051 / 75 · Fruit Salads for the Table

Cherry Canned Pineapple Walnut Ring

One cherry-pineapple walnut ring, about 4 cups (950 ml); 8 fruit-salad side portions · Active 35 min · Total 10 hr 30 min

Print recipe · PDF

Dark cherries, canned pineapple and a little chopped walnut make a jewel-red fruit ring. The cherry flavor comes from pasteurized juice and ready-to-eat canned fruit. Pineapple is heat processed, and the walnuts are finely chopped rather than set as whole halves on top.

Jump to ingredients

Hand-drawn deep-red cherry-pineapple walnut ring with small fruit pieces inside.

Pitted cherries still deserve a check

Use ready-to-eat canned pitted dark cherries packed in juice. Drain, halve them and look for any remaining stone before weighing. Pitted on the label does not make a careful check pointless. The separate cherry juice is a pasteurized ready-to-drink product, not an unknown raw fruit liquid. This recipe uses a measured amount of added sugar and makes no no-added-sugar claim.

Three inclusions, one lightly thickened base

Canned pineapple pieces are drained, blotted and cut small. Fresh or raw frozen pineapple is unsuitable because active enzymes can stop gelatin setting. Inspect walnuts for shell, then chop finely so a hard large piece does not dominate a soft slice. Let the juice base become syrupy in the refrigerator before folding in all three inclusions. Small even pieces make the fruit and nuts easier to share among eight side portions. No cherry syrup or pineapple can liquid is tipped into the bowl beyond the separately measured juices.

Ingredients

  • 2 standard ¼-ounce envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin (14 g total), of specified setting strength
  • 6 tablespoons cold drinking water (90 ml)
  • 1½ cups pasteurized ready-to-drink black cherry juice (360 ml), divided
  • ½ cup canned heat-processed pineapple juice (120 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (20 g)
  • 1 cup canned heat-processed pineapple pieces AFTER draining (180 g), packed in juice, patted dry and cut small
  • ¾ cup ready-to-eat canned pitted dark cherries AFTER draining (120 g), halved and checked for stones
  • ¼ cup commercially ready-to-eat chopped walnuts (25 g), shell-checked and finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon neutral oil (1.25 ml), for wiping mold

Set out

Sieve and clean towel, Knife and board, Small saucepan, Mixing bowl and spoon, Scale and measuring jug, Metal ring mold of at least 1½-liter capacity, Paper towel, Food thermometer, Cold platter, Refrigerator

Allergens

Tree nuts (walnut). Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Check pineapple and its juice are canned heat-processed products. Drain, blot and weigh fruit; halve/check cherries for stones and weigh 120 g. Inspect/chop walnuts. Keep prepared fruit cold. Check mold capacity, dry and oil lightly. Bloom gelatin over 90 ml cold water in bowl 5–10 minutes.
  2. Warm 180 ml cherry juice with sugar to 140–150°F (60–65°C), stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and stir into gelatin until dissolved. Add remaining 180 ml cherry juice, measured canned pineapple juice and lemon.
  3. Refrigerate 25–40 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes, until lightly syrupy. Fold in cold dry pineapple, checked cherry halves and finely chopped walnuts. Spoon into ring with at least ½ inch (1.25 cm) headroom; refrigerate excess separately.
  4. Cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below at least 8 hours until firm. Allow 10½ hours total including fruit/nut preparation. For unmolding, set a cold plate beside the refrigerator. Dip only the outside of the metal mold in warm, not hot, water, about 100°F (38°C), for 5–8 seconds without letting water touch food. Dry the outside, loosen just the upper edge with a clean fingertip and invert onto the plate. If stuck, repeat a brief dip rather than shaking violently. Refrigerate again immediately if not serving now. Cut 8 fruit-salad side portions.

Gelatin starting strength

Use food-grade unflavored powdered gelatin with a manufacturer benchmark of 7 g for about 2 cups (500 ml) plain liquid. Weigh the stated grams: envelope sizes and powder density vary. A flavored dessert packet, collagen peptides, sheet gelatin or agar is not an equal substitute.

Cold service

This is an original retro-inspired recipe, not a recovered 1960s formula. Gelatin is animal-derived; the vegetable ingredients do not make the dish vegetarian. A reliable refrigerator and the stated earlier ingredient deadlines are essential.

Ingredient labels

Check juice, canned fruit, nut and gelatin labels. The variation without walnuts is not a guarantee about cross-contact.

A useful detail

Free liquid totals 585 ml. Sugar 20 g, pineapple 180 g, cherries 120 g and walnuts 25 g bring finished volume to roughly 950 ml. Fourteen grams gelatin supports the small fruit/nut inclusions; no raw pineapple or extra can syrup is included.

Another way

  • Use 25 g commercially ready-to-eat finely chopped pecans instead of walnuts, naming the changed tree nut.
  • For a version without walnuts, omit them and use 25 g extra drained canned pineapple, checking all labels and shared-equipment statements.

Keep it well

Keep covered at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 2 days of assembly or the earliest ingredient deadline, whichever comes first. Include the overnight setting period in that limit. Keep total unrefrigerated preparation and serving below 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Chill slices promptly after service; discard food exceeding those limits. Do not freeze; freezing damages the gel and releases water.