GarnishFoodBlog - Fruit Carving Arrangements and Food Garnishes: March 2011

>> 3/31/2011

I ask. You answer.

The Bunny:

Orange for a head
Baby orange cut in half for cheeks
Orange skin for ears and feet
Gloves for eyes and nose
Carrot for carrot

>> 3/30/2011

Related entries:

Some Exotic Fruits From South Asia

By this blog post I want to share a few words about a new Wiki project related to food. MyCityCuisine is Food & Travel Wikipedia that guide you to a traditional cuisine from around the world.

MyCityCuisine project is on the stage of filling up with content. I took a look at the website and found some cities I have been to. It was a fun to recall my culinary experience in those countries:

Barcelona. I remember pizzeria and fast food only. In my opinion it is difficult to find a restaurant of traditional spanish cuisine in Barcelona. I have managed to enjoy spanish food in Sevilla. I liked paella, beer and olives, fried sea food and cheese. And some baking too.

Beijing. Peking Duck is the most delicious thing I have tried in Beijing. I have been to Beijing for a short trip so I did not managed to try much. The most shocking dish was a bug kebab in a street market. I saw chinese men eating bugs & worms kebab and that was enough to me to experience the dish. (check up the pictures of that kind of kebabs in Street Food section Deep Fried Inserts on MyCityCuisine)

Cairo. I loved egyptian sandwiches with Tahini sauce and Tamiyya. I also tried a sugarcane juice. Someone said me to beware of the local street food, but believe me it is tasty. I am OK and still alive after that.

Riga. Latvian food tastes like Russian food. It is simple and tasty. I did not found anything exotic there. One thing I was impressed by is a really large plate. When I asked a half portion of the dish that was too much to me yet.

Tokyo. Well :)) I guess I have tried everything in Japan apart from Fugu fish. I have tasted fresh fish and black eggs boiled into sulphur spring. Japanese cuisine is my favorite one (while I prefer a well cooked dishes).

On MyCityCuisine you will find the names, description and photo of the national food from around the world. You are able to update info like in other Wiki websites.

Simple Fruit Carving Arrangement With Apples and Oranges. Friut Fan

>> 3/26/2011

Today I will show how to make a simple fruit display using apples and orange. Very simple but effective arrangement. Take your knife and come along with me.

Check up my tutorials. Free download!

Fruit Fan

To arrange fruits like the one on the picture I use a special plate with pins. The pins provide a secure construction. The plate makes a fruit arrangement trasportable. I use the pined plate for making 'Take Out' fruit displays.

You will need:

1 orange

2 red apples

1 green apple

1 apple for a base

some dark grapes

Toothpicks and bamboo sticks

Step 1.

Prepare the following centerpices:

orange lollypop - 5 pcs

apple flower - 4 pcs

apple leaf - 5 pcs

Orange lollypop, apple flower and leaf carved out of green apple

Step 2.

Set an apple on the pins. The apple will serve a base to fix the pieces on it.

The apple serves as a base

Step 3.

Fix the orange lollypops. Pin them into the apple.

Orange lollypops make the upper level of the fan

Step 4.

Fix the bamboo sticks with the apple flowers arranging them in a shape of fan.

The apple flowers make the medium level of the fruit fan

Step 5.

Add the apple leaves to the lower level.

The green apple leaves add some color to the fruit display

Step 6.

Fill the plate with fruits.

Party fruit buffet is served!

Eat me!

This post is a contribution to Create n Carve ~ Veg Event April 2011. That Event is about to spread the word of fruit carving art all around the world.

Korean Dol Celebration. Fruit Cornucopia and Chocolate Bouquet

>> 3/24/2011

Dol (Tol) celebration is a Korean tradition to celebrate the child's first birthday. Korean Dol is an important ceremony, it can be very interesting for westerm people. The first time I went to Dol Party was a birthday of my schoolmate's daughter many years ago. There was a first time I saw Doljabee game.

What's Doljabee?

That is one of the ceremony component, a kind of prediction for the child's life. Actually it looks like a game. A family prepare a table with different things and items on it. A birthday child sits on the table and picks up objects that attract him. Each object has a meaning for a life. The child's future is predicted according to the picked items:

thread - long life

rice - prosperity

book, pencil - intelligence

money - wealth

Often the parents add non-traditional things with having thier own meaning.

There is a large Korean diaspora here in Sakhalin. So I am often asked to make a fruit carving arrangement for the Dol Party (1st Birthday Celebration).

We provide also chocolate fountain, beverage party fountain and giant soap bubble show.

The following chocolate arrangement and fruit Cornucopia are the result of my recent Dol party job.

Check out other Dol party fruit decorations:

Fruit Princess Story

Kawaii Fruits #1. Cute Fruit Garnish

Watermelon With a Butterfly

Fruit Tray to 1 Year Birthday Party

Chocolate bouquet with fruit rabbits to the Korean Dol party

'Hello Kitty' Baloon decoration and my candy arrangement for the Dol Celebration

Cornucopia with fruits

Chocolate fondue fountain and fruit buffet for Dol celebration

Are you ready to party?

Carved melon for Cornucopia arrangement and my Triangle carving tool box

DVD Tutorials on Fruit Carving Art

>> 3/16/2011

Finally I recieved the DVD I ordered on Amazon. One dvd by James Parker, one from Chef Ray Duey and three dvd tutorials by Pam Maneeratana.

Of course the very first one I started watching was James Parker because he is my hero. Undoubtedly he is a perfect showman and good entreprenuer. I like his way of promoting the art of fruit and vegetable carving. "Basic Fruit & Vegetable Carving" is more than just a tutorial. This is a professional movie about the whole process of making edible arrangements from buying fruits to eating the centerpieces.

Recommended!
Accurate centerpieces, skilled master, high quality movie at the good price.
Makes impression "Every one can do that".

Chef Ray teaches simple centerpieces as well as the advanced melon carving techniques. I have learned some new things from his tutorial "Fruit & Vegetable Sculpting". But one thing I don't like about the movie is that the author carves in hurry. Chef Ray cuts quickly and often ruines the pattern. This is the only 'minus'. In total the dvd tutorial is an INFORMATIVE course with a HUGE number of centerpices, GOOD VALUE, a must to watch!

Pam Maneeratana shows fruit carving techniques in details. Explains much, carves slowly to let us understand the idea and the trick. Good tutorials for EAGER fruit carvers. Pam is a perfect teacher!