3 Food Styling Tips From Anatomy of a Kitchen | A Lesson in Composition
“Slow Food Movement. A way to enjoy food that is both mindful & elegant. If food is presented to us in a beautiful way it forces us to slow down & savor the moment.”
Salad Nicoise | First Course
Salad Nicoise, an arranged marriage composed by the French. As with any respectable relationship, each is expected to carry their own weight. Thus ingredients have been prepared & plated in such a way so as to showcase their individual offering, contrasting texture, color & flavor. Note how each plays a role as this food drama unfolds.
1.) Textural Integrity | Adding Layers & Interest
Each ingredient for this composed salad was carefully chosen. Butter lettuce is sweet & delicate, with full figured, lacy leaves. Roll up folds of lettuce like layers of a petticoat to prop up one beautiful leaf, an emerald back drop for our burlesque scene to unfold. Micro-greens make almost any dish look posh, they are my go to flourish, note how they draw the eye to the edge of the image. Even the blossomed capers add a delicate, textural interest both to the Nicoise & also off the plate.
Exercise: Just stop for a moment. Maybe even have a glass of wine first (unless it’s morning, then have coffee). Then carefully study the image above. Evaluate the intricacy of each leaf. Contemplate the play of light against dark. Now use that perspective to your advantage by arranging your ingredients to capture the light. No one can teach you this. You have to feel it for yourself.
“Food knows if you respect it & it behaves accordingly.”
2.) Contrast of Color | Choose a Bold Pallet
Color has the ability to create emotion. The emerald green back drop makes us feel serene while the purple potato entices us like royalty. We chose purple potatoes for obvious reasons, they’re gorgeous. Just look at the vivid color & contrast it offers to the finished plate. While still warm, they are tossed with lemon & olive oil before chilling further accentuating their alter ego. Red often signifies passion. The red cheeked flush of the Kumato (brown tomato) gives an air of sophistication, serving to both switch up the color pallet & increase the quality of umami. This varietal is more savory than others but sweet & bright, tri-colored cherry tomatoes would be lovely here as well.
“The plate is your canvas.”
3.) Contrast of Shape | Adding Drama
The slender hericot verts (thin French string beans) drape dramatically over the edge of the plate like a prima donna on a fainting couch. Rather than serve them steamed they are roasted in a rich & sweet balsamic vinaigrette. This adds yet another interesting twist both as a visual & to the pallet contrasting with the tart blossomed caper & lemon vinaigrette. Note how we have created movement through the composition; the Persian cucumber laid out like an according, your eyes travel to the edge of the plate & back up the ravines of chickpeas & potato.
One of the first lessons you learn in Garde Manger (the art of garnish & cold food preparation) is how to add interest to your plate by contrasting color, texture & shape. This salad Nicoise was the perfect canvas for us to paint this moody food portrait. We hope this lesson in composition has inspired you to take your food photography to the next level. The recipe for salad Nicoise is below if you wish.
“No one can bring to the table what you can. Each of us have our own unique gifts to impart.”
Nicoise for the Connoisseur
4 first course salads
1 recipe balsamic roasted hericot verts (or regular string beans)
purple potato (if you can not find the purple, you may use fingerlings or baby reds)
1 recipe of Blossomed Caper & lemon vinaigrette
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 head of Butter lettuce
1 package of micro greens
4 hard cooked eggs, halved with a light dusting of smoked paprika
2 cans of white albacore tuna, olive oil packed, drained & flaked
Persian cucumber, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup olives of choice, (black, green or Kalamata)
Kumato, brown tomato (or hot house tomatoes) cut into six wedges, lightly salted
4 rainbow radish, halved
1.) Roast your hericot verts according to the recipe (link highlighted above).
2.) Boil or steam purple potatoes until just barely fork tender then run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile, whisk together you vinaigrette (recipe below). Slice potatoes in half lengthwise when cool enough to handle but still warm on the inside, place in a small bowl & gently toss with 1 Tbsp. vinaigrette, set aside to marinate. In a separate bowl, toss chickpeas with 1 Tbsp. vinaigrette & set aside to marinate.
3.) Gently pull off the largest & loveliest leaves from butter lettuce keeping them whole, you will need 2-3 leaves per salad, rinse under cold running water, wrap gently in paper towels & refrigerate to crisp up. Chill 4 salad plates.
4.) Arrange butter lettuce leaves on chilled plates to serve as a base. Compose your Nicoise salad in such way, that each component understands the role they play. It’s poetry on a plate.
Lemon & Blossomed Caper Vinaigrette
makes 1 cup
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup capers, drained on paper towel & patted dry
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. mustard (preferably brown or Dijon)
1 clove of garlic, very finely minced
salt & pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully add capers & fry until golden & blossomed (they will open up) this should only take 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, with a slotted spoon, remove capers from oil & set aside. Set olive oil aside to cool. Whisk together, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard & garlic in a small bowl. Slowly add olive oil in steady stream, whisking constantly so as to create an emulsification. You can also shake this vinaigrette into submission in a mason with a tightly fitted lid. Season to taste with salt & pepper. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over & scatter blossomed capers over.
