Mexican fried

I love plating desserts. So, today I thought I'd share some basics on how to plate a dessert with you. There are so many possibilities, but this simple guide will help you get started. Four Main Features of a Plated Dessert When thinking about plating, keep in mind these four basic features. You don't necessarily have to include all of them all the time. Try to imagine the tastes and textures together and use your judgement. 1. Main Item: This of course is the star of the show: a cake, a custard, a tart... 2. Sauce: This is usually a flavor that complements or contrasts with the star: raspberry sauce, chocolate, creme anglaise... 3. Crunch: An essential component if the main item has no crunch itself: nuts, cookie, caramel decoration, piece of chocolate... 4. Garnish: A fancy dessert garnish can add color or decorate...sugared petals, a frosted basil leaf, chocolate shavings, berry, candied orange peel, mint leaves... Mexican Fried Ice Cream in a plate surrounded by drops of chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce and crushed sweet tortillas. A plated dessert can be as complicated as you want it to be. Keep in mind that the flavors and textures still need to work together. Don't try to pair a bright green kiwi sauce with a cookies and cream frosted cake! Here's an example of a plated dessert that I put together after I made that Meyer Lemon Poundcake. It took minimal effort and it completely changed the taste and look of the dessert. I basically took this... Lemon Pound Cake with Vanilla Glaze and garnished with candied lemon slices on top. and created this... The pound cake was good by itself but the plated version was a completely different experience. New textures and flavors made it even better. The plate was first decorated with a raspberry coulis which goes nicely with lemon flavor and adds moisture to the cake. The slice of cake was placed on top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and topped with a crunchy chewy candied lemon slice. A few raspberries were added for garnish and more color. Here's another example. These are easy peasy Meyer lemon cheesecake bars: Meyer lemon cheesecake bars in a white plate with lemons in background. I put together a quick blueberry compote and crushed up some graham crackers to create this plate: Meyer lemon cheesecake bar cut into two triangles and plated with blueberry compote and crushed graham cracker. More Tips for Plating a Dessert Like a Pro: Start with a white plate or at least a plain plate. White plates, let the food stand out more. A plate with a pattern distracts from your presentation. Try a different shaped plate other than round such as square, rectangle or triangle if you can find it! Use squeeze bottles for your dessert sauces. This will give you more control when trying to create a pattern. See my introduction to using dessert sauces for more ideas. Try to have multiple textures between your main item, side item and garnish. Think about a deconstructed version of your dessert like in this deconstructed Mexican Fried Ice Cream. Cut up your sheet cake with a cookie cutter to get different shapes like in this crustless pumpkin pie. (This works best if the cake is frozen) Have a question about plating desserts? Leave me a comment below. This post was updated March 2019 with new text. The recipe for lemon chips is no longer here and can be found in its own post, How to Make Candied Lemon Slices. More Plated Desserts Crustless pumpkin pie Crustless Pumpkin Pie and How to Plate It Chocolate Sauce Recipe Raspberry Coulis being poured off a spoon into a bowl full of more coulis. Slice of chocolate cake is in the background. Easy Raspberry Dessert Sauce Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars Did you make one of our recipes? Be sure to leave us a review or comment below. This post may contain affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclaimer. GET NEW RECIPES SENT TO YOUR INBOX! Signup to join my FREE newsletter for recipes, tips and more. First Name E-Mail Address Subscribe to newsletter? Privacy Policy We don't send you spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. Reader Interactions Comments Margaret - Savory Sweet Living says April 25, 2011 at 11:51 am Your pound cake was already stunning but when you serve it with the raspberry coulis, it just made it extra special. So pretty and love the lemon chip. Reply Tenina says April 26, 2011 at 12:46 am This is fantastic, I am going to try the same method with pineapple, something I recently enjoyed at a restaurant and have subesequently tried and failed. But this could be the method that will work! Thanks! Reply Carolyn says April 27, 2011 at 6:55 am Hey - thanks so much for starting this series...Perfect plating is incredibly difficult! Just a question about those beautiful lemon chips - how long will they last? I am forever looking for ways to use the last of my lemons! Reply nisha says April 27, 2011 at 9:28 am i am such a sucker for plain cakes...the yellow cake is to die for Reply culinaryneophyte says April 29, 2011 at 9:08 am Beautiful pictures! Reply barunram says April 28, 2013 at 10:37 am vry good plating Reply Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Primary Sidebar Footer MORE from dessarts MORE from dessarts Select Category Copyright © 2025 · Cravings Pro Mexican Fried Ice Cream, Served 3 Ways