Christmas is rapidly approaching, and it's always nice to plan to do something a little different for the holiday table. Recently I worked on a food styling project for Driscoll's strawberries, creating a Christmas tree centerpiece using whole strawberries and a Styrofoam cone (don't use floral foam--it's carcinogenic!). I secured the strawberries to the cone using toothpicks, and scattered sprigs of fresh mint between the berries. I used a mango slice, cut into a star shape, for the top. I think it's lovely--just make sure you get beautiful strawberries. By the way, the photo above was done by super-talented food photographer John Uher (www.johnuher.com).
Driscoll Strawberry Christmas Tree
Makes one table centerpiece
Special equipment: one green or white Styrofoam cone measuring 4-5 inches in diameter at the base and 12 inches high; one box of toothpicks
Four 1-lb containers of fresh Driscoll strawberries
1 bunch fresh mint
1 slice from a carambola fruit (also known as star fruit)*
*Note: If you can’t find a carambola, you can use a 1-inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a star shape from a mango slice instead.
1. Wash the strawberries and blot them dry with paper towels. Pull off the green stem from each strawberry. Reserve a perfect strawberry for the top of the ‘tree’.
2. Push a toothpick through the hull end of a strawberry and secure it to the cone about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Secure another strawberry right next to the first one. Continue securing strawberries to the cone in circular rows up to its top, covering the cone completely. Secure the reserved strawberry to the top of the tree.
3. Remove some mint leaves from the bunch of mint and tuck them between the berries, placing them at about 3-inch intervals.
4. Secure the star-shaped carambola or mango slice to the top of the cone using a toothpick.
Very pretty centerpiece, Tish! One doesn't necessarily think of seeing fresh strawberries at Christmas, but this would be such a nice addition to a brunch and a welcome reprieve from the ever-present sugary sweets.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is beautiful. It's like a Scandinavian Kransekake, made with strawberries. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteThis is so elegant!! I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel, and thank you also for your nice review of the Cake Book!
ReplyDeleteI have an off-topic question: my friend is looking for a Scandinavian cake recipe called "Hvit Dame". It translates to "White Lady" and it's a cream cake covered with marzipan. I told him I'd ask you since you know a LOT about all sorts of cakes :o) Have you heard of such a cake? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks much!
ReplyDeleteHanaa, I don't have a recipe for that cake, but I am on the hunt for it and will let you know when I find one!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the same thing as a Princess Cake. There's a good recipe in a book called The Village Baker's Wife by Gayle Ortiz (pg. 217). But here's a recipe a pastry chef sent me. I take no responsibility for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
ReplyDeleteWhite Lady Cake – HVIT DAME Kake
150 g sugar
5 eggs
150 g wheat flour
½ spoon baking power
fresh sliced strawberries, to taste
3 dl whipped cream
marzipan
Mix together the sugar and the eggs.
Add the wheat flour to the baking powder while sieving it, and then carefully incorporate
the flour mixture into the sugar and egg mixture.
Put the batter in a greased round cake tin ( 26-28 cm ) and let it bake at 160-170 ºC for
40-50 minutes.
Leave the cake in the tin for a while before taking it out and allowing it to cool properly.
Cut the cake in three even round layers and decorate each piece with the fresh
strawberries and whipped cream.
Put each piece of cake on top of each other and cover the whole cake with whipped cream
and then with a thin layer of marzipan.
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Thank you so much, Tish, for diving into this. I was debating whether or not this was a Princess Cake or not. I remember seeing a beautiful one on BakingObsession.com. The untranslated recipe I found last night too. I can read some Swedish, and even though the recipe is Danish, I should be able to figure it out. I'll forward the info to my friend and we'll see what we come up with. Thanks again!!
ReplyDeleteHi there
ReplyDeleteThis looks great - I am going to attempt to make it - just wondering if this was made the day before christmas would it keep nice and fresh in the fridge? Also do you have any suggestions on how to chocolate dip strawberrys evenly for this display?
Hi, sorry, just saw your post! Yes, you can do it the day before (don't put the mint on until right before displaying). For the dipping part, you probably only want to dip them halfway, so you can still see some red. Just use a small, deep bowl for the chocolate and refrigerate them for about 20 minutes to set the chocolate. Then you can arrange them on the 'tree.' Hope this helps, and have a wonderful Christmas!!
ReplyDelete