Holistic Chef Student Dee Cartier Wins Bauman College’s Best Written Summer Recipe

Content Summary

In this second post of our 2026 Summer Recipe Writing Contest series, Bauman College spotlights Dee Cartier, winner of the Best Written Recipe Award for her Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad w/ Cool Herbed Coconut Lime Dressing. Explore how Dee transformed subtle dragon fruit using a multi-layered coconut-lime-herb dressing, smart ingredient pairings like Persian cucumber and mango, and clear professional recipe-writing techniques that make the dish effortless to recreate.

• Decoding Dragon Fruit: How Dee used a vibrant, blended coconut-herb dressing to elevate dragon fruit’s subtle profile into a sweet, savory, and tangy summer favorite.
• Anatomy of a “Best Written” Recipe: What set Dee’s entry apart—from concise instructions and logical ingredient flow to practical prep guidance like the mango crosshatch technique.
• Tested & Party-Approved: How contest judge Chef Carrie Bonfitto tested the recipe and brought it to a summer gathering, where it was quickly devoured.

A great recipe does more than create delicious food. It guides the cook from start to finish with confidence.

That combination of flavor and clear instruction helped Dee Cartier earn the Best Written Recipe Award in Bauman College’s 2026 Summer Recipe Writing Contest for her colorful Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad w/ Cool Herbed Coconut Lime Dressing.

The theme of this summer’s contest was Quick & Easy Summer Appetizers, challenging Bauman College students and graduates to create seasonal recipes that were approachable, nourishing, budget-conscious, and could be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Dee’s recipe delivered all of that while bringing together an eye-catching combination of dragon fruit, mango, cucumber, fresh herbs, and a vibrant coconut-lime dressing.

What Makes a Recipe “Best Written”?

For the Best Written Recipe category, the judges were looking beyond how good the finished dish tasted.

Recipes were evaluated for an engaging title and headnote, clearly stated servings, consistently formatted ingredients listed in the order they are used, and concise instructions that even a beginning cook could confidently follow.

Dee’s recipe stood out for making an unusual combination of ingredients feel both approachable and easy to replicate.
And when the recipe was put to the test, it worked.

Chef Carrie Bonfitto, one of the contest judges, prepared Dee’s salad herself and praised how easy the recipe was to follow.
That ability to successfully hand a recipe to another cook—and have them recreate the dish as intended—is at the heart of professional recipe writing.

Giving Dragon Fruit a Flavor Boost

Dragon fruit may be one of the most visually striking fruits in the produce department, but its flavor can sometimes surprise people.

Unlike pineapple, mango, or kiwi, dragon fruit tends to be subtle rather than intensely sweet. That makes it a wonderful canvas for other flavors.

In Dee’s salad, a bold dressing gives the fruit a completely different personality.

The dressing combines coconut cream, lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, fresh ginger, salt, mint, and cilantro.

The result is creamy, bright, herbal, slightly sweet, savory, and tangy—all at the same time.

Rather than asking the dragon fruit to provide all of the flavor, Dee surrounded it with ingredients that enhance its refreshing qualities.

The combination is especially fitting for summer, when hydrating fruits and vegetables and fresh, lively flavors can make a dish particularly appealing.

A Dressing Designed to Hit Every Flavor Note

Dee continued refining the dressing as she developed the recipe.

Initially, she finely chopped the mint and cilantro. But during testing, she discovered that blending the herbs directly into the dressing created both stronger flavor and a beautiful green color.

“I really liked going with that,” Dee explained during the award ceremony. “It hits all of the flavor notes.”

That vibrant green dressing also provides an appealing visual contrast against the colorful fruit and vegetables—a reminder that recipe development involves more than taste alone.

Texture, aroma, color, and presentation all contribute to the experience of a dish.

Mango, Cucumber, and Summer Freshness

Mango adds sweetness and another splash of color to Dee’s Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad, while cucumber brings crunch and freshness.

For the cucumber, Dee chose a thin-skinned variety such as Persian cucumber, making it easy to enjoy the vegetable with the skin intact rather than peeling it first.

The recipe also gives home cooks an opportunity to practice working with mango.

Because a mango has a large, flat pit running through its center, it is typically sliced into two “cheeks” along either side of the pit. Dee described using the familiar crosshatch—or “hedgehog”—technique to create cubes that can then be removed from the skin.

These small details are exactly what help transform a recipe from a simple list of ingredients into something a home cook can successfully reproduce.

Tested—and Party Approved

Of course, even the most beautifully written recipe still has to taste good.

After preparing the Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad, Chef Carrie took it to a party to see how it would fare with a crowd.

The verdict?

It was devoured.

