Food Decorating Ideas

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Food isn't just for eating -- display its natural beauty by using it as decor, either as embellishment for other edibles, or as a freestanding display such as a centerpiece for a mealtime get-together or party.

Luscious Layers

Colorful layers of non-perishable foods, such as dried beans, rice or even seasonings, create visually interesting displays that are easy on the wallet. Layer dried beans or rice of different colors in a clear bottle or apothecary jar for a simple display for a table or countertop. Use colored sugars, such as the cookie decorating type, to create a sweet version of sand art, then fill bottles with several colorful layers and drag a skewer through the layers to create designs such as chevrons within the sugar. In a wide, clear bowl, create an igloo out of sugar cubes, resting in a bowl of salt or sugar. Bend a piece of card stock around the igloo area; then pour blue sugar on the other side to create an ocean. Partially submerge a few sugar cubes in the blue as icebergs. Layer table salt and black pepper in a clear candleholder for a black-and-white version of sand art. Make small smiley faces in a condiment bowl using salt as the main ingredient. Pepper or fennel poured through a narrow funnel creates the eyes and mouth.

Uncut Beauty

Keep fruits and vegetables intact for displays that add mouthwatering beauty to a room or table. If only displayed for a short while, the foods may still be used for eating later on. Stack lemons or limes in a clear cylindrical vase for a simple tabletop display, grabbing individual fruits as you need them for juicing or for your favorite citrus-based recipes. Place a cut flower or a twig containing cherry blossoms into a floral water tube, then place the tube in a large, clear cylindrical vase. Fill the vase with firm cherries, plums, kumquats, clementines or even wasabi-coated dried peas for a colorful floral display.

Inner Light: Melons and More

A pumpkin isn't the only edible that can be carved to showcase plays on shadow and light. Scoop out the edible part of a watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe after removing one end, pumpkin style. Leave the outer shell of the melon 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick, so it is both sturdy and able to withstand additional carving. Draw or stencil a design to carve into the melon, noting which areas should be lightest and darkest. Scrape at the melon flesh in the areas designated to be the lightest first, removing enough flesh so that light from a flashlight aimed inside the melon shows through your carved area. Carve the medium-shaded areas somewhat, but not as deep as the lightest areas, and leave the darkest areas untouched. Complex designs such as city scenes, flowers or even a face are possible with this approach.

Foods for Sculpting

Create an edible centerpiece using stacks of fruits or vegetables on skewers set in floral foam for a festive feast. Use a melon baller to create spheres in cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon. Alternate cubed and spherical fruits such as tomatoes, cherries or grapes with pineapple slices cut into triangles for a simple geometric display on a skewer. Cut washed radishes, potatoes, carrots or apples into flower shapes by carving designs into the fruit with a paring knife, or by creating shallow slices around the edible item to create flower petals. Add lemon or lime juice to the cut apple areas to prevent browning. Display the foods as garnishes on individual plates, or serve them all up on a platter as an edible centerpiece.