Elegant Holiday Plating

Nothing offsets a meal more than how it's plated. It elevates the dish, giving it a rarefied status. Even the most ordinary of foods looks like pure gold whenthey're presented in an elegant fashion.Plating is a great idea for holiday parties and dinners,giving guests a special "wow" factor.

It was the subject and also a pictorial in Wednesday's New York Times Dining section.Dining regular , Jeff Gordnier ,  had presented an interesting representation from various New York and its' boroughs restaurants. Perhaps the classiest is Elm in the trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Chef Paul Liebrandt makes squab lollipops surrounded by small dabs of greens.It's refreshing and puts diners in mind of Spring and Summer. This is a great idea for holiday hors d' oeuvres with  maybe lamb pops surrounded by thimblefuls of collard greens or salsa verde.WD-50 chef, the famed Wylie Dufresne layers literally curds and whey over duck slices to create a unique dish.

Any home chef could copy these ideas. Instead of just a heap of mashed potatoes think three small rounded teaspoons with a drizzle of gravy  accompanying slices of beef. Filet mignon can be made even more elegant with a line of anchovy paste or caviar drawn on top. Salad can be served  as a decoration with a halved grape tomato surrounded by a small wreath of baby greens. Of course you can also go old school with plating as Chef Joey Campanero of The Little Owl did . He serves a pork chop upon a bed of dandelion greens It's  given a homey feel with a pool of gravy underneath and a heaping side of whipped spuds. Doing this showcases the pork chop but also gives it a more homey , inviting feel to it.

Not only must holiday dishes be tasty ,they should also be presented in an interesting and elegant fashion.Plating can do this. Create a beautiful meal . Use your  food as the colorful ingredients to make a masterpiece .