Present your Plate

Now that you have started experimenting with my recipes its high time you think about inviting your friends out for a weekend brunch or for a dinner tonight........

I am sure you ve heard about " You Eat with your Eyes First"...part of serving good food is a great presentation. The food should appeal your eyes...ears and nose...You really don't have to be trained professional chef to learn the basic of plating your dishes..which is nothing but the Art of Presenting your Food in an amazing and attractive manner

PLAN YOUR PLATTER

Sketch the presentation to help you visualize the platter. You might just draw it visually or need a pencil / pen drawing to help you ( But most important plan your menu well in advance to continue with these steps)

TABLE SETTING

Set / Arrange your table properly with all the cutlery needed for having your menu and appropriate glasses ( in case you are serving wines / other drinks)...Let your personal sense of style - colors and fashion help you to set your table.....Just like what you want to wear or what the "Color Pick of the Day"....

For more detailed notes you can check on http://startcooking.com/blog/314/7-Inexpensive-and-Chic-Table-Setting-Ideas


CHOOSE YOUR PLATES WELL

You must have seen most chefs using White or light colored plates for serving....its not compulsory but it just helps to enhance the visual appearance of the food color while dishes with bold patterns can hide your food / distract your visual sensory away from your food
But while sticking on the traditional white plate is being safe, for Summers you can try out Bold colors say for BBQ's....like a red plate for baked potatoes with a dollop of sour cream and chives......gives a very beautiful color presentation

In case you are serving the platter as a whole ( rather than making it self service) start arranging the food from the center of the plate moving outwards. This increases the appealing factor and also prevents the server from sticking his/her thumb in the food

Also remember to pre-heat your plates by placing them in the oven (please check for microwave safe dishes) if serving hot
If you are serving cold foods, cool your dishes in the fridge or freezer for a bit

Make sure your serving plates are big enough to let each food item stand out, but small enough that the portions don’t look tiny

Here is a link on how to plate a pasta - http://www.villabertolli.com/cooking-school/presentation/plating-pasta.aspx

Some of the useful links that ay help you choose your plates ....

http://www.amazon.com/Grasslands-Road-Coastal-Starfish-Serving/dp/B004RSLAEG/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1305129891&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Clay-Art-Damask-14-Inch-Platter/dp/B003ENSP7K/ref=sr_1_15?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1305129891&sr=1-15

http://www.amazon.com/Villeroy-Boch-13-Inch---9-Inch-Gourmet/dp/B0000C8XTJ/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1305129824&sr=1-12

THE CLOCK RULE

Think about the plate as a face of the clock....So at 11:00 goes your carbos (roti, rice , pasta etc)...Vegetables at 2:00 and the protein ( pulses , legumes, meat, fish) at 6:00

I have taken this pic from a hotel s website - just to give you guys a brief idea about Clocking the Food

Below given is a more conventional method know as the "Smiley Face" where the meat and the veggies have been interchanged with their positions

You can also split the plate up in creative ways.

-Pie Style: Divide the plate into "slices" for a classic look. Each part has it's own slice. Get creative by getting as close to the center of the plate as possible.
-Half & Half: Think of a horizontal line dividing your plate in the middle. The main part of the dish should be the focal point for the dinner, with the supporting side dishes rounding out the plate.
-Vertically: You can always build your plate "up". Use a side dish such as spinach, pasta or mashed potatoes as your base and perch proteins and sauces on top


ACT ODD

While serving finger foods / starters such as kebabs ....tikka's place odd numbers...there is nothing specific about this, just that it looks more appealing than the custom even numbers - Unless you have just made 4 kebabs for 4 people


COLORS AND TEXTURE

Play with colors and textures......bring out the Creative You from within.....
Certain colors enhance our enjoyment of food because we have linked the taste of a food with a color, even if it differs from that food’s natural color. A prime example of this is butter, which in its original state can be nearly white, but for commercial purposes is dyed yellow (often using annatto dye) because it is seen as more appealing

Like for example if you are serving Pesto - Pasta you can color with with Red peppers / cherry tomatoes....or may be the napkin can be red colored ...just to compliment the color coordination Or if you are serving plain rice you can add a dollop of ghee or sprinkle some finely chopped cilantro / coriander leaves .......or how about placing some lemon wedges.....gives it a calm effect

Similarly mix and match textures.......varying textures can bring on loads of feel and visual appearance to your plate .............like while serving something smooth you can top it with a crunchy garnish and vice versa .....similar to your Physics rule of "Opposites Attract"

GARNISH

This is the final touch to your project and the easiest way to spruce your plates.....but dont loose sight of your recipe that you've made

Usually the best and the easiest way to garnish a dish is to use an ingredient's from your dish .....for which you could always reserve some pieces that you are using......
(For more detailed notes please refer the "Garnishing Your Way" Section)


So now you are all set to spread a lavishly elegant meal to our loved one's...Enjoy !!!!