Finish it with a Flourish - 12 FOOD STYLING TIPS
The secret that makes cooking ordinary food an extra-ordinary experience - it's all in the drizzle.
I've always find the best piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to make their friends and family swoon about food is to pile on the X factor in the finishing flourishes of your food. That means you need to go all out with your creative toppings, yoghurts and seasonings.
To make sure you hit the high notes, I recommend always have an arsenal of fabulous ingredients that make your food stand out. It's not just dreary old salt and pepper these days, it's the last drizzle, sprinkle and scattering of fairy dust that makes that first mouthful buzz.
It's all in the detail...
You can hide a multitude of sins and cover your bases with the last chuck of pizazz and beauty
Always add flavour with herbs and spices. No one likes bland.
Get the Ka-Pow effect and finish off with a burst of crunch, smoothness and pretty colour see ideas below!
1. For any soupy, roast veggie chillis, bakes-combo's add a spoonful houmous, peanut butter or yoghurt sprinkled with ground coriander, chilli, sea salt, basil, drizzle of virgin olive oil.
2. Sprinkle Turmeric, thyme and Garam Masala over roasted Sweet Potatoes or Squash and finish with tahini dressing, mint leaves, chopped spring onions, pomegranate seeds.
3. To add the crunch on any salad, finish with red cabbage sauerkraut or Kimchi, Sunflower, Pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds, chopped apple or dried cherries or cranberries
4. When roasting cauliflower, season with Za-attar or Dukkah first and finish with pistachio and dried cranberry seeds and roasted sesame seeds and turmeric yoghurt
5. On smashed avocado on toast.. simply sprinkle maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper, mint leaves or coriander, spring onions and vegan soft cheese (crumbled feta)
6. On your carb potato, rice and pasta salads cut through the richness with handfuls of torn basil, parsley, mint, chopped radish, green peas and lashings of virgin olive oil
7. Rub warm toasted sough dough with Virgin Olive Oil with Dried chilli flakes and Maldon Sea Salt flakes and cracked black pepper
8. Summer tomatoes drizzled reduced balsamic vinegar sticky, chopped olives and capers with basil leaves
9.On your curries a squeeze of lemon or lime on instead of using salt compliments that spiciness and adds a fresh punch
10.Pesto, Pomegranate, mint and pistachio over roast veggies.. (feta if you are not vegan).
11.Dont' forget the KAP-POW sauces that add depth and wonder to your broths and soupy foods. Worcestershire sauce Lea & Perrins, Marmite and Vegimite, (the jury is out. It's two against one here for Vegimite). Kikkoman Tamari Sauce, Marigold Savoury Yeast.
12.Topping sweet things; cacao nibs, dusting cacao, coconut yoghurt, Oat Creme Fraiche, goji berries, chopped almonds, walnuts, cashews, beetroot powder. I get a lot of my powders and whole food foods from Indigo Foods.
Let me know your best finishing flourishes.. I'd love to include them. So for now.. it's good bye from me and goodbye from them!
Happy Cooking!
Caroline xx
