How to Make an Edible Vegetable Centerpiece
Whether you're creating a table centerpiece for a holiday meal, an afternoon tea party or a casual gathering with friends, let the decoration pull double duty by constructing it with vegetables. Use simple techniques and basic tools like cookie cutters and wood skewers to design an edible centerpiece that's as eye-catching as it is delicious. Pair the vegetables that resemble colorful floral blooms with an assortment of dips in decorative pots that your guests can enjoy before and during the meal. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Metal loaf pan
- Rectangular basket
- Polystyrene foam
- Plastic cling wrap
- Celery
- Green onions
- Knife
- Radishes
- Bowl of water
- Wood skewers
- Sharp scissors or kitchen shears
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Micro cookie cutters
- Cherry tomatoes
- Pimento-stuffed olives
- Vegetable dips
- Glass watering cans, teacups or bowls
Instructions
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Wash and place a metal loaf pan inside a long, rectangular basket that conceals the pan. Wrap a piece of polystyrene foam that's 2 inches smaller than the length and width of the loaf pan in three layers of plastic cling wrap to ensure it's clean and sanitary. Place the polystyrene foam in the center of the loaf pan.
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Rinse stalks of celery and green onions and use a knife to cut the vegetables so they're 3 inches taller than the loaf pan. Wedge the onions and celery stalks between the sides of the polystyrene foam and the loaf pan so the vegetables stand upright to resemble grass.
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3
Make radish roses by using a sharp knife to cut a 1/2 inch off the top of the radish. Use the knife to make five to six straight cuts down the outer edges of the vegetable to make it resemble a flower. Soak the cut radish in a bowl of cold water until the "petals" begin to curl away from the center. Insert a wood skewer in the bottom of each radish and use sharp scissors or kitchen shears to cut the sticks to varying lengths.
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4
Peel, wash and cut vegetables like carrots, zucchini and cucumbers into 1/2-thick slices. Press a micro cookie cutter into the center of a slice to create a floral or geometric shape. You can also give the vegetable slices notched edges by trimming 1/4-inch squares into the sides with a sharp knife. Thread the vegetables in random patterns onto wood skewers cut to different lengths.
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5
Add cherry tomatoes to wood skewers to create vibrant red "flowers." Make a "flower center" by placing a slice of a pimento-stuffed olive atop the tomato before pressing the skewer through the vegetable.
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Arrange the radishes, vegetable skewers and cherry tomatoes to resemble a floral centerpiece by pressing the skewers into the polystyrene foam inside the loaf pan. Distribute the different types of vegetables evenly throughout the arrangement, creating a variety of heights for an eye-catching presentation.
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Create a variety of dips such as ranch, onion or cheese sauces to accompany the vegetables. Pour the dips into decorative glass watering cans or teacups and bowls printed with garden-themed designs. Situate the containers around the edible vegetable table decoration.
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Tips & Warnings
Serve a fresh vegetable arrangement by storing the cut vegetables in water and adding them to the skewers and placing the skewers in the centerpiece just before the guests arrive. Cut extra vegetables to replenish the arrangement throughout the event.
