Add Pizazz to Your Food with a Fruit or Vegetable Garnish

Take a peek below for some simple ideas you can use to garnish your food that will WOW your guests and get their taste buds working overtime!

• A little cluster of grapes can make a big statement! Use them to compliment a cheese platter, a meat tray, or a fruit dip.
• Lemons, limes, and oranges are extremely versatile. Slice them thin, cut them into wedges, or spiral-score their rinds and use them whole for tremendous visual appeal! Save the spiral curl from scoring the rind and use that for embellishment as well!

• Save the top off of a fresh pineapple and use it as the centerpiece of a fruit platter.
• Fresh cranberries, rasperries, and blueberries are very attractive on a food table! Use them on top of desserts, or pair them with a sprig of fresh herbs for added interest. For a little something different, try using them in clear glass votives or bowls, and topping them with a tealight candle. They make a really pretty addition to the table.



• Frosted grapes and cranberries are easy to make and look very elegant. Place the fruits on a wire rack, brush with egg substitute, and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Let them dry for an hour or so and they're ready to go! Just make sure you don't refrigerate them...the moisture from the fridge will melt the sugar.
• Make several slices in strawberries from the bottom to (but not through) the top, then slide gently to fan them out. These look great alongside desserts or on a cheese tray.

Ideas for a Vegetable Garnish

• Line your serving platters with leafy lettuce. It adds a beautiful touch, keeps food from slipping around on the plate, and it absorbs grease!
• Cut colorful bell peppers into thin strips or rings and use them to accent your dishes.
• Olives and olive sprigs make a gorgeous compliment to bread dipping oils and salads.
• Fluted mushrooms are easy to make and pack a powerful visual punch! Cut several slits (at even intervals) around the caps of firm white mushrooms, cutting from the center to the edge, and slightly curving the knife inward. Make another set of slits next to the original cuts, allowing a small space between them, and again curving the knife inward. Remove the thin strips from the caps and throw them away.



• Tomato roses are a popular vegetable garnish. Despite their fancy look, they are actually incredibly simple to make! To create, use a sharp paring knife to slice a thin layer from the bottom of a tomato. Starting at the top, peel a continuous, thin strip from the entire tomato. Coil the strip (flesh side pointing in) tightly at first, and then gradually looser, to form rose petals. Sit on top of fresh basil leaves.
• Artichokes are a terrific choice for sprucing up a table. Sit them neatly beside an aritchoke dip, and pair them up with an eggplant for extra "oomph."



• Green onion fans are fabulous garnishes for mexican dips, crab dips, and many other party foods. To make, cut off the root of the onions and several inches of the top of the green portion. Using a sharp knife, cut several slits (to about halfway down) in each green onion portion. Place in ice water and refrigerate until the ends curl and fan out.
• Use Shredded carrots for a fast and easy vegetable garnish. They make a pretty bed for sitting deviled eggs and other bite-sized appetizers on top of.

More Fun Garnishing Ideas