Edible Floral Garnish (Dedicated to Bergy)
Recipe: #16977
January 24, 2015
Categories: Cucumber, 5 Ingredients Or Less Low Calorie, No Eggs, more
"This bit of artistry is from a book I have titled “Garnishing & Decoration” by Rudolph Biller. He believes that food should taste good, but also be eye-catching. I shared a photo of this garnish w/Bergy in a Photo Challenge at another site nearly 6 years ago & she encouraged me to enter it as a formal recipe. I did & now I get to do it again here at Zazz. Making this “recipe” is a bit like putting an easy puzzle together. There’s no real cost & it transforms an ordinary plate of food into art. How does the saying go, Bergy? “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This garnish speaks volumes about how much a cook cares about her guests & the dining fare they are about to enjoy. :-)"
Ingredients
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (109.1 g)
- Calories 14
- Total Fat - 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat - 0 g
- Cholesterol - 0 mg
- Sodium - 240.1 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 2.6 g
- Dietary Fiber - 1 g
- Sugars - 1.4 g
- Protein - 0.8 g
- Calcium - 17.5 mg
- Iron - 0.4 mg
- Vitamin C - 3.6 mg
- Thiamin - 0 mg
Step by Step Method
Step 1
NOTE: Before we start the Prep Steps, I need to say that I frankly think it’s easier to eyeball the pic & duplicate it than to follow more-complex directions. That said, directions are part of the process so read through them & decide your own best method.
Step 2
Do not peel the cucumber. Cut off 1 tapered end of the cucumber & discard it.
Step 3
Cut 3 segments (3/4 in wide) from the cucumber & halve each thru the center. You now have 6 segments.
Step 4
Place 4 of the segments (center cut side down & rind side up) on your cutting board & cut each diagonally so you have 8 segments that will form the petals of the flower.
Step 5
Use 1 of the last 2 segments to thinly slice the half-moon shaped pieces that will form the stem of the flower & trim them as shown in the pic.
Step 6
Using a vegetable peeler, peel 1 or 2 strips of cucumber rind & cut into several leaf shapes as shown in the pic (Remember I warned you the "eyeball method" would be easier, but you do need to read the 'finishing touch" in Prep Step 7).
Step 7
The final step invites your creativity. The center of the flower can be made w/a variety of options. You can use cheese, an egg slice, a carrot coin, a halved cherry tomato (or chopped tomato), red or yellow bell pepper or even a slice of cucumber cut from the tapered end you were about to discard.
Tips
- No special items are required