How to Decorate a Centerpiece With Banana Fruit Carvings

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Fruit carvings are popular in Asia, Malaysia and Hawaii. One of the foods that it is commonly used in centerpieces is the banana.

To make any type of carving out of a banana use a good hand paring or carving knife. Make sure it has a stainless steel or bronze blade. Make sure to sharpen any knives before using. Dull blades are more likely to slip in your hand (hands get slippery with juice doing this craft) and you could cut yourself. Some people also use cookie cutters or candy molds to help cut bananas for decorating purposes.

Making a successful fruit carving means choosing the right banana in the first place. If the banana is too ripe you will not be able to cut it. Choose a banana that is firm and whit inside. You do not want the banana to go mushy while you are carving so buying bananas that have a bit of a green tinge to their skin is very much recommended.

One of the easiest things to make is a banana centerpiece. Slice up the banana into coins and line it up along a plate. Stick a toothpick into each and then cut a strawberry into slices which makes a natural heart shape You can then stick the toothpick spearing the heart shapes with any type of fruit you want. A rounded piece of pineapple or watermelon works well as a base for this type of centerpiece.

You can also carve a banana octopus by opening the peel of a banana half-way. Take out half of the banana and then cut the peel into eight tentacles. Black peppercorns can be used as eyes.

It is also easy to make a Banana Daschund. Simply take an unpeeled banana and carve the foot shape out of the peel without stripping the banana. Open the peel of a second banana to make the head of the dog. Cut off half of the second banana and two of the four peels so that the two remaining peels look like dog heads. Attach the head to the body of the dog. Whole black pepper can be used to make eyes for the dog and a bit of red fruit or a maraschino cherry makes a nice shiny dog tongue.

This is one decorating project where it is okay to make a mistake. You can always mash up the left-overs and make banana bread!

How to Decorate a Table With Carved Pineapples

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The great thing about pineapples is that they can be carved into inexpensive centerpieces, serving bowls or even drink cups. You can also use a carved out pineapple as a dish for serving dips or as a tropical inspired flower vase.

One of the most basic of serving or presentation vessels that can be made out of a pineapple is the classic Pineapple Boat. To make a pineapple boat you simply make sure that all discolored or misshapen leaves are removed from the pineapple. Do not remove the top of the pineapple as this is part of the effect.

You then cut the pineapple in half vertically and then cut gently inside of the pineapple to remove the pineapple fruit pulp. You can then use it as a vessel to hold a display of fruit. A nice idea is to fill the pineapple boat with fruit skewers that also include pineapple. A pineapple boat can also be loaded with any type of dip or used as an ice bucket on which to display cold shrimp or seafood that needs to be kept cold. Pineapple boats also make nice holders for home-made gelatos or ice cream.

Pineapple bowls are also very easy to make. To create one simply remove the top and the bottom of the pineapple so it sits flats. You then hollow the pineapple out to create a bowl. You can then fill this bowl with anything you like. Consider putting a candle or a single floating flower inside the bowl. The pineapple bowl also looks good filled with fruit chunks, fruit soups or sorbets.

Pineapple flowers are also a common table-top decoration in fruit decoration circles. Slice the pineapple horizontally into ¼ inch slices. Then use a flower shaped cookie cutter to cut flowers out of the disc shaped piece of fruit. Skewer these flowers on the end of long spikes. You then use a melon baller to carve balls out of a melon and use those as the center of the flower. A maraschino cherry also can serve duty as the pineapple flower center as well.

Another thing you can do is make a pineapple lantern to light up your next after-dusk barbecue or patio party. You make one very much in the same way that you would a Halloween lantern out of a pumpkin. Cut off the top of the pineapple and use a sharp knife to remove it’s core. Cut a face into the front of the fruit and then secure the top back on the fruit with a few toothpicks.