How to Make a Food Garnish

This is a finished tomato rose.

It is often said that people eat with their eyes as well as their palates. Food should be visually appealing to charm the eaters as you serve them. Use garnishes crafted from common foods to add an amusing and interesting touch to any dish. A simply carved vegetable can make any item seem more enticing.

Things You'll Need

• Leek
• Vegetable peeler
• Carrot
• Red pepper
• Paring knife
• Caviar
• Capers
• Clear jelly
• Tomato
• Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Choose food with no blemishes to use in the garnish. Look for tomatoes without brown spots, carrots that have no withered ends and celery that is not wilting. You can later scrape off any bad parts, but often such problems are indications that the items are not fresh or have quality issues.

2. Add color with blanching. Blanching is the process of running a vegetable under very hot or boiling water for a few seconds. The blanching process can make many vegetables appear quite brightly colored. Broccoli will look emerald green. Tomatoes will get redder and carrots more orange.

3. Peel away any bad parts. Even when using good quality items, you will need to scrape off inedible ends or parts that you are not using. Use a vegetable peeler to cut away the sides of a carrot. Chop off the ends of a leek.

4. Make a bow from leek shavings. Cut three strips from the outside of a leek with a vegetable peeler. Fold two strips together to form a bow. Tie up the bow with an additional leek strip.

5. Turn a carrot into a flower. Cut a carrot stick in half lengthwise. Cut out a smaller stick from the first carrot stick. Make three additional similar cuts in the carrot stick. Chop up the remaining carrot stick crosswise. Each piece should form the base of a flower. Top the middle of the carrot with finely chopped red pepper or similar brightly colored vegetable. A few bits of caviar or two capers work equally well. Secure the middle ingredients to the center of the carrot with a bit of dried fruit or clear jelly.

6. Make a tomato rose. A small cherry tomato is ideal. Begin at the end of the stem. Using a very sharp paring knife, peel the surface of the tomato to form one unbroken strip of skin. Turn this skin inside out to form a rose. Clear away seeds gently. Place a toothpick on the opposite end of the tomato, and attach it to a piece of meat. The tomato rose can also be plopped directly into a salad or soup.

References

• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Vegetable Blanching Resource