Ambrosia Recipe

Ambrosia recipe? You are, as they say, funnin' with me, aren't you Sherry? Dahlin', we are from the South and you know the best Southern foods don't have recipes. At least, they don't have precisely measured ingredients, they just look right. They taste right. They fit in Mama Nona's faceted lead glass footed compote. But, recipes...

My grandmother, Johnnie Holk (my mother's mother), always served ambrosia that consisted of fresh orange segments, shredded coconut, and halved maraschino cherries. Thanks to my father, who is willing to stand for an extended length of time and peel and segment the oranges, my mother makes it the same way. As do I.

The best oranges are the navels that the FFA or Church Men's Club or High School Chorus or some local organization takes orders for to be delivered by the case or half case around the first of December. They seem to be larger, juicer, sweeter, and more consistent in quality than the ones you get in the store.

The coconut may be the only variable in the mix because sometimes Angel Flake sweetened is used and sometimes the unsweetened frozen packages are used and sometimes freshly grated is used. The fresh or frozen may appear somewhat bland compared to the sweetened and the texture is generally much finer. It is a matter of personal taste.

My brother, Don, does not eat coconut. He says he would rather visit his sister in a house of ill repute than eat coconut. Pearls before swine.

Maraschino cherries are the same whether you buy the expensive or the cheap. Do you really want to pay a premium for the one food that least resembles the taste and color of its original form?

Southern Living has had the audacity on occasion to publish recipes for ambrosia. I have even seen recipes in the Morning Call (Allentown, PA) for ambrosia so those unfortunate enough to be living above the Mason-Dixon Line may be exposed to the finer aspects of regional Southern cuisine. The least offensive additive I have seen is fresh pineapple. The most offensive is canned fruit cocktail. I guess it is sort of like the fine curries of the world, the 'recipe' is a closely guarded secret passed down from mother to daughter from generation to generation.

But, now my family's secret is out and you know about our version of ambrosia. Thanks for asking, bless your heart.