Use the citrus garnishing tips below to make your meals memorable. Food presentation is a major factor in consumer brand impression, so use these garnishing tips wisely!
Basic Cartwheel Slices:
Cut a thin slice from both ends of peeled or unpeeled fruit. Then slice the fruit crosswise into the desired thickness.
Fluted Cartwheel Slices:
Use a citrus zester or Sunkist Citrus Peeler®. Hold the stem and blossom ends of the unpeeled fruit between your thumb and middle finger. Pull the zester through the peel from end to end, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch between each cut. Cut cartwheel slices of desired thickness. If you don't have a citrus tool, use kitchen shears or a knife to cut notches around the peel of each cartwheel slice.
Cartwheel Twists:
Make one cut from the center of an unpeeled cartwheel slice through the outer peel. Twist the ends in opposite directions, standing the cartwheel gently. Use plain or decorate with parsley or watercress.
Double Cartwheel Twists, Flowers, and Butterflies:
1. Cut a thin slice from each end of an unpeeled orange or lemon. Cut the fruit crosswise, but not quite through; make a second cut crosswise, cutting off the double cartwheel slice.
2. Make one cut from the center through the outer peel where the slices are attached.
3. Twist the cut ends in opposite directions for "Double Cartwheel Twists."
4. Twist two double cartwheel slices together to form a "Flower."
5. Bring the cut ends of a double cartwheel slice together and overlap; gently spread the slices to form a "Butterfly" garnish.
Decorated Cartwheel Slices:
Use any one of the following to decorate cartwheel slices:
- Whole cloves
- pimiento strips or cutouts
- pickle fans
- sprinkles of paprika, chopped parsley, ground cloves or cinnamon
- berries
- anchovy rolls
- maraschino cherries
- sculptured mushrooms
- sprigs of mint or parsley
- broccoli flowerets
- sliced stuffed green or ripe (black) olives
Lemon Rings:
Cut a lemon in cartwheel slices. With a knife or your fingers, carefully remove the "meat" from the lemon, leaving the peel intact. Use lemon rings as napkin rings or to encircle small bunches of cooked asparagus, broccoli spears, green beans, or carrot sticks. (Use the peeled lemon slices as desired for cooking or garnishing fish.)
Chrysanthemum Flowers:
1. Make long sawtooth-cuts around unpeeled oranges, lemons, grapefruit or tangerines, cutting to within 3/4 inch of each end of fruit. Separate the two halves of the fruit. Keeping the peel intact, remove the "meat" from the peel with a spoon or your fingers; save the "meat" for use in fruit cups. Scrape the peel "clean" with a spoon. Place the flowers on wooden skewers; cut the skewer "stem" to the desired length. Surround with watercress or other greens.
2. For a more spectacular flower, start with a grapefruit "mum," fill with an orange "mum" and then a lemon or tangerine "mum." If the flowers are not to be used for some time, place them in cold water or a plastic bag and refrigerate.
Chrysanthemum Salad Bowls:
After cutting the grapefruit or large oranges for chrysanthemums and removing the "meat," scrape the peel "clean" with a spoon. Use the "bowls" for fresh fruit or tossed salad.
Kabobs:
1. Cut unpeeled cartwheel slices into quarters. Thread two quarters onto wooden skewers, placing a maraschino cherry between them.
2. Thread either a lemon or orange peel twist onto a wooden skewer, along with an olive, strawberry, cherry, or cocktail onion.
3. Cut off the end of an orange or lemon that has heen zested diagonally, as in making fluted cartwheel slices. Place on the end of a wooden skewer, topped with a maraschino cherry.
Star Garnishes:
1. Hold the stem and blossom ends of unpeeled fruit between your thumb and middle finger. With a knife, make sawtooth-cuts around the middle, cutting to the inside center only. Cut sharply through to allow clean separation.
2. Twist and gently pull the fruit apart to provide two star garnishes.
3. An attractive way to serve grapefruit halves, or to serve individual lemon stars with seafood entrees.