16.11.13

Fruit Platter with Lemon Dip

Sharing platters are in vogue in restaurants and are easier than you may think to replicate at home. The secret is to use a large plate, tray or slate board and to layer the food as casually as you can. 

We bought our large slate serving plate in France two years ago (at well under £10 from Casa) and it has been used over and over again for serving savoury platters. This week I used it for a Mediterranean platter for book club (cold meats, olives, mozzarella, shavings of Parmesan and rocket) and then later in the week for this fruit platter as a dessert. We cooked a Chinese meal when we had family over and wanted something simple and light to follow. 

As one of my autumn/winter health goals is to eat more fresh fruit I wondered if I could make a fruit based dessert that was a bit more up to date and sociable than an ordinary fruit salad. And if you can have savoury dips surely you can have sweet ones too! After a little research I decided to use mascarpone as a base for a lemon dip.

I bought all my fruit from Aldi including the wonderfully exotic but cheap persimmon fruit (also known as sharon fruit) which is one of Aldi's Super 6 offers this week (89p for four fruit). I was extravagant as we were having family over and I used grapes, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple and persimmon but you could use less fruit, different types or just whatever fruit is on offer that week. Persimmon is simple to prepare - blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds and then peel and slice them as if they were a tomato. They taste good, similar to apricots and mangoes.





This dip transforms the platter and you really don't need much as it's so luxurious and creamy. Think all the richness of lemon cheesecake without any of the faffing. Most supermarkets sell a light version of mascarpone if you wish to curtail the calories! With just three ingredients it's super quick and easy to make.

You will need

250g Mascarpone
3-4 heaped tablespoons of the best quality lemon curd that you can afford
2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method

In a bowl simply loosen the mascarpone cheese with a fork, gradually beat in the lemon curd and then the lemon juice. The mascarpone will become more liquid and silky as you beat it. Adjust the amounts of lemon curd and lemon juice to suit your taste. Spoon into small dishes and chill until needed.

We added bought ginger cookies to our platter but you could add other biscuits such as shortbread. If you prepare the fruit and dip in advance this fruit platter takes minutes to assemble and means there's no frantic checking of the oven as with other puds. 

Et voilĂ !



























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11 comments

  1. Looks delicious, thanks for the idea of the mascarpone dip.

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  2. I love this idea, so simple but looks fabulous.

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  3. I love this idea. I'm definitely going to try this for dessert next weekend. My local Lidl does very good quality fruit and resonable prices, and I noticed Sharon fruit last time I visited. I've never tried them before, but will get them next time I go.

    Leanne xx

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  4. Mmmm, love the presentation, makes it more special. Thanks for the mascarpone dip recipe, will definitely try xx

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  5. This is a great idea for dessert and the dip sounds delicious, your presentation is just gorgeous. Thank you for the tips about preparing persimmon fruit, I noticed them in aldi this week but had no idea what to do with them...I do now and plan to try some soon, thank you.
    Marianne x

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  6. Sounds lovely, I don't eat enough fruit, but love this idea, thank you for the lemon dip recipe :) xx

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  7. This is a fabulous way to serve fruit Claire and is visually stunning! I often make a mascarpone dip with yoghurt and maple syrup but love the lemon idea as well.

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  8. That fruit platter looks delicious and is going on my menu for Christmas. I saw the persimmon fruit in Aldi but had no idea what to do with it. Thank you for inspiring me.
    Sarah x

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  10. I love this! I too want to eat more fruit for desert but..it's just so boring sometimes, isn't it. But fruit and lemon dip - now you're talking. I love the idea of this, it's simple but very effective, and very sociable too. I'm thinking I might do something similar next time it's my turn to host book group! x

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