A watermelon basket filled with a gourmet fruit salad makes the perfect centerpiece for a summer shower or outdoor reception. Follow these steps to make a watermelon basket.
Instructions
1. Choose a large ripe watermelon that sits without wobbling on a flat surface. It is important that the outside rind be blemish-free because your watermelon basket is made from the rind of the watermelon itself.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the rind prior to cutting it. First measure the height of the watermelon from the bottom which will sit on your table to the center of the top. The base of the watermelon basket will be half of this height. So score a line all the way around the perimeter of the watermelon halfway up from the bottom. Then locate the mid-point of the top of the watermelon. Use your knife to score a line that extends one inch to the right of this mid-point and also one inch to the left of this mid-point (it will be two inches wide). Draw these lines down from the top of the melon to where it meets the first horizontal line on the front of the watermelon basket and also on the back. This forms the handle of your watermelon basket.
3. Cut along the lines from the top of the basket's handle to the top edge of the watermelon basket. Then cut along the lines from the left outer edge of the basket to the left side of the handle. Cut the lines from the right outer edge of the basket to the right side of the handle. Be careful not to cut into the handle itself. Put the large wedges of watermelon aside to use to make melon balls to fill the basket later.
4. Scoop out the inside of the watermelon and slice the fruit from the inside of the handle. If you like a decorative scalloped or triangular edge on your watermelon basket, use your knife to evenly carve it along the top of the basket.
5. Use the watermelon that you scooped out of the basket to make watermelon balls. Add other fruits such as canned pineapple tidbits, orange slices, apples, bananas, strawberries, cherries and more to make a gourmet fruit salad. Mix them together and then pour the mixture into the base of the watermelon basket.
6. Tie a ribbon bow around the handle of the watermelon basket to match the colors of your other decorations. Everyone will rave about your creative edible centerpiece.
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