As fabulous as this dessert is, it needed just a little color—some fronds of lemongrass—to add excitement to the plate. Photograph courtesy of Richart.
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KAREN HOCHMAN, Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE, prefers plating and garnishing to the actual cooking.
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November 2005
Updated June 2009
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Garnish Glamour
Page 3: Garnishes For Sweet Dishes
This is Page 3 of a three-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
It’s even more fun to pick garnishes for dessert. Often, they’re as delicious as the dessert itself. Feel free to add two or even three garnishes, but make sure they don’t overwhelm the flavor or the appearance of the main event. Here’s how you can easily turn a piece of plain cake, tart scoop of ice cream or pudding into a glamour girl:
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| Classic garnish: raspberry and mint leaves. Below, sliced strawberries provide more coverage. |
Chocolate curls: another classic garnish. Below, another way to garnish with fruit, plus chocolate sauce. |
Edible flowers: a very pretty presentation, even if you don’t eat them. You can use candied flowers or marzipan instead. |
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Cheesecake photos courtesy of PRPastry.com, which produces many delectable flavors of cheesecake.
Now, think of what you can do with all the options below.
Garnishes For Sweet Dishes
| Category |
Options |
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| Candies & Nuts |
- Chocolate morsels,
scattered (use quality
morsels from top
chocolatiers)
- Chocolate novelties:
straws, coins, decorative
pieces
- Crushed peppermint or
toffee
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- Marrons glacées
- Nuts—chopped, sliced,
whole,
roasted or candied
- Shaved chocolate (white,
milk,
(dark)
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| Cookies & Wafers |
- Bite-size gourmet cookies
- Fans
- Flutes
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| Creams |
- Chestnut purée,
sweetened
- Crème anglais
- Crème chantilly
- Crème fraîche
- Flavored or unflavored
yogurt
|
- Sour cream, sweetened or
plain
- Whipped cream, regular or
flavored (almond, cardamom,
ginger—the opportunities are
extensive)
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| Flowers |
- Edible flowers like
hollyhocks, nasturtiums,
pansies and violets
- Herb blossoms (if you
grow herbs and your
plants are in flower)
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- Shot glasses or soy sauce bowls
with sprigs of flower blossoms
as plate centerpieces (arrange
food around them)
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| Fruits |
- Blood orange sections
- Candied citrus peel
- Champagne grape
clusters (or dot with individual grapes)
- Citrus peel curls
- Citrus zest
- Dried fruit and fruit chips
- Fans or shapes* of apple,
pear
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- Pomegranate arils (seeds)
- Skewered berries and/or melon
balls
- Skewered mixed color grapes
- Sliced star fruit
- Stuffed dates or prunes
*Cut with hors d’oeuvre “cookie cutters”; use lemon juice to prevent discoloration |
| Herbs & Spices |
- Basil
- Cinnamon sticks
- Lavender sprigs†
- Lemongrass
- Mint (all varieties)
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- Pink peppercorns
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Star anise
†(Use culinary lavender, grown without pesticides) |
| Sauces |
- Butterscotch
- Chocolate or fudge
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- Coffee or mocha
- Fruit (lemon, berry, etc.)
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We hope you’ve picked up some ideas to put to work today. If you have favorite garnishes to add, click here to tell us about them. We’re off to continue garnishing!
This white chocolate banana tart, scrumptious in of itself, still needs a bit of accessorizing to look its best. It’s wearing 5 garnishes: a dollop of whipped cream, a chocolate straw, a miniature cookie, fresh raspberries, and a mint sprig. Photograph courtesy of El Rey Chocolate. Click here for the recipe.
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