FreeStuffEngine.com - Serving Guide for a Fruit Platter By Shauna Hanus

Choosing a Platter

? Choose a simple platter with little or no design. Crisp clean colors such as white or black highlight the fruit best.

Choosing Fruit

? Pick firm ripe fruit with a rich aroma.

? Wash and dry all the fruit.

? Crisp apples, such as a Granny Smith, melons, berries, grapes, pineapple, kiwi and apricots or plums are good choices.

? Stay away from soft apples, such as a Fuji, bananas, pears and peaches. All these fruits discolor quickly and do not make for a good choice for a fruit platter.

? Buy berries a day ahead of time, they ripen quickly and can spoil before use if they sit in the refrigerator for too many days.

? Pineapple and melon should be purchased three days ahead of time. This allows them to ripen to there peak flavor before serving.

Preparing the Fruit

? Cut apricots and plums into halves or quarters. Being sure to remove the pit.

? Kiwi should be sliced into rounds and peeled.

? All berries should be left whole. Strawberries should retain the green leaves atop each berry.

? Apples should be cored and cut into wedges. To help prevent the apples from browning dip each apple wedge into a mixture of 4 cups water to 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

? Cluster grapes in groups of 7 to 8 grapes on each stem. This allows guests to pick up a cluster and easily transfer it to a plate.

Serving the Platter

? Group the fruit in clusters sectioning each individual fruit. This keeps a uniformed look to the platter.

? Sprinkle shaved coconut on top of the fruit and garnish the sides of the platter with fresh mint leaves.

Cooking Tips
added July 9, 2006 Choosing a Platter ? Choose a simple platter with little or no design. Crisp clean colors such as white or black highlight the fruit best. Choosing Fruit ? Pick firm ripe fruit with a rich aroma. ? Wash and dry all the fruit. ? Crisp apples, such as a Granny Smith, melons, berries, grapes, pineapple, kiwi and apricots or plums are good choices. ? Stay away from soft apples, such as a Fuji, bananas, pears and peaches. All these fruits discolor quickly and do not make for a good choice for a fruit platter. ? Buy berries a day ahead of time, they ripen quickly and can spoil before use if they sit in the refrigerator for too many days. ? Pineapple and melon should be purchased three days ahead of time. This allows them to ripen to there peak flavor before serving. Preparing the Fruit ? Cut apricots and plums into halves or quarters. Being sure to remove the pit. ? Kiwi should be sliced into rounds and peeled. ? All berries should be left whole. Strawberries should retain the green leaves atop each berry. ? Apples should be cored and cut into wedges. To help prevent the apples from browning dip each apple wedge into a mixture of 4 cups water to 3 tablespoons lemon juice. ? Cluster grapes in groups of 7 to 8 grapes on each stem. This allows guests to pick up a cluster and easily transfer it to a plate. Serving the Platter ? Group the fruit in clusters sectioning each individual fruit. This keeps a uniformed look to the platter. ? Sprinkle shaved coconut on top of the fruit and garnish the sides of the platter with fresh mint leaves.
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Cooking Tips