Name: Aunt Teppy's Custard-Coated 24-Hour Fruit Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 d 10 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice); 1 can light sweet cherries - pitted, drained *If you can't find the light sweet cherries, use dark sweet cherries.; 1 can Mandarin oranges, drained; 3 egg yolks; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; dash salt; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 cups miniature marshsmallows; 1 cup of whipping cream - whipped.; 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice from the pineapple can; Optional: chopped pecans

This 24-hour custard fruit salad recipe is a vintage family one made with a homemade egg custard folded over fruit and chilled overnight for rich, nostalgic flavor.

Some recipes travel through generations, not just in handwritten notes, but in stories, in memories, in the way they show up year after year during the holidays. This one comes straight from my Aunt Teppy — or, as most people in Marksville, Louisiana and Pasadena, Texas knew her, Esther Clark. She was born Esther Couvillion, a proud Cajun woman with a gift for turning simple ingredients into something unforgettable.

Aunt Teppy was well-known for two things: her cooking and her ability to keep her recipes to herself. Women did that back then — it was part art, part mystery, part pride. But when I got married 55 years ago, she surprised me with a wooden recipe box filled with a handful of her favorites…including this one. I still treasure her handwriting on those cards.

Every year when I whisk the custard and fold it over the fruit, I think of her moving around her tiny kitchen — always in an apron, always with a pot simmering, sometimes humming. She wasn’t just a wonderful cook. She was also a talented seamstress who taught sewing classes at the Pasadena Community Center and spent many years working at a local sewing machine store and repair shop. Creativity flowed through everything she touched.

This Christmas, as I made the salad for my ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) chapter party, my husband wandered through the kitchen and stole a spoonful. Some traditions just make themselves at home.

And because Aunt Teppy is no longer with us, I’m breaking her old rule and sharing this recipe, so more people can taste a little of her kitchen magic. I think she’d be happy to know it’s still bringing joy all these years later.

I hope you enjoy the old-fashioned recipe handed down through generations of food-loving Cajuns.

(Serves beautifully at Christmas, Easter, or any gathering where you want something special.)

Here’s the part you came for — the recipe that Aunt Teppy guarded for years and years.

Yield: Serves 8-12

Aunt Teppy's Custard-Coated 24-Hour Fruit Salad

My wonderful Aunt Teppy's Custard-Coated 24-Hour Fruit Salad. It needs time to set for all the flavors to be enhanced.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice)
1 can light sweet cherries - pitted, drained *If you can't find the light sweet cherries, use dark sweet cherries.
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
dash salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups miniature marshsmallows
1 cup of whipping cream - whipped.
2 Tablespoons pineapple juice from the pineapple can
Optional: chopped pecans

Instructions

Drain all the cans of fruit, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice.
In the top of a double boiler, slightly beat the egg yolks.
Add the reserved pineapple juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and butter.
Place top of double boiler over hot water (not boiling) medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened into a soft custard and barely coats a spoon.
Remove from heat and and allow the custard to cool completely.
In a large bowl, mix all the drained fruits and the marshmallows.
Pour the cooled custard over the fruit and fold gently to coat.
Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Cover and refrigerate 24 hours to let the flavors blend.
Optional: Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Notes

Somehow, I lost the bottom of my double boiler, so I had to put one saucepan on top of another. But I'm ordering a new double boiler. I'll put a link down below to the one I decided on, if you are interested.

Spoiler Alert – Hide from Hubby

I hope you enjoy this as much as my hubby does!!! He found that I had put some in a little extra bowl to have later ––all for myself. He discovered it. He’s been my best taste-tester, and after 55 years, not much has changed.

He said he didn’t eat all of what I set aside, so maybe I’ll have a little later.

I wonder if Aunt Teppy ever had this problem? She was known for guarding her creations, but I suspect more than one relative managed to sneak a bite. I can picture her, an apron tied around her waist and a wooden spoon in her hand, chasing someone out of her kitchen. Some traditions are worth keeping alive.

We just keep on making memories.

A Final Thought

Recipes are stories — pieces of who we are, carried forward. I hope this one brings a little joy to your table, just as it has to mine for decades.

If you make Aunt Teppy’s 24-hour fruit salad recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out. And if you have a family recipe with a story behind it, feel free to share — those are the best kind.

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This post contains affiliate links. That simply means if you click and buy, I may earn a small commission—without costing you anything extra. It helps me keep sharing recipes, stories, and projects with you. Thank you for being here!

You probably have most of what you need in your kitchen or at your local store, but if not see below for links to what I use.

Double Boiler Pot / As I mentioned, I needed a new one saw I ordered this one in a large size to be more versatile for me, but it comes in different sizes and price points.

A Sweet Closing Thought

This is usually the only time I make an egg custard – for this very recipe. But it has me thinking of some new custard dessert dishes.

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Judy Vandiver – Author

Faith-filled stories with heart, hope, and a touch of Southern charm.

24-Hour Fruit Salad Recipe With Egg Custard Coating