I think food looks best when it’s piled together and overflowing. As you have probably noticed, I love creating platters of any kind. They are the perfect way to create something beautiful in a wholesome manner.
Today’s dessert platter is great for entertaining because it requires no cooking, takes about 5 minutes to assemble and you seriously can’t mess it up.
For a little holiday spirit I added hamantaschen (cookies eaten on Purim). I love this platter for Purim because I usually have all of these items on hand for my Seudah, so there is little planning. But, instead of serving each item in separate bowls, I assembled it on one big platter for an impressive statement.
Here are some of my tips:
Assemble all the elements in different directions – I started by placing the cookies on the board, followed by the fruit, alternating their direction for visual interest. This keeps the board from looking too uniform.
Make sure all the flavors go together – My rule is to keep all the elements tasteful and consistent. This platter is brimming with fruit and chocolate. Notice that there are no chips. For this board, I was going for a classic dessert platter with sweet compliments. Chips and candy would be a nice addition to the table, but would interfere on the platter.
Variety of color and texture : This one’s the easiest of them all. The more colors and textures, the prettier your platter will be.
Abundance is key – Whenever I make a platter of food, I always remember that height is key. Notice how I have the strawberries piled up and the blueberries spilling over. That’s intentional to avoid a flat looking platter.
GARNISH!!!! – Like savory boards and platters, sweet ones need garnish too. The addition of fresh basil or mint seriously takes the presentation to the next level. Simply add a bunch on two ends of the platter and it will make the world of a difference (and will help with the abundance factor)!
- Amounts will depend on the servings you need and the size platter:
- Hamantaschen
- Fresh fruit
- Dried fruit
- Chocolate
- Fresh basil or fresh mint, for garnish
- Start by placing the cookies down the center of the platter on a slight diagonal.
- Next, add the fruit in piles, alternating their directions.
- Add some chocolate to smaller areas of the platter.
- Garnish the corners with handfuls of fresh basil or mint.
So simple, but beautiful!
Thanks Sally!!