Preparing Fresh Fruits

Ingredients

• 1 pint Fresh Strawberries
• 2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar (For strawberries)
• 0.5 cup Heavy Cream (For strawberries)
• 1 small Cantaloupe
• 1 small Muskmelon
• 4 tablespoons Crushed Ice (For cantaloupe and muskmelon)
• 0.25 teaspoon Salt (For cantaloupe and muskmelon)
• 1 bunch Grapes
• 2 medium Oranges
• 2 medium Grapefruit
• 2 tablespoons Sherry Wine (Optional, for grapefruit)
• 1 tablespoon Apricot Brandy (Optional, for grapefruit)
• 1 tablespoon Sloe Gin (Optional, for grapefruit)
• 4 cherries Candied Cherries (Optional, for grapefruit)

Instructions

1. 1Pick over strawberries, removing any damaged or moldy ones. Place in a colander, pour cold water over them, and drain thoroughly. Hull the strawberries (remove the green tops) and turn them into a serving dish. Serve with powdered sugar and cream.
2. 2Pick over selected strawberries, place in a colander, pour cold water over, and drain thoroughly. Press powdered sugar into cordial glasses. Remove from glasses onto the centers of fruit plates. Arrange twelve berries around each mound of sugar. Berries served in this way should not be hulled.
3. 3Cantaloupes and muskmelons should be very ripe and thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator before being prepared for serving. Wipe melons. If small, cut in halves lengthwise; if larger, cut in sections, and remove seeds and stringy portion. If one-half is served as a portion, put one tablespoon of crushed ice in the cavity. Serve with salt or powdered sugar.
4. 4Put bunches of grapes in a colander and pour cold water over them, drain, chill, and arrange on a serving dish. Remove imperfect grapes, as well as those under-ripe or over-ripe. Garnish with grape leaves, if available.
5. 5Wipe orange and cut in halves crosswise. Place one-half on a fruit plate, having an orange spoon or teaspoon on the plate at the right of the fruit.
6. 6Peel an orange and remove as much of the white portion as possible. Remove pulp by sections, which may be accomplished by using a sharp knife and cutting pulp from the tough portion first on one side of the section, then on the other. Should there be any white portion of skin remaining on the pulp, it should be cut off. Arrange sections on a glass dish or fruit plate. If the orange is a seeded one, remove seeds.
7. 7Remove peel from an orange in such a way that there remains a one-half inch band of peel equal distance from the stem and blossom end. Cut the band, separate sections, and arrange around a mound of sugar.
8. 8Wipe grapefruit and cut in halves crosswise. With a small, sharp-pointed knife, make a cut separating the pulp from the skin around the entire circumference; then make cuts separating the pulp from the tough portion which divides the fruit into sections. Remove the tough portion in one piece, which may be accomplished by one cutting with scissors at the stem or blossom end close to the skin. Sprinkle the fruit pulp left in the grapefruit skin generously with sugar. Let stand ten minutes, and serve very cold. Place on a fruit plate and garnish with a candied cherry (optional).
9. 9Prepare grapefruit as described in the previous step. Add to each portion one tablespoon of Sherry wine, and let stand one hour in the refrigerator or a cold place.
10. 10Prepare grapefruit as described in step 8. Add to each portion one-half tablespoon of apricot brandy.
11. 11Prepare grapefruit as described in step 8. Add to each portion one-half tablespoon of sloe gin.