CONGEALED FRUIT SALADS HAVE BEEN A MAJOR component of Southern cuisine for at least a century, and when they’re carefully layered in a glass mold, as with this colorful example, they become a true “party dish” worthy of the most elegant buffet or bridge luncheon. Diced cherries, blackberries, raspberries, crushed peaches or mangoes, and any chopped nuts can be used to make an attractive and delicious mold such as this, so feel free to experiment. In the South, this type of salad would typically be served with a variety of tea sandwiches.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• One 3-ounce package strawberry-flavored Jell-O
• 1⁄2 cup boiling water
• One 10-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juices reserved
• One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1⁄2 pint sour cream
• Bibb lettuce leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a saucepan, combine the Jell-O and boiling water. Stir until the Jell-O is dissolved.
2. Add the thawed strawberries along with their juices to the mixture. Stir well.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, and chopped walnuts. Stir well to combine.
4. Scrape half of the mixture into a medium-sized glass mold. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and chill for about 2 hours or until it is just firm.
5. Spread the sour cream evenly over the firm layer of the salad using a rubber spatula.
6. Scrape the remainder of the strawberry mixture on top of the sour cream layer.
7. Cover the mold with plastic wrap again and chill for 2 to 3 hours or until the salad is fully firm.
8. Serve the salad on Bibb lettuce leaves.