Grand Marnier Fruit Bowl

In this spectacular company dessert, the fruit marinates in an orange syrup permeated with orange-flavored liqueur. Although it doesn’t use much Grand Marnier, the balance of flavors is ju-u-st right. I can truly say this is one of my most beloved dessert recipes. My friend Heather gave me the recipe 32 years ago, when I was a mere child.

Grand Marnier Fruit Bowl:

1 c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. finely grated orange zest from oranges used in this recipe

½ c. orange juice

¼ c. Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur

4 navel oranges (see Note)

1 c. each cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon balls

2 c. whole or halved strawberries (see Further Note)

To prepare orange syrup, combine sugar, zest, and orange juice, boiling 3 min. in small, uncovered saucepan. Remove from heat, cooling very slowly. Add ¼ c. Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur to fully cooled orange solution. Briefly set aside. 

Section peeled navel oranges into bite-sized chunks, removing all white membrane. Combine with melon balls. Pour syrup over oranges and melon balls, chilling and marinating 5-to-6 hours, stirring occasionally (I gently stir fruit with a rice paddle, so it remains intact and keeps its appearance).

Rinse, blot dry, and core strawberries. Keep berries whole if small or medium size; halve if large. Cover and refrigerate; do not stir into oranges and melon balls until 30-to-60 min. before serving. Drain off some - but not all! - the liquid (Slightly thickened with cornstarch, this liquid is scrumptious with vanilla ice cream!).

Present this glorious dessert in your prettiest glass bowl or in the scooped-out shell of a watermelon. Yields 6 servings.

Note: The annoyance of this, Dollinks! When I saw that four navel oranges would cost me $3.75, I told the cashier to forget it! Too costly for me! Instead, I bought four large oranges at half the price. Each seemed heavy for its size: I assumed the weight meant plenty of juice, but I was in for a surprise. Not only was the skin of each orange exceptionally thick (as the photo below shows), but the sections were dry and irregularly patterned. Lesson learned: Sometimes, the more expensive product is the better buy.

Further Note: Marinating strawberries any longer than an hour will turn them pink and mushy. I’ve successfully tripled this recipe for a large party. If you do that, I recommend you serve it in a punch bowl.

Finely grate 2 tbsp. orange zest.

Remove skin and all white membranes; section oranges.

Measure orange liqueur: 1/4 c. is enough!

Scoop out 1 c. (250 mL) balls for each type of melon.

Seed ripe, juicy cantaloupe before making melon balls.

Scoop melon balls from fragrant, juicy honeydew. 

The addition of orange juice, zest, and liqueur elevates this 

refreshing summer dessert to new heights!