What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with a delicious fruit platter? Just in time for your 4th of July party, or for your next summer gathering, there are plenty of ways to put fresh summer fruit to good use! Fruit platters can be super simple or you can make them into a beautiful pieces of art for your next summertime gathering! I have included my best fruit platter ideas below for creating your next party tray!
How to Get Started with a Fruit Platter
- Start by either choosing the colors or the fruit that you want to use
- Use a platter tray that can contain the fruit juice (e.g., do not use a flat tray)
- Prepare the fruit so that it is as ready-to-eat as possible
- If juicy fruit being used, make sure to keep them close to fruit that will still taste good if the juices mix
- Spread out the colors among the platter
- Get creative!
Using Different Colors in Your Fruit Platter
When making a fruit platter, you have a benefit over fruit salads because the juices do not usually mix. Therefore, instead of worrying how different types of fruit will mix, you can focus more on how you want your fruit platter to look. This can be especially fun during the summer when there are a lot of different types of ripe fruit available for you to use.
Some color ideas include:
- Red – strawberries, cherries, raspberries, pomegranate arils, watermelon
- Orange – oranges, mandarins, tangelos, apricots, mangoes, cantaloupe
- Yellow – pineapples, light-skinned dried figs
- Green – kiwifruit, grapes, fresh figs
- Blue – blueberries
- Purple – grapes, dark fresh/dried figs
How to Prepare a Fruit Platter
- Keep any pits out of the platter (where possible). I know some people use them for design, but the idea of the platter is that the fruit should be ready-to-eat. The only time where it seems justifiable to keep pits is when dealing with cherries, which are not realistic to cut.
- Be careful with any extraneous items that are added. For example, a common item used in fruit platters is the pineapple skin/rind. Since you are unable to wash this before mixing it with fresh-cut fruit, it can become a food safety issue.
- If you use any greens or any other materials to decorate the plate, make sure they have been washed appropriately.
- Do not include any meat or cheeses on the same platter as the fruit.
- Make sure you follow good food safety practices in your home while creating the fruit platter. This includes materials used, how you cut the fruit, and cleaning and sanitation. You can see additional guidelines on this here.
How to Store a Fruit Platter
- Make sure that all fruit that gets cut goes straight into the fridge until it is time for the guests to enjoy.
Another idea to incorporate more fruit this summer are:
Please share your summer fruit platter ideas in the comments section below!
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