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Culinary Currents
October 2004
CULINARY CURRENTS WITH THE CIA
THE MODERN BUFFET: ENHANCING FOOD PRESENTATION
Buffets offer the perfect outlet to showcase the talents
of the garde manger. Planning a design that enhances food presentation is
an important way to highlight the work of this department. Following are
the basic elements involved in the design process, assuring a successful
buffet presentation.
BALANCE
Food supplies the most important visual elements of the buffet design:
colors, textures, and shapes. Additionally, the foods you serve also
supply two important, but non-visual elements: aroma and flavor.
TEXTURE
Food surfaces tend to either reflect light or absorb it, making some foods
appear glossy and others matte. Some foods have highly textured exteriors,
while others are very smooth. The way the food feels when you bite into it
is another aspect of texture that the chef must include in a plan, too
much of the same texture is monotonous.
 COOKING
TECHNIQUE
In addition to assuring that foods are flavorful and at the right
temperature, the process of cooking gives the chef a chance to enhance the
food in other significant ways. "Visual flavor" is an important concept to
the garde manger chef creating a cold food display – the aromas of cold
foods are less apparent, making it necessary for the guests to "see" the
flavors. Some techniques deepen or darken the food's exterior, such as
grilling, roasting, and smoking. Other techniques introduce new elements,
such as coatings or wrappers; pan-frying and deep-frying are two such
techniques.
THE SHAPE & HEIGHT OF FOOD
Food has three dimensions. Cubes, cylinders, spheres, and pyramids are
just some of the shapes food can assume. Alternating or repeating shapes
in a design is one way to add visual interest to food arrangements. You
can alter the natural shape of a food by cutting or slicing it.
To give height to foods that are naturally flat, you can
roll or fold them, arrange them in piles or pyramids, or use serving
pieces such as pedestals, columns, and baskets to raise foods.
A FOCAL POINT
An important function on a platter, the focal point introduces a large
shape into a field of smaller shapes. The focal point can make the
arrangement logical and sensible to the guest, so they can instantly
identify the food on the platter.
STRONG, CLEAN LINES
Lines arrange the food neatly and logically. Lines can be straight,
curved, or angled. In order to have a line, you need a starting and ending
point; the focal point in an arrangement is that reference point. Lines
can move from or toward this point and thereby introduce a sense of flow
or motion into the arrangement.
 THE
PLATTER’S LAYOUT:
SYMMETRICAL OR ASYMMETRICAL
The position of the focal point on a platter or plate determines how the
food is arranged. When the focal point is placed off center, one side of
the arrangement appears to have more weight than the other. When
positioned in the center, it gives the impression that both sides of the
arrangement are in equilibrium. The lines radiating from the focal point
are the same length. Asymmetrical arrangements tend to look natural, while
symmetrical arrangements look formal.
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