The menu for the second of my three-week series of cooking classes at Les Gourmettes was Pool Party. This Pineapple-Palm Tree Fruit Bowl was the centerpiece.

When we have an actual pool party at home, one of the best things about this presentation is that not only is it eye-catching, but it looks beautiful from all sides and can be enjoyed by those in the sunken kitchen or those chilling at the swim-up bar.

It is not difficult to create, the only hard thing is finding the right thing to “impale” the pineapples onto. Three pineapples stacked atop one another is precarious, so you need a sturdy pole. A broom hand or dowel, nailed into a round wooden base would work well.

I happen to have a three-tiered server that screws apart. I was able to remove the center and top tiers and use the bottom tier as the base for the fruit.

The first order of business is to hollow out the pineapples. To do so, cut off both ends of two pineapples and only the bottom of the third. This third pineapple will be the top.

Next, use a sharp knife to score and cut out the center cord of each pineapple.

Continue to dig and whittle away at the center core of each pineapple until you have hollowed it from one end through the other. It’s not hard to do, it just takes a little time and patience.

Slip one pineapple onto the pole. Since my pole was threaded, I placed a piece of plastic wrap over, so the pineapple flesh wouldn’t get caught up in the threads.

Slide on the second pineapple.

And finally the third, with its top still attached. Since I had a large bowl as my base, I filled it with watermelon rind to “fill it up” so I wouldn’t have to use so much fruit to make it look full and lush. If you’re using a flat wooden base, you will skip this step.

If you live in an area with palm trees, go out and cut off about a dozen small palm fronds. If not, these can be ordered through any florist. Use stick pins or florist pins to attach the fronts to the top of the pineapple.

[Read more →]