Esther O Design

With a couple of simple steps you can create eye-catching striped sorbet cups. You’ll find that not only are the results a conversation piece, but each step fun and intriguing as you add each layer one by one. When purchasing the shot glasses, stick with something simple. The simpler the glass, the more dramatic the dessert will look. (You can use plastic as well.)

My incredibly talented friend Shainy of Carve Fruit Artistry, keeps outdoing herself with the most elaborate, exquisite fruit and vegetable platters.  

With Tu B'shvat right around the corner, I asked her to prepare a simple impressive idea to enhance your Tu B'shvat tablescape.

Using minimal fruits, learn how to create a beautiful floral arrangement that will surely impress your family and friends.

Years ago, I made a fruit topiary centerpiece for a Bar Mitzvah which took place the week of Tu B’shvat. Though it looked beautiful, it was not practical at all. The moment someone took a fruit off, the whole structure began to unravel. Last year, a friend of mine asked me to make fruit centerpieces for her daughter’s Shabbos Sheva Brachos which came out on Tu B’shvat. This time, I was determined to make something more practical. Originally, I intended to use curly branches from my florist, but while I was planning this I spotted an all-year-round bush in my yard with beautiful leaves on it, which is what you see in the picture.  I used some thin wire to hang kumquats on the branches and a striking “tree” centerpiece was created that still looked great after its fruits were “picked”.

As a child, I always looked foward to our family Tu B'shvat party.I loved the tasty and colorful array of the many fruits my mother artfully displayed. Fast forward to today where there is an even more extensive selection of dried and fresh fruit available to choose from. Whatever your Minhag, there are so many  creative and fun things that can be done. Last year, my friend asked me to help her come up with a  Tu B'shvat idea for her Talmud Torah class, using dried fruits. Here's what we came up with. She told me it was a big hit and the children came up with such cute and original ideas.

I was totally convinced I had hit upon a brilliant idea... Why not combine the dried fruits with another fruit..... Chocolate! Well, after a little research I realized that chocolate is actually classified as a vegetable.... Oh well. The idea however was too good not to post -  so here it is, Dried Fruit Chocolate Cluster

This fruit “cake,” like the ones my mother always made for special occasions, will allow you to have your cake and eat it too!