How to Make a Fruit Kabob Centerpiece
For a special occasion or a holiday dinner, consider using a fruit kabob centerpiece to decorate your dining table. A fruit kabob centerpiece gives your table a festive appearance with the brightly colored fruit, and allows your guests a healthy alternative to baked goods or candies. Choose a size that will compliment your table and not overpower it, and keep a batch of additional skewers in the refrigerator to "fill in the holes" left by guests' selections. Vary the type of fruit used and add some dipping sauce and cheeses around your display. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Oven mitt
- Pineapple
- Knife
- Cantaloupe
- Melon
- Melon baller
- Bowl
- Colander
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Seedless green grapes
- Seedless purple grapes
- Cheddar cheese
- Swiss cheese
- Jack cheese
- Serving dish
- 50 skewers, 8-inch
Instructions
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1
Place an oven mitt over your hand, then turn the pineapple on its side. Grip the top of the pineapple and cut two inches down from the top. Slice one inch off the bottom. Put the pineapple aside; this is your base.
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2
Cut a small cantaloupe in half and discard the seeds. Use a melon baller to scoop out balls of cantaloupe into a bowl until only the rind is left. Put the bowl aside. Repeat this procedure with the melon.
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3
Rinse the strawberries under cool water in a colander and towel dry. Slice the top leaves and stems off, then cut a tiny tip off the bottom. Place in a bowl. Rinse the blackberries and grapes under cool water in a colander, towel dry and set them aside in separate bowls.
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4
Slice cheeses into one inch squares. Place cut-up squares back in refrigerator.
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5
Spear the strawberry down the middle with a skewer. Keep poking the skewer in the middle of the pieces as you add a melon ball, blueberry, cantaloupe ball, green grape and slice of cheese. Keep alternating fruits and cheese until the initial strawberry is near the end of the skewer.
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6
Skewer a green grape, piece of Swiss cheese, purple grape, piece of cheddar cheese, blackberry and piece of jack cheese until the skewer is almost full. Make several skewers of alternating fruits with cheeses and several solely of strawberries, grapes or melons with cheeses. Set a pile of blackberries, grapes and cheeses aside.
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7
Place the pineapple into the center of a large serving dish. Poke the first skewer at an angle into the base of the pineapple. Alternate the types of skewers as you build up from the base to the top of the pineapple, always placing skewers at an angle for balance. Replace the pineapple top with its festive greenery as a crown for your centerpiece.
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8
Sprinkle the area surrounding your centerpiece with green and purple grapes and blackberries. Stack up the different cheeses. Place dipping dishes containing powdered sugar for strawberries or blackberries, cut-up limes and chili powder, and whipped cream.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use seasonal fruit, such as a variety of apples for fruit kabobs with caramel dipping sauce.
Consider adding some crackers for those guests who prefer only cheese and crackers.
Try some vanilla pudding or flavored yogurt as an alternative dipping sauce.
Designate a place for the skewers once eaten.
Watch children around the skewers.
References
- Photo Credit Fruit Kebabs 6 image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
