Much like a charcuterie board, fruit platters can be customized to occasions of all kinds. Creating a platter full of fresh color is a pleasing way to brighten up any table. Not to mention a fruit platter is an easy addition to any table with minimal effort and time. Fruit can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert adding to the versatility of the platter.
Selecting specific fruits is the key to achieving a rainbow effect. You can assemble a rainbow board with blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries or go for a monochrome look using raspberries, pomegranate, and strawberries. By selecting specific fruits, you can even theme the platter for the season. For example, for an autumn board I would include fruits that are harvested in the fall like apples, pears, cranberries, and pomegranates. Or for a Halloween platter you could use fruits with creepy textures like rambutans, lychee, and dragon fruit. You could even hollow out gourds or melons and stuff them with fruits or dips. Below is a list of fruit by color to help you organize your brain:
- Red: Raspberry, Strawberry, Pomegranate, Watermelon, Cranberry, Cherry
- Orange: Oranges, Cantaloupe, Papaya, Apricot, Mandarin, Peach, Kumquat
- Yellow: Banana, Mango, Golden Kiwi, Pineapple, Lemon, Passion Fruit, Yuzu
- Green: Grape, Kiwi, Honeydew, Lime, Green Apple, Gooseberry
- Blue/Purple: Blueberry, Blackberry, Grape, Fig, Plum, Prune, Huckleberry
If you are going for a traditional rainbow fruit tray you will want to follow this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. My personal favorite way to arrange a fruit board is to scatter all of the colors across the board and assemble it in layers. I will start with the big showpiece fruits like a halved pomegranate or papaya. Then I like to assemble by size. For example, I would place halved kiwis on the board then place strawberries and fill in any gaps with blackberries and blueberries. Assembling from larger fruits to smaller ones.
Once you have most of the board assembled you can poke in small bunches of herbs or edible flowers. Herbs like basil and mint complement the fruit aromas perfectly and make a tasty addition. At the kitchen we keep candied citrus fruits on hand and they make a beautiful addition to the fresh fruits. Overall, fruit platters are a fun way to express your creativity and bring color to your table.