Culinary Carving and Plate Decorating

This new book, illustrated with full color photographs, presents incredible garnishes, made from fruits and vegetables, for simple, elegant plate garnishes, stunning, unforgettable centerpieces, and wonderful ideas for simple decorating the plate. 128 full color pages give step-by-step instructions and show the finished projects. Fruit platters are also included. The contents of this book will include; Materials for Carving * Vegetable/Fruit Carving Tools * Sharpening Instructions *Carving Guides * Vegetables/Fruit Design Cutters * Double Happiness Templates *The Basics of Carving * Combination of Shapes and Strips * Floral Carvings * Scenes of Animals and Birds in Three Dimensions * The Basic Techniques of Fruit Garnshing and Carving. This is a new Garnishing Book for the Professional.

This book illustrates the grace and beauty of one of the world's most impressive but least known art forms: vegetable and fruit carving. Many of the edible delicacies we enjoy today have a history reaching back to ancient China. In fact, we credit China with developing one of the world's foremost cuisines and China's culinary influence on the workd has continued for thousands of years.The art form of vegetable and fruit carving emerged from the culinary developments taking place in ancient China. The practice of preparing garnishes to enrich the overall beauty of the meal began during the Tang Dynasty, from 618 to 906 A.D., and continued throughout the Sung Dynasty, which lasted from 960 to 1279 A.D. The public-at-large, however, rarely experienced this lovely and gentle art form because the practice was reserved primarily for the preparation of royal banquets and for the enjoyment of imperial guests.In today's diet-conscious world, the appearance as well as the! ! contents of the foods we consume assume great significance. Trendy restaurants and culinary magazines alike stress the equal importance of the style and substance of food. Society's ever-increasing interest in health and fitness has heightened our awareness of what we eat, how we eat it, and what it looks like. Healthy and nutritious food can be presented in an appetizing and appealing manner, thus encouraging us to savor what we eat as we admire what we see on our plates!Although members of the royal family and other aristocrats in ancient China were once the only ones fortunate enough to view the gracious art of vegebable and fruit carving, today the splendor of this art has become accessible to us all. These days, when attending a luncheon, a family dinner, or a holiday banquet, chances are that we will see some type of vegetable or fruit carving or decoration accompanying the meal -- because anything beautiful to see and delicious to eat will be admired and enjoyed by all.