When Liz Nardo from The Baddish Group sent me this Holiday Craft by Tish Boyle, I fell in love with it. It is as delicious as it is beautiful. I am definitely going to make it myself for Christmas Dinner, I am sure my family and friends will be amazed. Edited by Jacqueline Garcia
"This year take a fresh new approach to holiday crafts and make them edible! This Very Berry Holiday Tree created by cookbook author Tish Boyle is the ideal holiday 'must do' that let's you get your craft on and save money too – in under an hour."
"So forget the fresh flowers, this simple project is sure to delight everyone on who sets eyes on your table. And, once you experience the taste of Driscoll's you will want to make sure that these berry bright trees are a signature hostess gift in your own party repertoire."
Driscoll’s Very Berry Holiday Tree
Makes one table centerpiece
Special equipment:
1 floral foam or green styrofoam cone (measuring 4-5 inches in diameter at the base and 12 inches high)
1 box of toothpicks
Supplies:
4 one pound 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.
Directions:
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 halfway into the side of the cone, about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Secure a strawberry to the toothpick, piercing it through the stem end. 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. About Tish Boyle
Tish Boyle is editor in chief of Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines. A graduate of Smith College and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, she has been a caterer, pastry chef, and food stylist. She is the author of The Good Cookie and Diner Desserts, and coauthor of Simply Sensational Desserts (IACP Award Winner), Chocolate Passion, and the Grand Finales series of books.
