Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad) | BHG Mexican Cook Book

This Ensalada de Noche Buena is a festive dish for a Christmas Eve brunch or buffet table.

Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

Ensalada de Noche Buena 
(Christmas Eve Salad) ingredients (12)

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 fresh pineapple or 1 (20-oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
2 large oranges
1 large apple, washed and peel left on
2 medium bananas 
3 medium beets, cooked, peeled, and sliced or 1 (16-oz) can sliced beets, drained

Optional for salad
1 jicama, peeled and sliced
1 stick sugar cane, peeled and chopped

Garnish
Lettuce, washed and dried well

1/2 cup peanuts

Pomegranate seeds

Salad dressing (see Notes)
Mayonnaise or salad dressing

Milk

Ensalada de Noche Buena
(Christmas Eve Salad) Directions

Prepare fresh fruits
Remove crown of fresh pineapple. Peel pineapple and remove eyes; quarter and remove core. Cut pineapple into chunks. (Skip to next step if using canned pineapple.)

Peel oranges and section over a bowl to catch juice.

Core and slice apple.

Toss oranges, apple, and banana with the orange juice; then, drain.


Assemble salad
Line a large platter or footed pedestal plate with lettuce leaves. Arrange all fruit with the sliced beets (and jicama and sugar cane, if using) in a decorative pattern on the platter.

Sprinkle with peanuts and pomegranate seeds.


Prepare dressing
Thin mayonnaise (or salad dressing) with a little milk to make drizzling consistency. Pass with salad. 

Ensalada de Noche Buena

(Christmas Eve Salad) Notes

• Suggested no-mayo dessing options include Cinnamon Dressing, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Honey Lime Dressing

Amazon

• Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Books. Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cook Book. Ed. Nancy Morton. (Des Moines: 1977), 76.

Index
beets
Christmas Eve
jicama
Latin / Latin-style
orange
pineapple
Salads

Page Last Modified 15 July 2016