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Fruit is great for breakfast but it also serves as a light and refreshing palate cleansing starter – especially when it is followed by a very rich dinner. You’ll need some port and fresh mint for both the fruit starter recipes below. The grapefruit and melon starters will take a quarter of an hour each to prepare and require a long chilling time of two hours. Because of its slightly bitter taste, a little sugar is added to the grapefruit starter.

Zingy grapefruit starter

You will need the following ingredients for this recipe that serves four people: four perfectly ripe grapefruit, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar, 1 tablespoon of port and some fresh mint leaves.

Halve each grapefruit with a sharp knife and then remove the flesh with care. Slice off all the pith and place the fruit in a bowl. Add any run-off grapefruit juice, the sugar and the port and gently mix the ingredients to allow for the flavours to blend.

Place the fruit into four of the grapefruit halves and add the juice. Plastic wrap each grapefruit starter and place it in the fridge to chill for about two hours. Garnish each grapefruit with the fresh mint leaves just before serving.

Sweet melon starter slices

To serve six, you will need one medium-sized melon (that has been wiped clean with a damp cloth), 6 tablespoons of port and some fresh mint leaves to garnish. The melon should be in excellent condition – it shouldn’t be too soft or scarred. To check that a melon isn’t over-ripe, shake it and listen for the sound of liquid inside. If there is, that’s a sign that it is deteriorating.

Using a sharp knife, peel the melon and cut the fruit into thin slices. Place them on a large plate in an attractive manner. Pour the port over the slices and wrap with cling film before placing the plate in the fridge for two hours before serving it.

As with the grapefruit starter, garnish with fresh mint leaves just before serving.

Sweet melon starter wedges

Alternatively, slice the melon into wedges, remove the pips and slice the fruit away from the skin while keeping it in place on the base. Slice across the fruit with a sharp knife, still keeping each wedge shape intact. Arrange each slice on a plate and pour a tablespoon of port over each one.

Wrap each plate thoroughly with cling film and allow the fruit to chill for about two hours before serving. Add the mint leaves for a finishing touch just before serving.

Alcohol-free melon starters

If you’d prefer not to use alcohol, replace the port with ground ginger. You could also arrange peeled melon slices with very thin slices of Parma ham on a large platter – or on individual plates. Cover well and refrigerate until the fruit is chilled and grind some pepper corns over the dish before serving.

Tags: fruit