Pineapple Citrus Salad

A composed salad in the 1920s-30s American style, where fruit, a sweet dressing and a crunchy garnish stand in for a savoury course. The assembly is straightforward; the details are where it dates itself.

• Pineapple"Sliced pineapple" in this period most often meant canned rings in syrup, which would explain why no cooking or sweetening of the pineapple is called for. Fresh pineapple cut into thick slices works, but it is sharper and firmer, so lean on the powdered sugar or syrup over the citrus to balance it.
• Citrus, cut clean"Slices or sections" allows either crosswise slices or segments; segments are best cut free of the membrane after the peel and pith are removed. Membrane left on turns leathery against the soft cream.
• Drain everythingThe hinge of the dish. Fruit juice thins whipped dressing on contact and floods the lettuce. Let the pineapple and citrus sit in a sieve for ten minutes before plating, and dress at the last moment.
• CeleryThe recipe calls for just 1 teaspoon, minced very fine, so it reads as a savoury and textural accent rather than a bulk ingredient. Use the pale inner ribs, which are less stringy and less bitter.
• Whipped cream dressingNot necessarily plain whipped cream. Period recipes under this name often fold sweetened whipped cream into a cooked or boiled dressing, or into mayonnaise, in varying proportions. A workable modern equivalent is half whipped cream, half mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon; unsweetened cream alone will taste flat here.
• Candy-roasted peanutsPeanuts cooked in sugar until glazed. Praline pecans or any sugar-glazed nut substitutes directly, or toss roasted salted peanuts in a spoonful of warm caramel and cool them on parchment.
• LettuceThe recipe specifies only a "bed of lettuce"; iceberg or a cup-shaped leaf of butter lettuce both suit the job. It is there to hold the fruit and to be eaten with it, so keep it cold and dry.
• Yield and placingAs written, with its single teaspoon of celery, this makes one plate; scale by the serving.