A decorated pineapple makes a colorful and edible centerpiece for a dinner party, buffet table, holiday party, open house or reception. This article will show you create a pineapple "tree" with skewers of fruit as branches. It is a good family project, because children will enjoy participating.
Instructions
1. Cut the top off one pineapple and discard. Cut the bottom off the pineapple to create a flat base that will allow it to stand unassisted. Stand the pineapple in the center of a plate.
2. Peel and seed the cantaloupe, honeydew, second pineapple and watermelon. Cut the flesh into 1-inch chunks.
3. Insert fruit chunks, strawberries and grapes onto one wood skewer. Leave 1 inch of the skewer exposed on the blunt end and 2 inches exposed on the pointed end. Insert the 2-inch pointed end horizontally into the bottom side of the intact pineapple. Make another fruit kabob in the same way and insert it beside the first one, spaced about an inch apart. Repeat with more fruit kabobs to complete one ring of "branches" around the pineapple.
4. Cut 1 inch from the blunt end of a skewer with wire cutters. Insert the fruit onto the skewer as in Step 3, leaving 1 inch exposed on the blunt end and 2 inches exposed on the pointed end. Insert the pointed end into the pineapple approximately 1 inch above the bottom row and at a slight downward angle. Repeat with additional fruit kabobs all the way around the pineapple to make a second ring of branches.
5. For the third row, cut 2 inches from the blunt ends of the skewers and repeat. For each additional row, take another inch off the skewers and insert into the pineapple at a deeper angle than the row before. Cover the top of the cut pineapple with more small fruit kabobs to hide the decorated pineapple's cut end. Finish by placing the remaining fruit chunks on the plate around the base of the decorated pineapple tree.
Tags: decorated pineapple, fruit kabobs, around pineapple, blunt inches, blunt inches exposed