Hello Spring! Very Pretty Molded Fruit Salad

This is a real showstopper on your Spring buffet table, or any time! I got this recipe from the Southern Living 1988 Annual Recipes book I picked up at a second-hand store for 10 cents. I think it was originally called Christmas Salad. It's not only beautiful, but very tasty, too. Use a smooth rather than decorative mold if you have one, it shows off the berries better, but this is not mandatory. When placed on a platter on lettuce leaves, with pineapple slices and a strawberry fan in the middle of the ring...a showstopper! Cook time is chill time.

• Ready In: 8 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2  tablespoons walnuts, minced
• 2 (1/4ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 3 1⁄2 cups  pineapple juice, divided
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3⁄4 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1⁄2 cup celery, thinly sliced
•  green leaf lettuce leaf
•  pineapple slice (optional)
•  strawberry, fan (optional)

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese and walnuts, stir well, and shape into 1/2-inch balls. Cover and chill.
2. In medium saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over pineapple juice, let stand one minute.
3. Add remaining pineapple juice, sugar, salt and lemon juice.
4. Cook over medium heat until gelatin dissolves, stirring constantly.
5. Chill until consistency of unbeaten egg white.
6. Now, fold in strawberries, celery and reserved cream cheese balls.
7. Spoon into a lightly oiled 5-cup mold. Cover and chill overnight, or until firm.
8. Unmold onto a lettuce-lined serving platter. If desired, garnish with pineapple slices and a strawberry fan.