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Garnish

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Garnish/ Side dish

Herbed Potato Window Panes

You will want to do more than window shop these windows! You get to eat these.

I have done a “One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato” blog entry where I posted three of my favorite baked potato recipes. This has to be “four”.

It was really nice here in our part of Texas today and I should have been out surveying all of our dead plants that we lost during the winter this year. But, my husband has already cut back and pulled up every dead thing in our yard and right now it is looking like a pretty naked yard. You get him going with a chain saw or pruners and watch out. No such thing as “take a little” off with him.  I can put off taking a look until tomorrow. Today, I decided to just practice bridge and play around with making these little potato delicacies

I saw this recipe years ago in a cookbook and recently I was searching for how to make them and and came across this site. A couple of weeks ago I did a little cooking demonstration for our garden club on herbs. We had one member talking about the herbs and then I showed them how to make somethings using that particular herb. I did a cucumber soup, my Rosemary and the Goat appetizer, Lavender scones, a lemon basil/mint sorbet and these Potato Window Panes.

I love potatoes. Even though we don’t eat them often, I’m always looking for new recipes. Last summer I found this recipe using potatoes and arugula  and after tweaking it I came up with my Potato and Arugula Salad using purple and white new potatoes. I think potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables. They can be part of a meal or the meal itself. You can grate them and use for a potato bread sour dough starter. I remember as a kid we cut them and made designs and used ink pads to stamp out designs with the potatoes. I also remember playing a shower game where you put the potato in a panty hose leg, tied it around your waist and tried to knock a ball across the room (some game huh).

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ColdApp/ Garnish

Citrus flower garnish

Don’t Play with your food…

I’m sure all of us have memories of our mothers saying “don’t play with your food”. I know my twin sister and I did when we were small — we got into everything. I told my own children not to play with their food. Seems like if they didn’t like something, they would move it all over the plate to make it look like they had eaten it. They were picky eaters, but have all grown into wonderful cooks, ready to try anything unusual.

So, playing with food. When I was in a Hospitality Management program yearssssssssss ago I had a semester of Garde Manger. In this class we did plate painting, ice sculptures (my first and last, boy was that cold), we did sushi, all kinds of organ meats, cheeses, everything including my favorite, garnishes. I would go home and PLAY with anything I had in the refrigerator. I love making these citrus flowers. I have used lemons, limes, oranges, lemon and limes together. I use these as garnishes on seafood trays or dessert trays. Sure hope you will try these. I can make one in less than 10 minutes tops.

First you are going to take your lemon (lime, or orange). Using a very sharp knife and being very careful, cut the ends off, cut it in half (lengthwise) and proceed to cut in very thin slices. You want the slices thin because you are going to roll the slices up.


Keep the slices as thin as possible. You will be glad later.

Have your toothpicks ready, you will need quite a few.

Pick out one of the thinner slices and roll it up. Then take another slices and overlap it. Keep doing this. You may find it hard to hold on to but after a few slices and wrapping…

Turn it upside down and proceed to overlap slices, building your flower from the bottom up. When you have used all your slices or have the flower as big as you want…

Start inserting toothpicks in the flower. You can clip the ends but I usually cover up with herbs.
Turn over, and there you have it — a beautiful citrus flower. This one is garnished with basil, parsley, a sprig of rosemary and some salad burnett. Mint is really pretty also as a garnish. Hope you will try these. I have never tried a grapefruit but will one day. I will have to show you how to do a turnip rose. They are beautiful too. — Sherry
ColdApp/ Garnish

Cabbage Flower

 
Red cabbage flower
 
This picture isn’t so much about the recipe but about the cabbage flower I used to decorate a tray. I love making these for events I cater. Simple to make and really make an impact on a tray. Take a small red cabbage and using a very sharp knife, make 8 cuts going almost to the bottom but DO NOT cut all the way through the core. Take the head of cabbage and fill a 5 gallon bucket with water. Soak the cabbage in it overnight or until the cabbage has opened up like a flower. These look beautiful on vegetable display. I have cut out the center and inserted small bowl of dip in the middle. The appetizer that is on the tray is biscuit medallions with cilantro mayonnaise spread on top, topped with a grilled marinated pork tenderloin with mango salsa as a garnish.
-Sherry