Home » Food & Drink » Food Crafts » Decorating with Garnishes

Decorating with Garnishes

© Angelica R. Van Norman

To garnish is to decorate a completed dish, making it more attractive. Garnishes vary from simple sprigs of parsley and croutons in soup to chocolate leaves on top of chocolate mousse or exotically carved vegetables on plated food. Whether it's simple or exotic, it adds a little "art" to the table.

So...let's start simple.

Fruit Fans : With sharp knife, cut pear halves or strawberries into thin slices, cutting up to, but not through, stem ends. Hold stem end in place and gently fan out slices from stem.

Cherry tomato flowers: Place tomatoes upside-down on cutting board, then cutting to within 1/4 inch of the bottom, quarter or divide into sixths. Spread the petals and place the cherry tomato flowers strategically on platter or individual plates.

Onion Mums: Choose a large, round onion. Place root end down. Make even cuts about halfway into the center of the onion from the top through 3/4 of the way to the bottom (root end). Place a toothpick in the root end and place the entire onion in hot water for a few minutes. This will help remove the onion odor. Then soak the onion cut side down in ice water to help open the petals.

Cucumber-Carrot Pinwheels : Cut cucumber in 3" lengths. Hollow out seeded middle section. Push a carrot into the hollowed out center of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber/carrot wheels into 1/2-inch slices. You end up with a cucumber slice with a carrot center. Try scoring the cucumber skin before using them in this recipe by running a fork lengthwise down the cucumber skin all around the cucumber.

Chili Flowers : Select smooth undamaged chilies of an even color. Using the point of a sharp knife, slit each chili several times lengthways, cutting from the base to the point. The cuts can be made to look spikey, for extra effect. Toss the chilies into iced water. When the "flowers" open, remove the seeds.

And now a bit advanced..........

Watermelon Baby Carriage

Directions:

1. Almost any shape watermelon will work for this project.
2. Cut a thin slice from the bottom to provide a stable base.
3. Draw the outlines for the carriage as shown in the pattern image.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut out the section to be used for the handle. Cut all the way through the rind.
5. Use a decorating tool or knife to cut the fancy edges of the carriage.
6. Remove the top section of rind.

The copyright of the article Decorating with Garnishes in Food Crafts is owned by Angelica R. Van Norman. Permission to republish Decorating with Garnishes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.