Carrot Flower Garnish

Maybe not something you do every night, but these gems are stunning on a plate.  I recently made these as a garnish for a wedding dinner to be set atop the saffron rice pilaf next to the pesto green beans.  Color!!  We eat with our eyes as well so why not occasionally feed our oculars a feast.

Accessorize.

Garnishes are like the perfect pair of earrings, condensed nuggets of beauty.

They are about enriching and augmenting, enhancement of the senses is a wonderful thing.  Adding contrasting or complimentary colors, giving height, shape or idea to a dish…these delicate sculptures can be so fun.

Cut 5 narrow notches out of part of a carrot .

Trim the sharp edges away from the petals to make them rounded.

Slice the carrot!

Check out the little video of making carrot flowers from the Best Chef blog that I used to guide me.

To preserve and give me a little extra storage time I lightly pickled them.

Blanch carrot flowers in water for a few minutes then drain.

 Add:

• cider vinegar
• water
• sugar
• sliced garlic
• cumin seed or whatever pickling seasonings you want

On a saffron rice pilaf with apricots, parsley, chives and toasted almonds.

I love orange!

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Woops a little too long in the pan of no-longer-water.  But they still look cool…\