By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
Seasonal fresh fruit and veggies can be the star of a classroom gathering or for that matter, any gathering! Check out the food presentation space to plan for appropriate platter sizes. Here are some ideas for creating portable platters throughout the school year:
Learning Rainbow: Start off the school year with fruits and veggies from every color group including strawberries, raspberries, radishes, red bell pepper slices (red); oranges, tangerines, mandarins, carrot coins, baked, cubed and cooled roasted sweet potato cubes, Fuyu persimmon slices, mango cubes (orange); crookneck summer squash coins, Altufo mango slices, yellow bell pepper slices (yellow); kiwi slices, grapes, green bell pepper slices, skin-on cucumber slices, green apple slices (green); and blueberries, red cabbage slices, roasted and cubed beets, grapes (blue and purple). Arrange in a double rainbow shape. This is a great way to introduce how fun fresh fruits and veggies can be.
Visiting a Tropical Island: Create a tropical paradise on a platter. Consider mangoes (fresh or frozen), papayas (fresh or canned), pineapples (fresh or canned), and bananas (select several varieties, if available, or use fresh and dried bananas). Garnish with kiwi slices and sprinkle with flaked coconut. Serve with coconut water to complete the theme. If fresh tropical fruit is not easily available, or beyond the budget, consider using frozen mango cubes, canned (in juice) pineapple, and banana slices that have been frozen and then rolled in crushed cereal or coconut flakes. If plastic food bags are allowable, save and freeze (peeled) very ripe bananas in individual bags. On serving day, take the bananas out of the freezer in time for them to be mostly thawed. Each child can smoosh their own banana beverage by working the bag until the banana resembles a purée. Snip off a corner of the bag, insert a straw and enjoy!
Autumn fun: Carve oranges or Faye persimmons to look like mini jack-o-lanterns, create banana ghosts by halving bananas lengthwise, using chocolate chip for eyes and mouths, slice apples or pears and use nut butters to make “monster mouths.” If you have a vegetable spiralizer (available on line for about $10), create voodles (vegetable noodles) from zucchini and carrots and garnish the tray with these “spider webs.”
Fruiting the Flag: create a red, white, and blue platter, using strawberries, watermelon, and raspberries for the red; blueberries for the blue; bananas or peeled apple slices for the white. For a veggie creation, use radishes, beets or tomatoes for the red; red cabbage (dipped into a dilute mixture of baking soda and water-it will taste salty) for the blue; and sliced, roasted potatoes or eggplant for the white. Arrange in a flag shape or alternate color layers.
Red and romantic: create a mostly heart-shaped fruit platter for Valentine’s Day or birthdays. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut watermelon, seeded cucumbers, larger radishes, and peeled apples into hearts. Add strawberries, raspberries, cubed, roasted beets, sliced red peppers, or red grapes for garnish.
Turn a regular fruit platter into a fun activity by creating fruit animals! You can string grapes on a straw to create a caterpillar. Peeled kiwis make good “turtles,” using cut grapes or strawberries for feet. Strawberries and chocolate chips, or radishes or cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives can be formed into ladybugs.
To complement your platters, create edible pencils with long pretzel rods. Melt vegan white chocolate (Pascha brand melts well) and separate into two bowls; color one bowl yellow (use a small amount of orange juice concentrate or a touch of turmeric) and one pink (use a very small amount of cranberry or pomegranate juice). Roll out waxed paper or parchment paper for the pretzels to dry on. Dip each pretzel (leaving a small area at each end) in the yellow chocolate and allow to dry on the paper. Melt a small amount of chocolate chips. When the previously dipped pretzels are dry, dip one end in the pink chocolate, for the eraser and the other end in the melted chocolate chips for the “lead.”