Fresh Fruit Fireworks

Ingredients

Pastry cream

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fruit plate

• 2 cups fresh fruit puree (two colors — 1/4 cup each of mango or papaya and raspberry are the most colorful)
• 6 cups assorted seasonal fresh fruit, sliced in different shapes (melon balls, wedges of citrus, slivers of peach, whole grapes)

Directions

1. 1

   To make the pastry cream, blend all of the ingredients in a food processor with a metal blade until satin smooth.

2. 2

   Refrigerate in a tightly covered container until thoroughly chilled.

3. 3

   To make the desserts, place 2 tbsps.

4. 4

   of each color puree on each of 8 large round plates, preferably white.

5. 5

   Spread the puree out in an interesting pattern with the back of a spoon.

6. 6

   Arrange 3/4 c.

7. 7

   of the various fruits in an pattern on the top of the puree, creating a work of art on each plate.

8. 8

   Decorate the fruit with the chilled pastry cream.

9. 9

   For a truly exciting treat, use a pastry bag and pipe squiggles, swirls and rosettes onto the fruit.