Fruit Platter 101

What was your holiday dinner assignment? A fruit platter? Does your mother in law think you can't cook?  I'm going to show you how to build a beautiful fruit platter. It looks way better than throwing fruit into a bowl, or just onto a plate. And it takes about two minutes longer.  Next time, she's going to give you a big girl cooking assignment, trust me.



Fruit Platter for 25
print instructions without photos

1 large head of leaf lettuce, I like Red Lead, but any type will do, pick the biggest head of lettuce you can find, yes it has to be leaf lettuce
1 ripe pineapple
3-4 pounds seedless grapes green or purple, washed, try to pick vibrant colors for contrast on the tray
32 oz strawberries, watermelon or other red fruit, washed
1 tray about 18-24 inches in diameter*


Wash the lettuce, spin it dry.
Lay the leaves around the tray, so it covers the bottom and most of the middle too.

Wash the top of the pineapple under some running water, shake to dry. Slice the pineapple, cutting the ends off first, then down the sides to remove the outer layer. Reserve the top for garnish.

 Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Cut again into quarters. Remove the hard core, discard.  If the pineapple is extra large, Cut each quarter into another long strip. Cut the long strips into chunks. Set aside.
Place the top of the pineapple into the middle of the platter.

Place the pineapple chunks in two sections, on opposite sides of the platter.
Repeat  with the strawberries and grapes.

Take a pair of clean scissors and cut the grapes into little sections of 4 or 5 per bundle, so they are easy to pick up.

Tips:
- If you don't have a tray, you can use lots of different items as a base for your fruit platter. Try: a pizza pan,  a cookie sheet, a piece of cardboard covered with foil, an old frozen pizza cardboard liner covered with foil, your broiler pan covered with foil. Or, go to your local thrift store and pick up a tray for $1.

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