Lesson 8: Garnishing, Special Dishes, & Herbal Desserts

This lesson will start with garnishing, including instructions on frying herbs and frosting mint leaves. I'll give recipes for some classic herb sauces (pesto, gremolada, and salsa verde), as well as two personal favorite dishes of mine, gravlax and risotto Milanese, (saffron risotto). We’ll end up with dessert - only these desserts will use leafy herbs, not the traditional dessert spices.

Garnishing

Herbs and some spices make some of the best garnishes in the world. Below are some general garnishing tips:

• Do not decorate with anything inedible, (except perhaps for birthday candles and toys on children’s cakes). You introduce an artificial element that does nothing to excite taste buds and often clashes with the underlying food. Herbs are obviously edible; but make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides.

• Any edible garnish should be compatible with the underlying food. A safe way to insure compatibility is to echo one of the ingredients used in the dish, i.e. use the same ingredient but perhaps in a different form. For a chicken dish in which rosemary has been used, top the chicken with a sprig of rosemary. Alternatively, garnish with a natural complement, e.g. basil on fish dressed with a tomato sauce. Chopped parsley would look pretty on a cheesecake, but is obviously incompatible.

• Complex dishes require simple garnishes; simple dishes can handle more complex garnishes. Simple chopped parsley on a beef stew makes sense, just as a combination of finely chopped tomatoes, carrots, and chopped coriander would top a plain chicken breast more effectively than just one of those elements.

• Bring out platters. We all have platters, usually gifts or some that came in dish sets. When serving even a weekday meal, put both the meat dish and accompanying vegetable on the same platter, arranged pleasingly. Don’t crowd the platter, and when choosing the dishes, remember contrasting color. White mashed potatoes surrounding a plate of chicken breasts are not that exciting. Put a row of glazed carrots between the two, and some green herbs around the edge and a simple meal looks very festive.

• Think natural color. Using real flowers to decorate cakes, salads, soups, etc. provides vibrant natural coloring that is eye pleasing and easy. Two personal favorites are flowers from chives and lavender. The star anise referred to in Lesson 7 would look great floating on a bowl of pea soup.

• Use an odd number of pieces on the food or on the plate, i.e. one or three sage leaves or mint sprigs, not two or four. Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.

For a unique and delicious fried garnish, wash and dry whole basil or sage leaves, or sprigs of parsley, tarragon, marjoram, and cilantro. In a small bowl or on a small plate, season flour with salt and pepper. Dip the herbs in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 inches of canola oil to 285 degrees in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Lower the leaves gently into the oil, and fry until golden. Drain on a folded paper towel.

Frosted mint leaves are very easy to make and are wonderful on chocolate cake, especially a Yule log at Christmas time. Put a cooling or other heatproof rack on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix a teaspoon of water with one egg white. Shake a layer of superfine sugar on a plate – either buy superfine sugar or grind up regular sugar in a food processor. Holding the mint leaf at one end either with your fingers or with tweezers, dip the leaf first in the egg white, then roll it in the sugar. Lay the coated leaf on the rack and repeat with the rest of the leaves. Bake in a very low, 200-degree oven, until dry but not browned.

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