I mentioned this classic Christmas delicacy in a post last week, and promised the recipe. Having said that, the focus of this dish is not on measurements. The key really only comes down to one word - fresh. The very best ambrosia does not go near a can or a frozen food aisle or any other aisle for that matter. Stay in the fresh produce department and you will be just fine.
A quick online search for this recipe will take you around the world and back as far as variations on the original. Creative beings that we are, modern cooks have thrown everything but the kitchen sink into a crystal bowl and called it ambrosia. I ran across numerous mentions of maraschino cherries, mini marshmallows, sour cream, fruit cocktail, walnuts, Cool Whip, chopped pecans, heavy cream, whipped cream, yogurt, and even nutmeg and cinnamon. Lord, help us. Or, in the famous words of my Nana, Miss Lizzie, “Oh, Lawd”.
But, listen - if you love any of the above, then don’t mind me. Have at it and have fun unless you’re using Cool Whip or nutmeg or cinnamon, in which case I don’t want to know. I’m simply here to tell you how my Nana made it. She and her daughter, my Aunt Sis, were purists when it came to ambrosia. They produced this dish in the same way that cooks a century before them would have put it together.