Citrus Tower Centerpiece Recipes

FRESH FRUIT CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Cut pineapple into 3/8-in. slices. Using small flower or star-shaped cookie cutters, cut out shapes from pineapple and watermelon slices. Thread assorted fruits onto wooden skewers., Place melon on a serving tray or platter. Insert skewers into base. Garnish with lemon and mint if desired.

HOLIDAY COOKIE TREE CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• COMBINE flour and salt in large bowl. Beat shortening, sugar and vanilla in separate large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in egg yolks and orange juice. Gradually stir in flour mixture to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, shaping each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 4 hours or overnight.
• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough, one piece at a time, to 1/4-inch thickness on floured surface.* Keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use. Cut out a total of 24 cookies, using the 2 largest cookie cutters 4 times each and the 8 remaining cookie cutters 2 times each. Bake on prepared baking sheets, 16 minutes for small cookies, 18 minutes for large cookies, or until edges begin to brown and centers are set. (Group similar size cookies on same baking sheet for even baking.) Carefully slide baked cookies on parchment paper onto work surface. Cookies may be fragile while warm. Cool completely.
• STIR powdered sugar and meringue powder in large bowl until combined. Add water. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 7 minutes. If necessary, add additional powdered sugar or water to reach the desired spreading consistency. (Keep frosting covered with damp cloth to prevent hardening.) Reserve one of the smallest size cookies for later use. Spread icing over remaining cookies, immediately topping with decorator sprinkles.
• PLACE one of the largest size cookies on decorative platter to begin assembly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon remaining icing onto center of cookie. Repeat to stack additional 22 cookies on top, by decreasing size, rotating each cookie slightly to stagger points of stars. To complete decoration, hold reserved small cookie by its edges and coat both side with frosting. Decorate as desired. Stand upright on top of tree, securing with a small dab of icing. Let stand until icing is firm.

ANTIPASTO RING CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• * This centerpiece is both appetizing and colorful. If desired, fill the center of the ring with a bowl of dip or olives, or a container of crushed ice topped with marinated boiled shrimp. Have extra appetizer picks in a container to one side. The size of your Styrofoam (R) ring will determine the ingredients you will need. Antipasto RingYou will need a small sharp knife, scissors, plastic or wooden picks. Styrofoam ring, tray or baking sheet, and a spray bottle with water.Select foods from the ingredients below. Prepare all vegetable garnishes and place in ice water to "bloom." Wash and crisp all greens place picks in all condiments and other vegetables cover and refrigerate.Vegetable Garnishes such as radish fans and flowers carrot curls, cartwheels and frills green onion brushes cherry tomato roses fluted mushrooms Greens such as parsley sprigs, celery leaves, curly endive, mustard greensCondiments such as pitted ripe and green olives, small gherkin pickles, cheese cubes, cooked meat cubesOther Vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, cauliflowerettes, red and greenpepper strips, celery sticksTo assemble, place Styrofoam ring on a tray. Fasten greens to Styrofoam ring with picks, attaching at inside and outside of base first, filling in the top last (A). Spray with water. Attach vegetable garnishes to wooden picks (B),then press firmly into ring. Fill in spaces with condiments, other vegetables and additional greens. Spray lightly with water. Cover with a damp lightweight towel or plastic wrap until ready to serve. Place on serving table and fill center of ring as desired (see above).

CITRUS TOWER CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• * A citrus tower centerpiece is quick to assemble and inexpensive. Use with lemon leaves, which can be purchased from a florist. Use as a garnish for Citrus TowerYou will need a long sharp knife, small sharp knife and wooden picks or bamboo skewers.Select a medium-sized orange, lemon and lime. You will also need a maraschino cherry, mint sprigs and lemon leaves or other decorative non-poisonous leaves.Wash leaves in mild sudsy water rinse well. Dry and polish gently with a soft cloth. Cover and refrigerate.Cut a thin lengthwise slice from stem end of orange discard slice. Place orange on cut end to prevent rolling. Cut off top one-third of orange discard top (A). Cut a zigzag pattern by making diagonal cuts to the center of the fruit (B). Drain well. Repeat with lemon and lime. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.To assemble, insert picks in center of each fruit and stack orange on the bottom, lemon in the middle and lime on top. Attach cherry to pick in center of the lime (C). Place citrus tower on lemon leaves. Garnish with mint.

CITRUS FRUIT CANDLE CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Slice the oranges, limes and lemons 1/8-inch thick.
• Put a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet and lay each piece of sliced fruit on the rack.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• When the oven is hot, place the rack of fruit in the oven and let "bake" for two hours (if your fruit is taking a long time to dry, turn the oven off and leave the fruit in overnight.
• When the fruit is dry and cool, hot-glue the citrus pieces to one another by overlapping them in line with the candle's base. Do not glue-gun the candle directly or the wax will melt.
• When the candles are completely decorated, and the glue is dry, stagger the candles in the middle of your Thanksgiving table and weave the berry branch throughout.