Eat the Pretty Things
Making your food look pretty betters its taste by 46%. I don’t have any trials or studies to back this up, but it’s just gotta be true. A pretty plate of food just looks better, just feels better, just tastes better.
This isn’t about being fancy, or winning a Michelin star, or even impressing a date (OK, maybe). This is about embracing that food is more than subsistence, or something to shovel in your mouth. It’s about showing a bit of appreciation of the ingredients, and maybe being thankful many of us have a choice in what we’re going to eat and how we’re going to eat it.
But how? I’m not going to break out the tweezers just to garnish a Tuesday night dinner. I suggest making carpaccio to get in the flow. It’s less of a recipe and more of just arranging things (beautifully) on plate. Here are some of my favorites:
The classic. Make sure your dressing is bright and salty. For this one, the tomatoes are unneeded, but some crusty bread should 100% be added. Oh, and this is raw beef, so buy your meat from somewhere decent, for goodness sake.
The funky Caesar salad-type dressing makes this tick. It’s summer here which means lots of tomatoes, so I’ve been making this one weekly.
I had only ever eaten ahi finished with Asian-type things (wasabi, soy sauce, etc.) until I had something like this Italian-style tuna carpaccio. Tuna swim all over the world (in limited supply, granted), so naturally different cultures prepare it in different ways…they think beyond the sushi default. This recipe is so simple, so clean—you’ll feel great.
Is this a salad? Maybe. Turnip, carrot, radish, and peas with a simple arrangement and dressing. I do know it’s beautiful. Check out the rest of Alain Passard’s food on his Instagram for major inspiration.
Have fun, arrange away. If you mess up and it looks like junk, my best advice is to not point out the flaws to your guests. No one is going to know unless you bring it up. Really. Making food is making art, and art is subjective, so fake it ‘til you make it. –Paul Brewer.
