Frosted Orange Salad
Pineapple, bananas, and marshmallows are folded into orange Jell-O in this refreshing salad. Frosted with a creamy topping, pecans, and coconut, this yummy dish is a real crowd-pleaser.
Pineapple, bananas, and marshmallows are folded into orange Jell-O in this refreshing salad. Frosted with a creamy topping, pecans, and coconut, this yummy dish is a real crowd-pleaser.
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream whipped
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut toasted
- 2-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 9 ounces orange gelatin
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice
- 3 cups cold water
- 4 medium firm bananas sliced
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
- Carbohydrate 23.1233704485771 g
- Cholesterol 49.9996502733333 mg
- Fat 16.1884735396074 g
- Fiber 0.934546891725674 g
- Protein 4.21769981095904 g
- Saturated Fat 7.18611551882433 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (206g)
- Sodium 2513.26023879342 mg
- Sugar 22.1888235568514 g
- Trans Fat 1.40817917924259 g
- Calories 247 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Stir the cold water, bananas, marshmallows and pineapple into gelatin.
- Pour into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish coated with cooking spray; refrigerate until firm.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine sugar and flour. Stir in reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.
- Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into the egg; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Cool.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in cooled filling. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over gelatin (dish will be full). Sprinkle with nuts and coconut.
Tempering the egg requires constant stirring after introducing the warm pineapple juice mixture, preventing the yolks from curdling into scrambled solids when returned to medium heat. Setting this gelatin base demands patience in the refrigerator until the center holds firm before the creamy topping goes on. Bananas inside the gelatin can oxidize if exposed to air too long, but fully encasing them in the liquid slows down discoloration significantly. Heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks provides the structural lift needed to balance the dense cream cheese base without deflating.
Managing Textures and Make-Ahead Windows
Preparing components ahead of time changes how the starches and sugars behave. Combining flour and sugar with the reserved pineapple juice creates a base that must reach a bubbly boil to cook out the raw flour taste. Toasting pecans and flaked coconut releases their natural oils, adding necessary crunch that contrasts against the soft marshmallows and gelatin. Letting the cooked stovetop mixture cool completely before beating it into the softened cream cheese prevents the dairy from melting and breaking.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent scorching during the two-minute boiling phase of the flour and juice mixture.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the bananas may soften further past the forty-eight-hour mark.
- Substitutions work best when maintaining equal fat ratios, such as using full-fat Greek yogurt if heavy whipping cream is unavailable.
