roots, and I'm eagerly awaiting a repeat performance. 

Ingredients

  • 3 Honeycrisp Apples
  • 1 1/2 cups Raw Cashews, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1/4 cup Tamarind Paste
  • Juice of one Lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Business

  1. Peel and chop the apples into small cubes. 
  2. In a large bowl mix the apples, chopped cashews, and chopped dates until evenly distributed. 
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. If the sauce is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until it is easily whiskable. 
  4. Pour the sauce over the fruit and nut mix, toss to combine.