fruit salad with grand marnier whipped cream

for mother's day i wanted to treat both of my mom's (my mother and my mother in law) to a fresh fruit salad that was seasonal, healthy, and also delicious. fresh fruit doesn't need much to make it sing, especially when the fruit is at the height of it's season. i chose perfect berries and exotic fruits to liven up the selection. to top it off i made a decadent whipped cream, which really set off the flavors of the fruit, without overwhelming it.

ingredients:
one package strawberries
one package blueberries
one package blackberries
one package raspberries
three kiwis
one champagne mango
2 cups heavy whipping cream
one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons of grand marnier
2 tablespoons powdered sugar


directions:
rinse and dry all of the berries. hull and quarter the strawberries and add them along with the blueberries, raspberries, and the blackberries to a large bowl. peel the kiwi and cut into half moons, and then slice into small pieces. peel the mango, and then cut the flesh off of the pit (which is larger than you think it is if you've never cut up a mango) and then cut it into small pieces. add the kiwi and mango to the bowl with the berries.

pour the heavy whipping cream into a second large bowl. slice the vanilla bean in half and use a paring knife to scrape out the seeds from each half. add the vanilla seeds and the sugar to the cream along with the grand marnier. using a handheld mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form, but be careful not to over mix...you don't want to make butter!

notes:
this was a hit, and it's dead simple. we found another excellent use for the whipped cream: adding it to coffee!

the flavor of grand marnier was very subtle, and the vanilla and cream were very indulgent.