An Elegant and Easy Fruit Buffet
By Brenda Hyde
Fruit salads are standard fare for summer dining, using
the following recipes and your imagination though, you can create
a dessert experience that won't soon be forgotten. The key
to a summer fruit buffet is fresh ingredients and presentation.
You can vary these to suit the occasion, such as a child's
birthday party, a baby shower, or a backyard family gathering.
Decorate your table according to the occasion. Use fresh
herbs such as mints, scented geraniums, nasturtiums and
borage flowers to surround the bowls and platters. Also,
have several bouquets of bright cheerful flowers placed
around the tables. To make clean-up easy you can
use festive paper plates and cups with brightly colored
forks, spoons and knives. Floating candles can add
summer elegance for an evening gathering.
These recipes and amounts are for approximately 12-15 people,
and you may double or triple them according to the number of
guests. For a nice touch, you could add muffins, croissants, or
pound cake to the buffet. An easy alternative is to buy several
boxes of cake mix and bake each one in a 9x13 pan according to
directions. When cool, sprinkle with a light dusting of confectioners
sugar and cut into serving size squares. Place these on pretty
platters on the buffet table.
The Fruit:
You will need:
1 pineapple
2 medium cantaloupe
1 medium honeydew melon
2 cups strawberries, cut in half
2 cup raspberries
2 cup seedless grapes
4 kiwi fruits
1 watermelon
Cut the pineapple, cantaloupes, melon, and watermelon into
chunks. The kiwi should be sliced thinly, and the raspberries
and grapes left whole. Each fruit should be placed in it's own
bowl so the guests can choose their own salad ingredients.
Note: You could also combine the three melons into one large
bowl.
The toppings:
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces
1 cup coconut (toasted or regular)
Place toppings in serving bowls with spoons.
The Dressings:
Each dressing should be served in it's own dish
with a small ladle for drizzling over the fruit.
Lemon Honey Dressing:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons honey
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients.
Shake well. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors. Store
in refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.
Banana Dressing:
Ingredients:
2 bananas, sliced
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Mix all ingredients in blender. Cover; blend 12-15
seconds until smooth. Refrigerate one hour. Makes
approximately 1 1/2 cups.
Poppy Seed Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups light or regular sour cream
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
Whisk ingredients together and chill.
Makes 2 cups.
About the author
Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer, bookseller and editor of Seeds of Knowledge.
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