Garnishing tip and techniques for food: Fascinate with fruits: strategic shaping

"Fruit can add fun, fruit can add color. Fruit can add taste, food can fascinate.
Not only does strategic shaping of fruits add a beautiful touch to any dessert
A fruity smell can cast a spell!"
- Food Fanatic's Random poetry

Welcome to post five of our Garnishing tip and techniques for food. For this post, Madhu, from South India, garnishes pudding with heart-shaped watermelon pieces. Watermelon is my favorite summer fruit. The sound of this itself makes my mouth water. The picture, no wonder then, makes me drool. Eye candy - hands down!

Garnishing with fruits is this week's tip for food decoration because a lot can be done with fruits. Cut melon, pineapple and apple slabs into interesting shapes, such as stars, moons, suns and flowers. These casting shapes can be found easily at the dollar store in the baking section. They can be arranged in a fancy glass bowl or along the side of a dish. Try piercing through the bottom of a fruit with a bamboo skewer and propped up in a small glass or vase. Halved cherries and cut strawberry pieces work well as flower centers, eyes and other small embellishments secured on the main design with a toothpick. One thing to keep in mind while shaping fruits is to make sure you cut the pieces large enough to hold their shape.

Cooking a meal for the special someone in your life or celebrating an occasion with home made food requires a lot of effort. All the time and effort would fall flat if it is not presented well on the table. Presentation is a very crucial part of every dish; you do not have to be a master chef of five star rated hotels to create the same class effect. Through this weekly series on garnishing tips and techniques, we present an exciting and new garnishing style from fellow foodies around the globe. So come join Food Fanatic in discovering and rediscovering many more garnishing styles and ideas in the coming weeks! Subscribe now ;)

Garnishing tip and techniques archive:
Unconventional wonders: use a stencil
Marvel with vegetables: carve carrots
Simplicity sensation: garnish with edibles
Contrasting charisma: garnishing by adding a riot of colors to the dish