This salad has pretty much been served at Christmas dinners all my life. I have no idea where the tradition came from, but it is my grandmother's favorite thing.
In truth, the concept is sweet and meaningful. There's a beautiful gold candle set up in a golden stand with fire gently flickering and wax dripping down the sides. Translated: a half of a banana inside the hole of a slice of pineapple. A marachino cherry mimics a flame and drips its juices like candle wax.
Recipe for Candle Salad
8 lettuce leaves (iceberg preferred)
4 bananas, halved
8 slices canned pineapple
8 marachino cherries
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 toothpicks
8 flat plates
Place one lettuce leaf in the center of the plate. Put one slice of pineapple on top of the leaf. Trim the cut side of the banana so it balances in the hole of the pineapple. Put a toothpick in the top of the banana with about 1/4 of an inch sticking up. Attach the cherry on top of the banana with the toothpick.
When I was little, we were a family of habits. Every Christmas Eve we had dinner at Don's Seafood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, followed by presents with everyone under the tree at my grandparents. The next morning were presents at our own homes, and back to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's for dinner, football, and time around the billiard table. Now, Christmas's are celebrated in Florida. Sometimes at Disney, sometimes volunteering somewhere. We are no longer driven by our habits, but by our memories of the years we had together.
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