Making Food Pretty

Posted: February 17th, 2010 | Filed under: Personal | Tags: food | 12 Comments »

The Winter Olympics had me reminiscing about my days in Whistler, so I pulled out my old pictures from last summer. It was then that I stumbled upon this heavenly steak tartare that I once had the pleasure of tasting. Embarrassing part: I can’t remember the restaurant’s name. Horrible of me, I know. But ______’s version of steak tartare is in the Top 5 of the Best Things I’ve Ever Eaten list. They served the dish with these hot, crispy edged starchy cakes made out of deep fried rice, and the contrasting textures and flavors still makes me weep inside a little bit. I’d go as far as to say that’s one of the main reasons I miss Whistler in the first place.

If I’m forced to move aside from the subject of flavor, though, I really liked the plating. In general, I’m very interested in dining, decor, and food styling. We can approach things at random, strictly out of utility, or we can approach things with thoughtful care and passion. I believe that food is so much more than just a necessity. My mother taught me this. Most of my interest, and what I’ve learned, in terms of food was due to her influence. My mom never took any courses on design or cooking. She manages the statistical team at a major pharmaceutical company, so she’s not obviously artistically inclined. But despite her technical and analytical background, she raised me with the belief that everyone can bring a little art into their life. Here are a few of her food styling basics I’d like to share.

The food below is all made by my mother (one or two dishes I’ve specified are by myself), and all the photos were taken by me.

1. Flowers. They’re an obvious way to dress up your dinner table, but there are plenty of ways to add them without blindly stuffing a premixed bouquet into a random vase on your table. I find that sticking to one color is the classiest way to go, and sometimes it’s nice to break down a bouquet and store them in individual little glasses. The tiered pink carnation display was from one of my birthdays. The frame is just stacks of clear plates and glasses; my mother didn’t buy some insane holder. The flowers are also from the supermarket. No fancy florist required!

2. Add height. The chicken breast with the mashed cauliflower on the right is actually my own cooking. See, I learn!

(Left to right: Cheese platter, White wine chicken breast with mashed cauliflower)

3. Simple repetition.

(Left to right: Takoyaki, Caviar on deep fried tofu, Tomato Watermelon salad with basil)

4. Adding a touch of green is probably one of the easiest ways to dress up your food. The seared scallop was made by my mother (obviously I am not that talented), but the okonomiyaki (a Japanese seafood pancake) and the pasta was made by yours truly. It’s interesting how a few pieces of raw vegetable and a brush stroke of sauce can really add something special to your meal.

(Left to right: Seared scallop on pea shoots, Okonomiyaki, Tagliatelle and Meatballs)

5. Interesting plates can really do a lot of the work for you. My mom bought most of her plates from Value Village and random restaurant clearance sales, so you don’t have to run off to Pottery Barn or anything and kill your wallet/self.

(Left to right: Strawberry pavlova, Grilled shrimp and peach salad)

6. Do something unexpected. This is probably the most ambiguous piece of advice, and probably the hardest to follow. Honestly, I don’t think I’m there yet– but I’m assured that with practice I’ll get there. Here are some examples of what I’m talking about. My mother thought of interesting ways to top cupcakes, like taking mini marshmallows and cutting them diagonally to replicate flowers.

(Left to right: Marshmallow cupcakes, White chocolate chip cupcakes, Strawberry brownie cups)

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