Frog Eye Salad for a Crowd | Raleigh News & Observer

We ran Lois Nixon’s Frog Eye Salad for a Crowd recipe. She had some concerns with how we translated her recipe, and we omitted the amount of lemon juice. So here it is again in what we hope is a better version. Andrea Weigl

Frog Eye Salad for a Crowd

From Lois Nixon of Cary.

1 (16-ounce-package) Acini di Pepe pasta

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 (20-ounce can) pineapple chunks in juice

2 (20-ounce cans) crushed pineapple in juice

3 (11-ounce cans) mandarin oranges in syrup

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 (16-ounce container) whipped topping

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup frozen coconut, thawed

Peeled, segmented fresh oranges or clementines and fresh raspberries, optional garnish

FILL medium saucepan with water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon oil to water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and allow to cool to room temperature.

DRAIN pineapple into a colander set over a bowl to catch juice. Set aside fruit. Retain juice, which should equal 1 3/4 cups. Drain mandarin oranges and discard syrup. Combine pineapple and oranges and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

MAKE sauce: Whisk together sugar, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, eggs, and reserved 1 3/4 cups pineapple juice in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power for about 5 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds to remove lumps, until it reaches a pudding-like consistency. Add lemon juice. Cool to room temperature. Combine pasta with sauce. Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container.

NEXT DAY, fold half to three-fourths of the whipped topping into pasta and sauce mixture; reserve remaining whipped topping for another use. Stir in pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows and coconut. Garnish with fresh orange segments and raspberries. Refrigerate until serving.

Yield: 25 servings.