For a recipe designed around the theme of quick and easy summer entertaining, there may be no better test.

The salad brings together cooling fruit, crisp cucumber, creamy coconut, fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, and lime in a dish that feels light enough for a hot day but flavorful enough to hold its own on a party table.

Professional Recipe Writing in Action

Dee’s Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad w/ Cool Herbed Coconut Lime Dressing demonstrates an important lesson for aspiring culinary professionals: a successful recipe has to work for someone other than the person who created it.

The cook should understand what ingredients to purchase, how to prepare them, when to add them, and what the finished dish should look and taste like—all without having the recipe developer standing beside them.

That takes thoughtful testing, editing, and attention to detail.

Dee paired those technical recipe-writing skills with an adventurous selection of summer ingredients and a dressing designed to bring them together.

The result earned her Bauman College’s Best Written Recipe Award and gave us a colorful new dish to add to the summer table.

Congratulations to Dee Cartier on a beautifully written—and thoroughly party-tested—winning recipe!

Tropical Dragon Fruit Crunch Salad w/ Cool Herbed Coconut Lime
Dressing

By Dee Cartier
Servings | 4
Prep Time | 20 minutes Cook Time | 4-5 minutes Total Time | 25 minutes

This hydrating salad shines with beautiful color, texture, and refreshing flavor. Juicy dragon fruit, mango, pineapple, and crisp cucumber come together in a creamy coconut-lime dressing bursting with fresh herbal notes and bright citrus. Every bite feels cool and energizing, delivering antioxidants and healthy fats that nourish from the inside out.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut Lime Dressing (prepare first so flavors can meld)

• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 2 tsp lime zest (about 2 small limes)
• 3 Tbsp lime juice, + more to taste
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ Cup fresh mint leaves, packed (+ whole leaves for garnish)
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, packed
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• ¾ tsp fresh ginger, finely grated, or ⅛ tsp dried (adjust for desired heat)
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Crunch Topping (toast nuts while dressing rests)

• ½ cup macadamia nuts^[1], toasted and roughly chopped

Salad (assemble just before serving for best texture and color)

• 2-3 Persian cucumbers^[2] with skin, large dice (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium white-fleshed dragon fruit^[3], large dice (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium mango, large dice (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup pineapple^[4], large dice (fresh or canned in juice)

EQUIPMENT

• High-speed blender
• Squeeze bottle for drizzling dressing or Chef’s spoon, optional
• Skillet
• Chef’s workstation (Chef’s knife, cutting board, bench scraper, towels)
• Medium mixing bowl and spoon

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the Dressing:

1. Add all dressing ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and vibrant green.
2. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary. The dressing should be tangy and bright with cool, herbal notes.
3. Place dressing in a squeeze bottle or airtight container and refrigerator to allow flavors to meld while completing the remaining steps.

Toast the Macadamia Nuts (until golden and fragrant):

1. Place macadamia nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat.
2. Toast for 3–5 minutes, keeping the nuts moving in the pan — they can go from golden to burnt quickly once fragrant.
3. Once golden brown and fragrant remove from heat.
4. Let cool completely before chopping.

Prepare the Salad:

1. Combine the cucumber, dragon fruit, mango, and pineapple in a medium bowl.
2. Coat the salad with just enough dressing to coat thinly, reserving some dressing for squeezing or drizzling after plating.
3. Fill dragon fruit shells with salad and add remaining servings to small dessert bowls.
4. Squeeze or drizzle additional dressing across the top of each salad bowl.
5. Top each bowl with nut topping and garnish with mint leaves.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

^[1]Can substitute toasted pecans or almonds for the macadamia nuts. If sensitive to tree nuts, toasted coconut or sunflower seeds are a good substitute.

^[2]Can substitute 1 small English cucumber for the 2-3 Persian cucumbers.

^[3]Cut top and bottom off dragon fruit and slice in half lengthwise into two equal halves. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the flesh, being careful not to pierce or tear the skin. Use the dragon fruit shells as a natural serving bowl for plating. Can substitute other dragon fruit varieties (yellow, pink, red), but they will impart a sweeter, more intense flavor than the mild white variety.

^[4]Can substitute 1 cup of mandarin oranges for the pineapple, fresh or canned in juice. Mandarins add a bright, sweet citrus flavor and tender texture.

Storage: The dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, if undressed, for best flavor and texture.

Explore the 2026 Summer Recipe Writing Contest

Dee’s award-winning salad is just one of the incredible highlights from our summer recipe contest. To see the full list of winners, watch the Awards Ceremony video, and access the spotlights for our Most Original and Best Presentation categories, check out our main announcement post: Winners of Bauman College’s 2026 Summer Recipe Writing Contest