Dens gens Creatifs: FRUIT EXTRAVAGANZA

Monday, June 4, 2018

FRUIT EXTRAVAGANZA

Graduation was upon us and I wanted to celebrate the accomplishment with a celebration. And that meant food....

As I was contemplating the items I was going to place on my brunch buffet, I readily went with an old favorite-Fruit Extravaganza. The last time I created one of these displays was when the General was coming to town and I was in charge of having a brunch for his wife. Looking back, having two young daughters, the oldest being 4, they were my only helpers. While my sister was the extra pair of hands this year, I guess the oldest daughter must have been my extra pair of hands back then.

I originally found this idea in the Louisville Kentucky paper years ago around the time of the derby. It is perfect for May because all of the wonderful fruits are readily available. So, let's get started.

I purchased 3 round Styrofoam discs at Michael's. The base is the larger of the two sizes. Buy one, I think it is about 10 inches in diameter. Then, buy 2 of the 8 inch disks. Cut one of the 8 inch discs in half.

Using tacky found at Staples, make a one inch disc and flattened the tacky. Use it as a glue to secure the base disc to your platter. Then, using wooden skewers, both long and short ones, begin putting the discs together. Place the largest disc down first, and then the 8 inch on top. Notice in the picture that it is off centered. You want the back of the foam to be the same. You will see later why this is important when it comes to the pineapples. Using your skewers, poke them into the Styrofoam until think they are secure. I have 3 long ones in the very top half. Can you see them? I believe that you can't be too careful with making the base solid. The fruit carries a lot of weight and you don't want the base to collapse.

Make sure to rinse and drain all of the fruits prior to placing them on the foam.

Fruit amounts

2 pineapples

2 cantaloupes

1 large bunch of greengrapes

1 large bunch of red grapes

2 cups of fresh blueberries

3 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled. Keep 5 or so strawberries with the stems on for garnish.

a bunch of heather-like foilage

Let's begin!

First, I cut the 2 pineapples in half. Try to keep as much of the green foliage on each half as it covers the Styrofoam. Using skewers, attach the 3 halves to the back of the foam. It will be a bit side heavy. This is where the extra pair of hands comes in-and don't forget the tacky!

Do you notice in this picture the half circle I cut out of the front bottom disc? This will come in handy in a second.

In prepping the cantaloupes, use the zig-zag method of cutting them in half. Then using a melon baller, make clean balls with the inner flesh. This can be done the day ahead. Just remember to place saran wrap on the empty shell so it stays fresh.

At this point, the 3 halved pineapples have been skewered to the back. Now, using the smaller skewers, place the 3 halved cantaloupes onto the foam in a cascading fashion. Make sure that the cantaloupes are somewhat upright because when you place your fruits in them, the fruit will not roll out. The bottom melon will fit perfectly in the cut out section of the base.

In the next picture, I should have skewered the pineapples to the foam at the bottom of the tray. That is what causes the side heaviness. I didn't realize that they were not laying on the tray as I skewered them until I saw it in the pictures. This is the part of the 2 woman process.

After rinsing the grapes, add bunches in the holes to cover the foam. I use toothpicks to adhere them.

At this point, it is really just filling in the spots.

And here is our graduate!

At this point, it is wise to move your fruit tray into it's location or else you will have fruit spilling all over the floor.

Now, all the melons are filled except the top one. Blueberries are placed in the 2nd one and hulled strawberries are in the third. I want to thank my sister, Sharon, for assisting me in creating the display.