Art Chowder September | October 2016, Issue 5 | Page 60

G arnishes are edible accents that can provide extra color and texture from appetizers to desserts. Garnishes can be placed under, around or on the food. They vary from simple springs of herbs and flowers, crispy fried elements like parsnip chips, elegantly curled onion flowers to chocolate leaves and caramel decorations. A garnish should never be thrown on a plate without thought. Carrot flowers are cute - but it should be steamed first so that it can be eaten if the guest chooses to. Everything that goes on the plate needs to be edible! Garnishes need to be appealing to the eye, but they should echo and harmonize with the dish. In writing this article I realize that I am also experimenting with my plating when I serve dinner at home. Last night’s dinner was chicken-fried pork chops, mashed potatoes (with the skin), peas and carrots (my favorite) and finished with a nice white pan gravy. Ethan, age 10, put his food on the plate in random order, cut his steak and liberally covered his food with gravy. On the other hand, I took my time and put the sauce down first then mounded the potatoes, propped my chop and nestled my vegetables to the side. Logan, age 15, was downstairs finishing a zombie game on the X-box so I made his plate too. His potatoes went directly in the center so I stacked the chop on top, drizzled the gravy on top so it cascaded down the plate and put the vegetables into the corner of a square plate. Remember, this was all the same meal, served with a variety of plating techniques. It tasted the same in the end, but because of the arrangements it made each bite different to the devourer. You don’t have to be a gourmet or formerly trained chef to create spectacular plates of food. I recommend you unleash the inner child and be playful and artistic. Practice at home. When you are out to eat, look at your plate twice before digging in. Take in all the sights, smells and truly enjoy the flavors. What was put in front of you is not “just” food. What is in front of you is a work of art- prepared with skill, passion, creativity, and thought -through the mind of a chef. For more information on the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy, or to receive our quarterly newsletter, please visit our website at http://www.scc.spokane.edu/Hospitality/INCA/Home.aspx or call Program Coordinator Janet Breedlove at 509-533-7283. We are “closed” from mid-June through mid-September, but look forward to seeing and feeding you our passion in the near future. For any “off season” information requests, please do not hesitate to email Julie Raftis-Litzenberger at [email protected]. Your inquiries, suggestions and comments are most welcome! 60 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE MARIAH McLAUGHLIN Mariah McLaughlin was born and raised on a cattle and wheat ranch in Montana. She moved to Spokane five years ago, where she enjoys being a mother of three children: Darien (20), Logan (15) and Ethan (10) with her husband James of 22 years. Mariah has completed her two-year AAS degree in Culinary Arts from the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at SCC. In addition to her full time kitchen management at the Black Diamond restaurant in Spokane Valley, Mariah manages to volunteer for nearly every extracurricular community event opportunity through INCA, and is the proud recipient of the Albert Kowitz Sustainability Scholarship, Washington Restaurant Association Spokane Chapter scholarship, Chef Biordi continual scholarship and the Quillisascut Education Foundation scholarship. Mariah and her family enjoy playing and competing in disc golf, along with camping, fishing and gardening.