Fruit Salad Buffet Recipes

FRUIT AND BROCCOLI BUFFET SALAD

Steps:

• Beat grapeseed oil, sugar, cider vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, salt, poppy seeds, paprika, and mustard together in a bowl with a whisk until smooth and creamy.
• Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast pecans in hot skillet, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.; spread onto a cutting board to cool completely before chopping.
• Toss orange sections, broccoli, apple, and grapes together in a bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 6 hours.
• Sprinkle chopped pecans over salad.

FRESH FRUIT PLATTER

Steps:

• I like to begin the platter with a base of ripe, colorful, sliced melons and pineapple--for example, cantaloupe, honeydew, Galia, or Cavaillon melons, plus the new "golden" pineapples. Peel the outside of a whole melon, cut it in half through the stem end, and scoop out the seeds. Place the melon halves cut side down on a board, and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan each half-melon out slightly and arrange it on the platter. Next, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, peel the outside, and use a sharp knife to remove the "eyes." Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and remove the core by cutting a "V" down the center of each half. Again, place the pineapple halves, cut side down, on a board and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan the slices out and arrange them next to the melon on the platter.
• Once the base is set, you can add any kind of fruit that's available. I like to have one thing that is taller than the rest, such as a large bunch of grapes or a decoratively cut papaya, to give the platter height. Then I add raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and fresh figs in casual but organized groups. The platter can look like a bowl of M&M's if there are too many colors scattered with no order. Visually, your eye needs to have a focal point and to be able to see each type of fruit. After all the fruit is arranged, I add flat green leaves around the outside of the fruit, to set off the colors. Use lemon and galax leaves from your florist, or fig leaves and grape leaves from your garden. Make sure they are pesticide-free and well washed.
• Any kind of fruit will work well on this platter. For special occasions, add persimmons, kiwi, passion fruit, Queen Anne cherries, fresh apricots, and mangos. Choose whatever is colorful and seasonal.

FRUIT SALAD BUFFET

Steps:

• Decorate the tray with sprigs of lemon mint. Flank in with bowls of the various dressings. Let each guest compile a salad with dressing of his own choosing. With this you might serve date-nut sandwiches filled with cream cheese, hot cheese or herb biscuits, Melba toast, buttered scones, garlic bread.

FRUIT AND BROCCOLI BUFFET SALAD

Steps:

• Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, salt, poppy seeds, paprika and mustard. Set aside.
• Salad: In a large bowl, combine oranges, apple, broccoli and grapes. Add dressing and gently toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, until chilled, or for up to 6 hours. Sprinkle with pecans.
• Dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Variation: use a chopped red skinned pear in place of the apple and toasted hazelnuts or walnuts in place of the pecans.

WATERMELON BASKET FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• Wash and dry all the fruit.
• With a large veggie peeler/melon carver cut the top third of the watermelon off making a decorative edge of either scallops or peaks. (I wish I had premium so I could post pix). When I was a kid I drew my decorative edge on the melon and carved it with a boning knife but it is faster and easier if you get a tool designed for carving. Scoop the melon out with a small cookie scoop and set aside.
• Cut the cantaloupe into 8ths and cut the rind off. With the french fry blade of your food processor, shred the cantaloupe and set aside. I learned this from Greg Patton host of Pattonly Cooking sponsored by Cuisinart.
• Cut the honeydew in half and seed it. With a melon baller make itty bitty balls and set aside. You can cheat and slice this in your food processer on the thickest blade.
• Cut the pineapple into 8ths and core it. Cut into chunks and set aside.
• Mix melons and pineapples together in a large bowl.
• Quarter the strawberries and mix with the remaining berries and grapes. Do not mix in the raspberries or they will be pulverized.
• Layer the fruits in the watermelon basket, first a layer of the melons and pineapple, then the berries then some raspberries. Save most of the raspberries for the top layer. Continue layering until your melon basket is full and save the remaining fruit in a baggie so you can re-fill the melon basket.
• That's all there is to it! You can carve handles on your basket or leave it open which works better on a buffet as it is easier to access the fruit.
• To make it extra fancy whip up an egg white and dip clusters of grapes in it, then roll in superfine sugar and let dry on waxed paper. Secure the little grape clusters in the edging of the melon basket with a toothpick. I did this for my mother once when she had her lady friends over and it really wowed them as a centerpiece.
• Hope you try this! Have fun doing it with your kids.