Watermelon Basket Fruit Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Cut a thin slice from the bottom of watermelon with a sharp knife so it sits flat. Mark horizontal cutting line 2 in. above center and around the melon. , For handle, score a 1-1/2-in.-wide strip across the top of melon, connecting both sides to the horizontal line. With a long sharp knife, cut all the way through the rind above the cutting line in a zigzag pattern., Carefully lift off the side pieces. Remove fruit from both sections and cut into balls. Refrigerate the basket., In a large bowl, combine watermelon and honeydew balls. In another bowl, whisk cranberry juice, corn syrup and lime juice until blended; pour over melon balls. Cover and chill for 3 hours., Drain; spoon melon into watermelon basket. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in sugar, lemon juice and cardamom; serve with melon.

Steps:

• 1. CARVING THE BASKET: Lay a dampened dish towel on a counter or table and place melon on top to prevent it from rolling.
• 2. With a water-soluble marker, draw outline of basket onto melon, making sure the handle is at least 1 1/4 inches wide.
• 3. Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut melon along marker line.
• 4. Remove excess rind and set aside. With a melon baller, scoop out all the watermelon flesh and place in a large glass or ceramic bowl; set aside.
• 5. With a vegetable peeler, even out scalloped edges of watermelon. Cover watermelon basket with clear plastic wrap and set aside.
• 6. MAKING THE FRUIT SALAD: With a melon baller, scoop out flesh from cantaloupes and honeydews.
• 7. In a large bowl, combine sugar, lime juice, lemon juice and lime peel. Stir well.
• 8. Add all melon balls, strawberries and grapes; toss to combine. Allow fruit to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• 9. Just before serving, transfer fruit salad to watermelon basket.

Steps:

• To carve melon bowl, cut off top 1/4 of melon. Being careful not to cut through to melon, cut thin slice from bottom of melon so it will sit flat. Scoop out watermelon, leaving 1/2- to 1-inch-thick shell.
• Carve watermelon as shown in steps on right. Wrap melon bowl in plastic wrap to keep moist; refrigerate until ready to fill. At serving time, fill with cut-up fruit.

Steps:

• Slice the watermelon lengthwise about 1/3 of the way from the top.
• This will be your bowl so you may have to slice a small portion off the bottom in order for it to sit flat.
• Either ball or chunk the watermelon flesh.
• Hollow out the watermelon shell completely.
• Ball or chunk the remaining melons.
• Chunk the pineapple.
• Mix all the fruits in the melon bowl.
• Combine the juices, water and sugar together.
• Pour over the fruits and toss lightly.
• Chill if desired or serve immediately.

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from bottom of melon so it sits flat. Lightly score a horizontal line halfway up sides and around the melon, leaving 5 in. from one end unmarked on each side for baby carriage hood., For hood, make another line around top of watermelon, connecting both sides of the horizontal line. Using the rounded edge of a biscuit cutter as a guide, mark a scalloped edge along all straight lines. With a long sharp knife, cut into melon along the scalloped lines, making sure to cut all the way through the melon rind. Gently pull off rind. Remove fruit from melon and removed section; cut fruit into balls or cubes and set aside., For the U-shaped handle, cut out a 5-in. square from the removed section of rind. Cut out the center and one end, leaving a 1-in.-wide handle. Break one toothpick in half. Attach handle to watermelon with toothpick halves., For wheels, position orange slices at base of watermelon and attach with toothpicks. To each orange slice with a lime slice and a red grape., In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, green grapes, strawberries, remaining red grapes and reserved watermelon. Spoon into baby carriage. Serve with poppy seed salad dressing.

Steps:

• Take a sharp knife and slice a small thin piece off the bottom of your melon.
• This will allow the finished basket to sit flat on a plate or table without rolling.
• Next, take the tip of your knife (you can also use your pumpkin decorating tool out if you have one) or garnishing tool and score the watermelon in half, horizontally.
• Then mark a strip of about 1 1/2- 2" wide that will form the handle of your basket.
• If you have trouble seeing the score lines, you might want to try using a marker.
• Next, take your garnishing tool and start cutting around the melon on the lines.
• The garnishing tool naturally makes V shaped cuts, which makes doing a basket like this a breeze.
• If you do not have a garnishing tool, use a small knife and make the V cuts one side at a time.
• You could also forget the V and make straight cuts.
• To make separating the melon easier, and the finished product neater, turn your garnishing tool over, and go over the cuts in the opposite direction.
• Carefully separate the cut sides from the body of the watermelon.
• If you used a marking pen and there are any residual marks left, a handy way to get rid of them is to use a new emory board and gently sand them off.
• Take a melon baller and hollow out the inside of the watermelom.
• After removing all the edible parts, take a large spoon and gently scrape out the sides of your"basket".
• Be care not to scrape too thinly on the handle, as you want it to have some stability, even though you will never try to carry it this way.
• Mix the watermelon balls (or pieces, if you don't have a melon baller) with other ripe fresh fruits.
• To make the handle garnish, thinly slice lemons, limes or oranges and use a toothpick to affix them, along with a grape, melon ball or cherry, to the watermelon.
• Keep any extra fruit in a ziplock back and refill as it goes down!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a 4-quart ovenproof bowl with cooking spray. Prepare the cake mixes as directed; fold in 2 teaspoons red food coloring and the chocolate chips.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared bowl; bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
• Put the cake flat-side down on a small cardboard circle. Trim 2 opposite sides with a serrated knife to make an oval shape.
• Cover the sides of the cake with a thick layer of frosting; cover the top with a thin layer (this will be the bottom of the cake). Reserve about 1/2 cup frosting for the inside of the cake. Freeze until the frosting is firm, at least 20 minutes.
• Gently pat the sides of the cake with a smooth paper towel to even out any bumps in the frosting.
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring with a drop of green food coloring and a splash of lemon juice in a small bowl. Paint the yellow-green food coloring all over the side of the cake with a pastry brush.
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring with a splash of lemon juice in another bowl. Paint green stripes on the cake, then blend the edges of the stripes with the tip of the pastry brush.
• Put another small cardboard circle on the cake and flip it over. Carve out the center of the cake, about 1 inch deep, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover the center with frosting, leaving the border unfrosted. Freeze the cake 20 minutes.
• Use a paring knife to make zigzag cuts around the rim of the cake. Mound the fruit in the center, covering the frosting completely.

Steps:

• With a large, sharp knife, remove the top 1/4 section of the watermelon. With a melon baller, scoop flesh from inside of watermelon, removing as many seeds as possible. Leave 1/2 inch of flesh inside the shell of the watermelon. Scoop cantaloupe and honeydew in the same manner, removing as much flesh as possible, and discarding the rinds. Refrigerate fruits separately until ready to assemble.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat, and continue stirring until sugar has completely dissolved. Add lemon zest, and set aside to cool.
• To serve, place watermelon balls, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, and grapes, in a large mixing bowl. Pour syrup over, and toss thoroughly. Transfer mixture to watermelon bowl, and serve. Set aside any fruit mixture that will not fit. There will be enough fruit to refill the bowl.

Steps:

• Cut each watermelon in half lengthwise. Hollow out the insides using a melon baller, reserving rind for later use. Drain pineapple, and discard juice. Cut apples in half, remove cores, and cut into bite size pieces. Peel banana, and slice in to bite size pieces. Rinse grapes under cold running water, and pat dry.
• In a bowl, toss together the watermelon balls, pineapple, apple, banana chunks, and grapes. Divide fruit salad among the 4 reserved watermelon "bowls," and serve.