How to Carve a Swan From an Apple

Impress the guests at your next dinner party or your children with simple apple swans.

The art of food carving began in China in 600 to 1200 AD as a way to decorate traditional Chinese dishes. Today, food carving has become an art form practiced around the world. If you are looking for a way to impress the guests at your next gathering, create apple swans as a garnish for a buffet table or as part of a dessert plate. You can also serve apple swans to children as a healthy afternoon snack.

Things You'll Need

• Apple
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Lemon juice
• Toothpicks
• Raisin

Instructions

1. Choose a large apple without any bruises or dents. You will need one apple for each swan that you wish to carve. The color of the apple is irrelevant so choose an apple that will look nice on your buffet table or is a favorite of your children.

2. Cut a slice off the bottom of the apple so that the fruit sits level on a flat surface. Set this piece aside to create the swan's head and tail in a later step. Dip all of the exposed apple surfaces in lemon juice to prevent browning. The large piece will be the swan's body.

3. Slice two large wedges out of the apple that will become the wings. Cut one wedge from the right side and one from the left side of the apple. Remove these sections and dip all of the surfaces in lemon juice. Cut three to five more wedges out of each of the removed sections and dip in lemon juice. Each wedge in a section is successively smaller.

4. Reassemble the wedges cut in Step 3 and place the two large wedges back onto the swan's body. Each wedge should be staggered from its original position so that the wedges extend at an angle and give the appearance of large wings.

5. Carve the swan's head and neck out of the bottom piece cut earlier. The head and neck will resemble a "V" with 90 to 120 degree angle between the sides. Use a toothpick to secure the head to the swan's body at the front of the top wedge. Tuck the leftover piece, after you carve the head, beneath the apple to create a tail feather. Secure the tail feather with a toothpick so that it will point up at a slight angle.

6. Cut a raisin in half and secure each half to the head of the swan to create eyes. This step is not necessary for a formal dinner party but is a fun addition for children.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to serve the swan immediately, you may skip the lemon juice dip to preserve the flavor.

References

• Veggy Art: The History of Garnishing by Xiang Wang
• DFW CHEF: Apple Swan
• ifood.tv: Fruit Carving