Use Hollowed-Out Dragon Fruit Skin As A Decorative Dessert Bowl

There are over 2,000 types of fruit that grow on planet Earth, but it seems like we only enjoy a handful of them. As much as we love quintessential fruits like apples, oranges, and grapes, there is a whole world of juicy, antioxidant-rich, and candy-flavored fruits worth exploring. One of the lesser-enjoyed but still widely accessible fruits available in the United States is dragon fruit. What makes this fruit so unique isn't just its mystical name and flavor, but also its pink, spiky exterior that can double as a decorative dessert bowl.

Using dragon fruit skin as a dessert bowl can add a visually stunning and eco-friendly touch to the presentation of your favorite sweet treats. It's a biodegradable vessel, so it's perfect for parties and large gatherings where you don't want to wash a massive load of dishes. Goodbye, single-use plastics, and hello environmentally-friendly dessert bowls. Plus, the vibrant magenta and yellow hues of the fruit's skin create an appealing backdrop for colorful desserts, while simultaneously imparting the sweets with a subtle, fruity aroma — functional beauty for the win! Dragon fruit skin is also perfectly edible, and actually offers a host of vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers. Just be sure to wash the fruit thoroughly before using the skin as a bowl, especially if you plan to eat it afterward.

Like all fruits, dragon fruit has a unique taste of its own. Relatively mild in flavor, the flesh of the dragon fruit is often compared to kiwis and pears, with some delicate whispers of citrus. Since you'll be assembling a new dessert inside of the skin, and echoes of its distinct flavor will remain, you may want to consider which dessert ingredients would pair best.

Opt for foods that complement, rather than overpower, the fruit's inherent flavor profile. Creamy and light options like coconut or vanilla panna cotta, or frozen yogurt, provide a smooth contrast that allows the dragon fruit's delicate notes to shine through. For a refreshing twist, consider topping your creamy filling with complementary fruits like strawberries and kiwi, and garnishing with fresh mint leaves.

For a cohesive and palate-pleasing combination, citrus-infused fillers like a lemon sorbet or key lime pie can play off the gentle citrus hints in the dragon fruit. For something particularly decadent, foodies can experiment with a rich white chocolate mousse or a tropical chocolate fondue, which is offset by the dragon fruit's mild sweetness. Don't hesitate to crown your dessert with tropical fixings like coconut shavings, macadamia nuts, and agave nectar for a pleasant textural contrast.

You can't have a dragon fruit bowl without consuming the meat of the fruit first, and although scooping it right out of its thorny skin with a spoon and eating it raw is a delicacy in and of itself, dragon fruit works well with a wide range of recipes.

Cubed dragon fruit mixed with diced cucumber, mint, and lime juice makes for a delicious fruit salad. On the savory side, incorporate dragon fruit into a salsa by combining it with tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, and a splash of balsamic vinegar for a unique topping for grilled fish or tacos. And why not go ahead and serve your culinary creations in the fruit's biodegradable shell?

Dragon fruit inception, anyone? You can also create a dragon fruit acai bowl by blending cubes of dragon fruit and acai fruit, pouring them back into the skin, and topping the bowl with creamy almond butter, honey, and hemp seeds for a subtle protein kick that's as sweet as it is filling. 

The next time you see dragon fruit at your local supermarket, make sure to grab one, savor the meat, and turn that funky shell into a functional serving bowl.