Pineapple Floral Centerpiece

Our incredibly talented friend Shainy of Carve Fruit Artistry, keeps outdoing herself with the most elaborate, exquisite fruit and vegetable platters.  

With Tu B’shvat right around the corner, we asked her to prepare a simple yet impressive idea to enhance your Tu B’shvat tablescape.

Using minimal fruits, learn how to create a beautiful floral arrangement that will surely impress your family and friends.

Supplies:

• 1 pineapple
• 1 cantaloupe
• 3 kiwis
• 3 cactus pears (sabra fruit)
• red grapes
• toothpicks
• sharp Knife*

*Shainy uses a Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Carving Knife , which is a great knife for carving. It is a little pricey though. Another recommendation would be the Victorinox Cutlery 2-1/2-Inch Bird’s Beak Paring Knife.

Directions:

 1. Remove the top quarter of the pineapple and put aside.

2. Cut the cantaloupe in half (the long way) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

3. Using a knife, peel the cantaloupe while faced down. Try to keep the round shape of the fruit. Do this for both halves.

4. Slice the cantaloupe as thin as possible.

5. Wrap the thin slices around each other to create a rose, as shown. Stick a toothpick through the finished rose, to hold in place. Then cut off the excess cantaloupe from the bottom of the rose.

6. Using the entire cantaloupe, you should have 6-8 roses.

7. Place 6 roses around the top perimeter of the pineapple. Secure the roses in place with toothpicks. Let them stick over the edge (about an inch).

8. Keeping the grapes on the stem, place a generous handful into the center of the arrangement. The pile of grapes should be slightly higher than the height of the cantaloupe.

9. Take a kiwi and cut a zigzag pattern around the center of the fruit as shown. Make sure the cuts go at least halfway through the fruit. Gently pull apart the two ends.

10. Use this same technique on the cactus pears.

11. Place 4 cactus pear halves on the corners of the arrangement. They should be placed on top of the roses.

12. Secure them into the grapes using toothpicks.

13. Secure some kiwis between the cactus pears, filling in all the spaces.

14. Fill any holes with some loose grapes, using toothpicks to secure them in place.

15. Pull out a few leaves from the head of the pineapple, wash them well, and place them randomly around the arrangement

Give as a gift or use as a fun edible centerpiece.

Check out her Instagram page to see her magnificent work, first hand Carve Fruit Artistry