Cascading Fruit Centerpiece Food

CASCADING FRUIT CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Stir in coconut. Chill until serving., Cut off pineapple top with a fourth of the pineapple attached; set aside. For dip bowl, cut a third from bottom of pineapple; remove fruit, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Remove peel from center section of pineapple; core and cut pineapple into chunks., Cut the grapefruit, orange and lemon in half widthwise. Remove pulp from one half of each; set aside. (Save the remaining grapefruit, orange and lemon halves for another use.) , Stack two 10-in. Styrofoam rounds and two 6-in. rounds; cover each stack with heavy-duty foil. Repeat with remaining rounds. On a 19x15-in. platter, pile the stacks on top of each other, staggering them and anchoring with dowels. , Place pineapple top on the top circle; position lemon, orange and grapefruit cups on other circles. Place pineapple bowl on platter. , With greening pins, attach clusters of grapes onto circles. Randomly add strawberries, pineapple chunks and more grapes to cover the foil and platter. Decorate with silk flowers. Just before serving, fill pineapple bowl with pineapple ginger dip. Fill lemon, orange and grapefruit cups with yogurt.

LUAU CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water. Pour into an 8-cup ring mold coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set., Cut each potato in half lengthwise for base of palm trees. Make a hole in the uncut side of potato halves that's large enough to hold a carrot; set aside. For tree trunks, use a sharp knife to make a thin petal-shaped cut on one side of each carrot toward the bottom, leaving slice attached. Rotate carrot a quarter turn and make another cut. Repeat one or two more times around carrot. Make another series of cuts about 1-1/2 in. above first set. Make a third series of cuts about 1-1/2 in. above second set. Insert carrots into potatoes., For palm leaves, cut tops off green peppers and remove seeds (discard tops or save for another use). Make deep V-shape cuts around bottom edge of pepper. Place a pepper on top of each carrot; secure with toothpicks., Thread fruit onto wooden skewers; insert into whole pineapple. Unmold gelatin ring and place on a 19-in. x 12-in. platter. Place whole pineapple in center of gelatin, and palm trees and any additional chunks of fruit around gelatin.