You have guests over, and you want to impress them with a healthy and fancy-looking treat, instead of simply serving a fruit salad. These 13 ideas will make your guests' mouths water, and could also lure the most stubborn of kids to eat their greens. Do you know what the best part of this is? You don’t need to be some major expert to make these, they're all incredibly easy to prepare!
1. A Fruity Bouquet
It might seem like a complicated piece, but it's surprisingly simple. What do you need to make such a colorful and delicious bouquet? Easy. You’ll need fruits that are not too soft, such as grapes, melon, kiwi, pineapple, watermelon, etc. Use cookie cutters to cut the bigger fruits into fun shapes, and use a knife or a pair of scissors to make “leaves”. Next, use wooden skewers to make “kebabs” and place them in a floral sponge (or use a round lettuce or cabbage) base, and then place it in a serving container. Alternatively, you can use an overturned pasta strainer.
2. Caramelized Onion Flowers
Cut the tops of the onions and remove the skins, but make sure to leave the part containing the roots. Place the onion on the cut side, and make 8-16 cuts in each onion (depending on its size), about half an inch (1cm) from the roots.
Turn the onion over and very gently start separating the layers to create “petals”.
Place the onions in a lightly greased, tall pot over small-medium heat, with the roots up. Once the edges darken and become caramelized, take the onion out and viola.
3. Watermelon Hearts
Another simple-yet-impressive idea, a different way to serve watermelon to your guests. All you need is a sweet watermelon, heart-shaped cookie cutters (or any other shape you might want). You will need to slice the watermelon into even slices. Place a slice on a clean surface and use the cookie cutters to create your desired shapes. Remove the cut pieces and place them in a bowl. Place the remaining watermelon slices on a tray or plate, and fill the holes with berries, grapes, or small bits of fruit.
4. Cabbage Bowl
Do you want to serve your guests a healthy vegetable dip? Forget using a bowl, grab a nice, round cabbage instead.
Now you’ve got a charming bowl that you can fill up with the dip of your choice and serve with vegetable slices, as shown in the picture above.
5. Apple Swan
All you need is a sharp knife and a ripe apple to make this impressive edible decoration. The Apple Swan will make anyone happy, and your guests will be amazed that you can make such a great creation.
Click here for instructions on how to make the Apple Swan.
6. The Apple Bowl and Flower Combo
If we’re dealing with apples, why not add some more decorations to the mix? This piece is both useful and eye-catching, where the apple is both a serving bowl and a decorative piece.
What you’ll need: Apples, wooden skewers, a short, sharp knife, lemon, and some fruit salad.
Preparation:
7. A Pear Turkey
What a charming way to serve fruit: Pears, grapes, berries, raisins, and carrots are not only healthy but also wonderfully colorful. Use half a pear as the turkey’s body, half grapes to create the “feathers”, and add berries as decorations. Finally, cut carrot strips to add as feet and a beak, and serve it to your astonished guests.
8. The Fancy Fruity Owl
Another trick to get kids to eat their fruit and for adults to appreciate your hard work. Cut a red grapefruit in half, use a tangerine slice for the stomach, a couple of tangerine pieces as wings, a triangle of tangerine as a beak, and blueberries or raisins atop two round lemon peels for eyes.
9. A Fruit Rainbow
As simple as any idea could be, but most of us simply wouldn’t think of it. This easy and impressive dessert requires some colorful fruits and wooden skewers. Cut the fruit into relatively small pieces, and then skewer them in a particular order. Once you’ve made enough skewers, place them in a half circle on a plate. You can add a chocolate fondue for that extra oomph.
10. Elegant Vegetable Strips
This delicate and fancy arrangement is an eye-catching addition to any meal. What you need is a few different vegetables, such as zucchinis, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and sprouts.
Your guests will love this colorful delight.
11. Tomato Tulips
Give your guests some flowers that they can eat. They won’t soon forget it.
What do you need:
Preparation:
(If you want your bouquet to be upright, use wooden skewers instead of green onions)
12. The Rubik’s Fruit-Cube
If you want to impress your guests, this is the best way to go about it. This is an elaborate way to serve a fruit salad that will leave even the most cynical guest in awe. Use a dicer or a knife to cut even-sized cubes out of various fruits, and then assemble the cube. Serve it on a plain white plate and garnish with a mint sprig. Your guests will never know what hit them.
13. Watermelon “Pizza”
One of the summer’s most sublime delights is sitting on your porch with friends, and eating a nice, cold watermelon. If you want to serve it in a manlier way than the hearts in #3, why not serve your friends a pizza they’ll never forget?
All you need to do is slice the watermelon into even slices and then cut each slice into triangles. Top each triangle with other fruits, and sprinkle a lightly-salted cheese (such as feta) on top. Add mint leaves as a garnish, grab a slice and enjoy.
