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Fruit Preparing

(,)Fresh fruit presented in unusual ways

ocan make a table look very attractive,

•and will be a real talking point at aaparty. The ideas shown here take very

•little time to carry out.

•Pineapples, for example, can beprepared in many decorative ways inaddition to rings, spears and cubes.

Melons make attractive containersfor salads, both sweet and savoury.Small melons can be used for individual

servings, while large watermelons will

▪hold salads to serve a crowd. Specialtools, including melon cutters and

▪melon-ball scoops, make decorative

▪preparation easier.

Sorbets and fruit ices are most

>refreshing desserts. A fruit ice is madeby freezing a sweetened fruit puree,

I-whereas a sorbet is made from fruit juiceor purée mixed with a sugar syrup. Inaddition, there are sorbets based onwine or liqueur. The Italian 'granita'uses the same mixture as a sorbet, but it

•is stirred during freezing to give it itscharacteristic coarse texture.

MAKING PINEAPPLE BOATS

Trim off any browned ends from thegreen leaves of the crown. Trim thestalk end if necessary. Using a long,sharp knife, cut the pineapple in halflengthwise, through the crown. Cut athin slice from the base of each half sothat it has a flat, stable surface andwill not rock about.

2 Using a small, sharp knife, cutstraight across the top and bottom ofthe central core in each half, then cutlengthwise at a slant on either side ofthe core. Remove the core.

3 Using a curved, serrated grapefruitknife, cut out the flesh from each halt.The boats are now ready for filling witha salad, a dessert, or with ice cream,fruit ice or sorbet.

PREPARING MELON

1 Cut a line around the circumferenceof the melon and insert a sharp knife on

the line at an angle. Make a cut 1. 5-- -

5 cm/1/2-2 in long, according to the sizeof the melon, right into the centre.Insert the knife again at the top of theangled cut, and cur hack to the line at aright-angle, forming a V-shape.

Continue in this way all round themelon, then lift the 2 halves apart.Remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh.

WATERMELON BASKET

Cut a watermelon basket as directedon the right, but leave a strip for the'handle'. Scoop out the flesh using a

melon-ball scoop and nick out the pips.Mix the melon halls with halls of

c harentais and honeydew melon,blueberries and strawberries. Pile thefruit into the basket

MAKING A FRUIT ICE

-eJ grapefruit-- in each half.:-or filling with-. ice cream,

STRAWBERRY ICE

Put& 500g/1 lb 2 oz strawberries with100g/31/2oz caster (superfine) sugar and120m114110z/1/2cup orange juice. Resure the sugar has dissolved completely.Add I 5 m1/1 tbsp lemon juice. Tastethe mixture and add more sugar ororange or lemon juice if required. (Themixture should he highly flavoured.)Chill well, then transfer to an ice-cream machine and freeze until firm.Makes about 600 m1/1 pint.

VARIATIONS

•Use raspberries or blackberriesinstead of strawberries, or, as anotheridea, 700 g/11/21b peeled and slicedpeaches or nectarines.

•Add 15-30 ml/1-2 tbsp of fruitliqueur (to match the fruit used).

STILL-FREEZING FRUIT ICE

If you do not have an ice-cream

machine, you can 'still-freeze' the fruitice or sorbet in the freezer. Pour it intoa metal tin (pan) or tray, cover andfreeze until set round the edge. Turn itinto a howl and break it into smallpieces. Beat with an electric mixer orin a food processor until slushy. Returnto the tin and freeze again until setround the edge. Repeat the beatingtwice more, then freeze until firm.

MAKING A SORBET

taper,all round the

immarrtliet;a1- ves apart.jiliirmetzn4 _•=1, out the flesh.

I Prepare the fruit, removing peel,stones (pits), hulls, stalks, etc. Puréethe fruit with sugar and liquid in ablender or food processor until verysmooth. Be sure that the sugar hasdissolved completely.

1 If you arc using citrus fruit, peel offstrips of zest. Squeeze the juice from thefruit. Alternatively, puree fruit in ablender or food processor (cooking itfirst if necessary).

2 Add additional flavourings asdirected in the recipe (alcohol or herbs,for example). If using berries with seeds(raspberries, blackberries, etc.), pressthe puree through a fine-mesh nylonsieve. Chill the puree well. Transfer

to an ice-cream machine and freezefollowing the maker's instructions.

2 Put the strips of zest (or otherflavouring such as a vanilla pod orspices) in a saucepan with sugar andwater and bring to a boil, stirring todissolve the sugar. Leave to cool.

3 Stir in the fruit juice or puree. Strainthe mixture into 'a bowl, if necessary,and chill well. Transfer the mixture

to an ice-cream machine and freezefollowing the maker's instruction