GET GRAZING
Amazing graze, how sweet the taste
IN HIS ROLE as an executive chef Theo Michaels has been creating grazing experiences for many years now. These have ranged from intimate boards for two people to share by candlelight, to huge feasting tables for 250 plus corporate diners.
His book Grazing and Feasting Boards is the culmination of all his experience to date, laid out and presented in one place.
There are 50 themed grazing boards and sharing platters to suit every occasion, from a family night spent in front of the TV to effortless entertaining over drinks with friends, and ranging from the humble to the spectacular. Michaels’ boards are the very definition of bringing people together and enable you to create shared memories over delicious food, spectacularly presented in a fun, interactive way.
RAINBOW FRUIT PLATTER
Fresh, vibrant and delicious – all the things I want in a fruit platter. I’ve made this one with my favourite fruits to create a beautiful rainbow of goodness. Simply add a bowl of creamy Greek yoghurt and a piece of fresh honeycomb to create an indulgent treat.
Ingredients
1 cantaloupe melon, quartered and sliced into thin wedges
1 blood orange or red grapefruit, cut into 8 wedges
2 passionfruit, halved
2 kiwifruit, halved
4 physalis/cape gooseberries
400 g black grapes, snipped into 2–3 small bunches
100 g fresh cherries with stems
100 g each berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries
400 g natural Greek yoghurt
60 ml runny honey
200 g piece of natural honeycomb
100 g pecan halves (optional) a few sprigs of fresh mint
Presentation
A large oval platter works well here, either ceramic or metal. If you use metal, line with a sheet of baking parchment cut to size to prevent the acids present in some fruits reacting with the metal
Method
Wash and prepare all of the fruit. Don’t rush at this – use sharp knives and cut it cleanly. Handle berries with care so as not to squash them. Discard any stones and pips and gently pat the fruit dry with some paper towels.
How to assemble
Decide where you are placing the yoghurt and put a small shallow bowl in position.
Start arranging the largest pieces of fruit first, such as the melon slices and blood orange wedges. Add the passion fruit and kiwi halves, with the cut sides facing upwards. Dot the bunches of grapes around the platter and add the physalis/ cape gooseberries.
Next fill in all the gaps with the smaller fruits, such as the berries and cherries, so the board looks full and abundant. Cover and chill (or keep somewhere cool) until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, add the pecan halves (if using) and garnish with a few sprigs of fresh mint. (Do not be tempted to do this too early, the nuts will lose their crunch and the mint will become floppy.)
Lastly, spoon the Greek yoghurt into the bowl on the platter, drizzle the honey over the top and put the honeycomb piece in the middle. —
serves 4–6