One of my relatives used to make this salad and bring it to covered dish gatherings. I remember always being very pleased to see it among the many dishes lining the tables. My mom did not make this dish, but I loved it. It took me many years to figure out how to make it. I ended up finding an old recipe for a cooked pineapple dressing to get the general ingredients and ratios to use as a guide. After some experimenting, the result is pretty close to how I remember the salad/dessert tasting.
It has become one of my daughter’s favorite “salads,” although we eat it as a dessert. It is still reserved for a holiday (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) or potluck dish at our house.
It is really good the next couple of days, but I do not think it holds up well after the second day. So, if it won’t be eating within a couple of days, I suggest cutting down this recipe by half (you can reduce it to 1 can of pineapple, 1/2 c. of nuts, and 1/2 c. of marshmallow, with half of the dressing ingredients, but just not use all of the dressing).
Old-Fashioned Pineapple Salad
Ingredients
- 3 - 20 oz. cans pineapple chunks drained, reserve juice of 2 cans
- 1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
- 1 1/2 c. pecan or walnut halves
- 1/2 c. +/- sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
- Combine well-drained pineapple, nuts, and 1/4 of the marshmallows in a larger bowl and set aside.
- In a saucepan, mix reserved pineapple juice, sugar, and salt.
- Whisk in the eggs and heat on med.-high while stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
- Make a slurry of the cornstarch and some of the heated juice mixture. Whisk the slurry into the juice mixture.
- Stir constantly until the mixture is thickened. It should be leaving distinct trails of the whisk and coat the back of a spoon leaving a clear path when you run a finger through it on the spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
- Allow the dressing to cool for a while, but while it is still warm pour it over the pineapple and nut mixture. The marshmallows will partially melt.
- Once the dressing has cooled completely, stir in the remaining marshmallows.
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
I store my pecans in my freezer. I take them directly from the freezer and place them in the bowl with the pineapple, so they are still very cold when I add the dressing.
