The Art of a Creative Salad Presentation

I’ve often thought that half the battle in trying a new food is in the presentation. Have you ever looked at something on the plate and the mere fact that it looks like something your dog dragged in is enough to push the plate away? I remember as a child, my dad butchered a steer. My industrious mother, not wanting to waste any part of the animal, boiled the tongue for dinner. The presentation was, well, something to be desired. The whole large tongue, taste buds and all was presented on a plate ready for carving. I still remember all of us kids shaking our heads and saying, ‘I’m not eating that!’ We gagged our way through a bite or two, then the next day she sneakily ground it up, added mayonnaise, pickles and seasonings and served it as sandwich spread, or in my case on top of lettuce. It was delicious! It looked like tuna fish or chicken salad. We ate the whole thing!

There are a few ways to spruce up a salad. Mere lettuce on a plate with a few added garnishes can be a little boring, so next time you have guests coming over, present their salad with flair by making a creative salad presentation.

Both of these salads use a cucumber wrap for the base. Slice a long strip the full length of a large cucumber or English cucumber. Take a handful of lettuce and trim it even on the bottom. Stand the lettuce upright and wrap the cucumber around the bottom of the lettuce, forming a base. Sprinkle condiments such as kumquats and sliced almonds, or huckleberries and feta. Sprinkle a vinaigrette of your choosing over the top and around the plate and serve a creative salad presentation at your next dinner party.