Presentation of the Dishes

Presentation is important; you want to please the eye as well as the palate. I never add gratuitous garnishes just to make the food look good. Good-quality ingredients cooked well always look good. When it comes to the presentation of the meal you may wish to serve the main ingredient simply sauced and the vegetables in side dishes; I like to do that. I also like to serve the main ingredient on a large platter in the middle of the table by itself. You can also play around with the way in which you plate up a main course. For, say, a barbecued tuna steak, you can spoon a sauce (or a vegetable garnish that you want to serve as a sauce) on the plate, then top with the tuna, or you can serve the vegetable garnishes on the side of the plate or in side dishes. You can do the reverse and put the fish on the plate and the sauce over the top. You can place the fish on the side of the plate and add two vegetable garnishes, which would have it looking a bit like twelve o’clock, four o’clock and eight o’clock on the plate. You can place them side by side on the plate from three o’clock, six o’clock and nine o’clock, and so on. So, have fun, but remember that good-quality ingredients will look and taste good if cooked well. One very important point: wipe the plates with tissues before they go to the table. You must serve clean plates, as the food will look much better.