The weather is warming up, the winter days are behind us, and it’s time to crack out those serving trays and make a fruit platter like a professional.
Delicious seasonal fruit platters are a staple at any Australian get-together. With the summer picnics and alfresco dining becoming more popular as we creep closer to Christmas, our Earth Markets stores are bursting with the freshest season fruit like juicy strawberries and stone fruit in plentiful supply.
Creating a fruit platter like a professional is easy when you follow our top tips.
- Use A Variety Of Colour
Using a rainbow of colours can turn any average fruit platter from drab to fab, and the more complementary colours and flavours you use on your platter, the better it will be.
Colourful fruits such as orange, grapefruit, blueberries, blackberries and passionfruit will add a pop of colour and provide your guests a variety of zest and tangy flavors to
tantalise their taste buds.
When selecting seasonal fruits, make sure you avoid apples, bananas and pears. Although delicious, these fruits react with the oxygen in the air and turn brown very quickly.
- Get Experimental
Gone are the days of showing up with a tray of watermelon, orange and apple. In order to become the true king or queen of fruit platters, you need to embrace your creativity and add more fruit to your daily diet.
Fruits such as papaya, passionfruit, dragon fruit and cherries are all delicious additions and vibrantly coloured for aesthetic appeal.
Cut the papaya in half to scoop out the seeds, then slice the dragonfruit and passionfruit in half and lay beside. Top off your platter with cherries for a delicious, colourful plate!
- Buy Fresh & In Season Produce
When it comes to your party platters with seasonal fruit, fresh is best it’s definitely true! As the days and weeks start to warm up, stone fruit such as mangoes, peaches, cherries and apricots will be readily available, as well as everyone’s favourite berry varieties.
Citrus is available all year round, grab a couple of oranges diced and peeled will be a huge hit with the kids.
- Get Creative With Your Slices
The major difference between a fruit salad and a fruit platter is the way you cut up the fruit. When creating a professional looking fruit platter, don’t just rely on generic squares—mix it up a little bit!
If you’re including grapes and strawberries, slice the strawberries into flowers or leave them whole. Cut oranges into circles or wedges and lay evenly around the plate. Cube the watermelon, rockmelon or pineapple and group together.
To finish off the look, slice your dragon fruit or passionfruit in half and place straight onto the plate!
- Don’t Forget To Garnish!
Garnishes aren’t just for pizza and pasta. They can be used for fruit platters too!
Add mint, lime or a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds to complement your fruity flavours or contrast them with nuts, pretzels, soft cheeses, marshmallows or chocolate dipping sauces.
Straight from the fields and available at all Earth Markets stores—Elanora, Robina, Burleigh and Logan—everything you need you’ll find at with our vast selection of fresh seasonal fruit and gourmet groceries.