Growing up as a kid, I looked forward to this Orange Jell-O (as I called it) every Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a kid, I was very picky and did not like the Ambrosial Salad, only the Jell-O part. I thought sour cream was gross…the name “sour” did not sound very appetizing to me! haha 🙂 Now, all grown-up, I absolutely LOVE the Ambrosial Salad part…I could eat it by itself! The incorporation of marshmallows, coconut, pineapple, and mandarin oranges are an absolutely wonderful combination.
Triple-Orange Ambrosial Salad is a light and luscious dessert that everyone will love. It looks very elegant and fabulous displayed on a pretty clear or white platter . My husband, who hates oranges even savors this salad! Enjoy!
Triple-Orange Ambrosial Salad
Ingredients
2 cups boiling liquid (water or fruit syrup)
1 package (6 oz) orange-flavored gelatin
1 pint orange sherbet
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (13 1/2 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup dairy sour cream or 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped (we used sour cream)
Directions
1. To make Jello: Pour boiling liquid over gelatin in bowl, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
2. Add orange sherbet; stir until melted. Stir 1 can of mandarin orange segments (1 cup).
3. Pour into 6-cup ring mold. Chill until firm.
4. To make Ambrosial Salad: Combine remaining orange segments, the pineapple, coconut, and marshmallows. Fold in sour cream.
5. Chill at least 3 hours. Fill center of unmolded salad with fruit mixture.
Yield: 10-12 servings
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Thanks so much for posting this! I have spent hours tonight searching online for this recipe. Although, when I first started searching for it, I had hoped to find a picture of the salad along with the recipe, after the first hour or so of searching and not even being able to find the RECIPE, I gave up hope of ever finding a picture!You see, I used to make this salad for my family’s Easter and/or Christmas get-togethers (in the 70’s, 80’s & early 90’s — probably when you were a kid). I first start making this salad after seeing it in a Betty Crocker cookbook that someone gave me as a wedding gift in 1973. It was such a pretty salad…and although my family typically does not like any Jell-O salads with “chunky junk” (aka, fruit) in it, they did like this one — especially the 5-Cup Salad (or Ambrosia salad) in the center — just the opposite of you, who avoided that part and went for the Jell-O. 🙂 The flavor that the orange sherbet gives the Jell-O reminds me of the Dreamsicles I used to get as a kid from “the ice cream man”. 🙂 I think that’s the only reason I would even eat the Jell-O part of this salad. But for some reason, I stopped making this salad about 15 years ago…and I just forgot about the recipe. Funny how that happens with old recipes sometimes…new ones come along and we glom onto them instead.Over the past few days, while trying to come up with a dish to make and take to my family’s Easter dinner get-together, something made me think of this salad. Although I replaced my old Betty Crocker cookbook several years ago (because it was falling apart) with a new Betty Crocker cookbook, I was sure I had removed the page with this recipe (along with the pages with all my other favorites) from the old book before getting rid of it. I was not happy tonight when I could not find it anywhere in my recipes. (In hindsight, although I thought it would be silly to keep the old B.C. cookbook when I got the new one, I have regretted getting rid of it many times over the years and wish I had kept it.)Anyway, I was ready to give up on finding the recipe when I finally found it here on your food blog. I had looked at so many other websites tonight that had similar recipes but not the exact same one. So as soon as I clicked on your page and saw the picture, I knew I had found it! I’m so happy. Thank you so much.
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Yay! I’m so glad you rediscovered this recipe! I’m pretty sure this is from my mom’s old 1970s or 1980s Betty Crocker cookbook as well.I actually made this salad last night for dinner and this time, omitted the jello part and just made the ambrosial salad. Again, I’m so glad you discovered this 🙂
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This is a great people pleaser desert! The oranges, pineapple and the little crunch of the walnuts makes this cake divine. I have made it for so many functions I”ve lost count. I”m always asked for the recipe which lets me know they really love it! I keep the icing off until I”m ready to serve it. To me it just keeps it nice and fresh.
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