How to make tomato roses

Hello, my foodie friends! Cooking wonderful tasty dishes is one thing but making them look good is another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that a wonderful looking dish makes up for poor cooking or seasoning. It doesn’t. But, if you have a great dish that also looks good, then you know your evening is going to be great!

This is where the art of the garnish comes in. There are hundreds of garnishes that can visually enhance a plate of food and, over time, I will explore many of these with you. For now, though, let’s start with something that’s pretty simple and quick to make, yet very classy and visually effective.

I give you the humble tomato rose…

How to make tomato roses

Don’t they look good, right? Let’s look at them in a real situation. Last night I cooked a leek risotto with scallops for Jen and cod for me. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to scallops. Both plates look good but don’t you think the addition of the tomato rose garnish on the scallop plate just adds to the presentation?

Pan fried cod on a bed of leek risotto served with asparagus

Pan fried scallops on a bed of leek risotto served with asparagus and garnished with a tomato rose

But how to make this beautiful tomato roses? Basically, you peel the skin from a tomato and twirl it round to form a rose. I’m not sure this one sentence would count as a tutorial though so how about a short video:

There you go. Pretty simple really…

I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial. Just so you know this is my first ever video! I’m sure I’ll improve but I hope you liked my first attempt. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just use the comments box below.

As always, thanks for ready and until next time… Steve.