Any dressing beside that slice of lime?
Are forsythia blossoms edible? What do you do with the stem?
Lovely arrangement, but if that were served to me in a restaurant I would be asking where are my little dishes of dipping sauces.
Why do you say not exactly fruits de mer? Looks much like fruits de mer I have been served.
Linda c

Forsythia blossoms are edible. You can make a lovely syrup with them. I had a Forsythiatini at a restaurant last spring. It was vodka with some of the Forsythia syrup and decorated with the blossoms.

Always beautiful photos Dcarch!

T

your food art is so fun to look at!

julie

OK, I see shrimp and squid, both of which I love, but what's the third item? The black rice looks good too, with the fruit.

Annie

Posted by lindac "Any dressing beside that slice of lime?
Are forsythia blossoms edible? What do you do with the stem?
Lovely arrangement, but if that were served to me in a restaurant I would be asking where are my little dishes of dipping sauces.
Why do you say not exactly fruits de mer? Looks much like fruits de mer I have been served. Linda c"

Thanks, LindaC. Actually the dressing is in the conch shell. For salads, I normally make one dressing, and put out a few others for people to choose their own. The conch shell is a perfect container for dressing. It comes with a pouring spout.

Forsythia blossoms are edible, but they are very mild. I use them mostly for looks, and I have tons in my garden.
When I was in Paris, Fruit De Mer always came on a tiered platter, and mostly shelled seafood. I don't remember they came with any vegetables.

Posted by teresa_mn "Forsythia blossoms are edible. You can make a lovely syrup with them. I had a Forsythiatini at a restaurant last spring. It was vodka with some of the Forsythia syrup and decorated with the blossoms. Always beautiful photos Dcarch! "

Thanks Teresa. I am going to have to do some more research to use forsythia blossoms. I love voka.

Posted by jae_tn "your food art is so fun to look at!
Julie"

Thanks Julie. It's fun to do something to your food to add more joy in eating. It doesn't cost any more money.

Posted by annie1992 "OK, I see shrimp and squid, both of which I love, but what's the third item? The black rice looks good too, with the fruit. Annie"

Thanks Annie. The third thing is crab meat from a can. They are very good. Almost like fresh.

dcarch

That's a beautifully designed plate of seafood.

I'm curious. Do you have a picture of a finished design in your mind before you start cooking or do you make the food first and then figure out how to showcase it?

dcarch, do you steam or boil or rice cooker the black rice? Is it the sweet (sticky) rice?

John, I pressure cooked the black rice with chicken stock, fish sauce and EVOO. Yes, that's sweet sticky rice. Somehow the flavor pairs well with the sour/sweet grapefruit supremes.

ruthanna, thank you.
Regarding food design; a good question which I don't have a ready answer for. A question which was asked by others and which I have yet to reply.

I don't think about the presentation of food much. I am more focused on how the food will taste. At the End of cooking, I just pile the ingredients based on some kind of logic. In this case, I know people have different preferences. Some will not eat squid, or shrimp. Therefore they are laid out separately and not mixed.

dcarch