Ambrosia with Israeli Couscous

So my husband (Brandon) had some of this at a potluck months ago, and he has been jonesing for it ever since. So we decided to try making our own version for a family barbeque the other day. After I made it, he realized what he thought was couscous was actually large pearl tapioca. None-the-less it turned out great. Plus I really, really dislike tapioca. The couscous adds a different, slightly chewy texture to it versus your traditional ambrosia which has coconut in it, but you could still use coconut too if you like. This recipe is broken up into a few steps which are posted below.

Ambrosia with Israeli Couscous

For The Couscous

1 1/3 cup Israeli Couscous
1 tbs butter
1 1/3 cup water
3 tbs sugar

Directions:
Sauté couscous in medium saucepan with butter until golden brown. Add water and sugar – bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until all water has been soaked up by the couscous, about 5-7 minutes. The couscous will be slightly chewy, but if it seems to tough, add a little more water. Remove from heat and set aside covered until cool. Couscous might stick together while it is cooling, if it does, break apart with your hands before you are ready to use it.


For The Homemade Whip Cream

1 1/4cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbs vanilla
½ cup sugar

Directions:
A trick to help keep the cream cooler while you are whipping the cream is to freeze the bowl and whisk or beaters for at least 15 minutes before you use it. Add the sugar and vanilla to the cream and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside in fridge until ready to use.

For The Fruit Salad

1 ½ cups sliced strawberries (about 12-15 depending on size)
3 tbs honey
Zest of 1 small lime
Juice of half a lime
1 16 oz can of pineapple chunks – drain but keep 2 tbs of juice
1 11 oz can of mandarin oranges – drain but keep 2 tbs of juice
½ cup dried cranberries (blueberries, apricots, or cherries would work too)
1 heaping cup full of miniature marshmallows
Mix fruit, reserved juice and all other ingredients together.
Set in fridge for atleast 2 hours.

To Put The Salad Together

Mix fruit and couscous together and let sit for 30 minutes so that the couscous can soak up some of the fruit juice. When ready to mix with the whip cream, you will want to drain any excess liquid remaining in the bowl. Fold in the whip cream, marshmallows and cranberries or dried fruit.