Making Edible Centerpieces
When guests try to take centerpieces home when parties end, it's usually because they're pretty floral arrangements. But The Early Show celebrity event planner Colin Cowie has ides for centerpieces that will be sought for a different reason – because they look, and are, good enough to eat!
Cowie shows six centerpieces made with a variety of fruits and vegetables, then displays samples of delicious foods and sauces that can be made once the centerpieces are no longer needed.
These centerpieces could be created year-round, though Cowie uses items that are in season at the moment. Artichokes and asparagus and tomatoes are best in summer, but you can make a delicious tomato sauce and freeze it and use it in December or January and still have the flavor of June. You don't always want to work with fresh flowers for centerpieces during the summer because of the prices and the bugs, but Cowie offers innovative alternatives.
He starts off with a wooden bowl filled with coconuts, kiwis and limes. This is a beautiful and earthy way to display nature's wares, and it will last you a week or two before you have to do anything with it. Then, you can slice up the fruit and have yourself a gorgeous fruit salad.
Second is an artichoke candle or votive holders. We all know there are a million things we can do with artichokes, and they have a great shelf life. For this, Cowie cuts off the bottoms of the artichokes, so they stand up straight. Then, just open them up and insert a candle in the middle. It's so easy and adorable! You can also use this on a place mat. Afterwards, you can make steamed artichokes or you can use the hearts to make soup or make a dip: whatever you like.
Third, Cowie has a tomato centerpiece. "I just love tomatoes," he says, "particularly when you're mixing these organic tomatoes in and it all looks like sculpture." You beef it up with bunches of basil and add some long, red chilis, which you could also use as place cards. When you're finished, you can use it to make many things. Cowie has arrabiata sauce (utilizing the chilies), tomato salad with sliced onions, caprese salad, roasted tomatoes and tomatoes Provencal. If you do make a sauce, you want to be sure to write the date on the container before you freeze it.Fourth are wonderful obelisk towers of food. Cowie shows one made of shrimp, one of strawberries and one of dried fruits: dates and apricots. They look fancy, but are actually very easy to make. Just take a styrofoam cone and wrap it in foil to keep it clean. Then, take the foods you want to use and put them on toothpicks and just stick them into the tower. So simple! Afterwards, you can just pick the food off with the toothpicks and enjoy! Cowie sugggests sauce for the shrimp and chocolate fondue for the strawberries. He also has couscous with dried fruits and walnuts, which can be made from the dried date and apricot tower.
Fifth are test-tube centerpieces. You can get them in all the mail order catalogues, and they're attached to each other. You can use as many as you'd like, but Cowie says 12 is a great number to make these look really fantastic. You just fill the test tubes with different herbs. Cowie uses rosemary, thyme, basil and two kinds of parsley (flat leaf and curly). That's all you have to do for the centerpiece, and afterwards you can take the herbs and make a great sauce or marinade. Cowie shows a pesto sauce, and uses the pesto sauce in his last example.
Sixth is an idea Cowie says he "loves and is just divine." Take a six-inch-wide frosted glass cylinder vase and fill it with tulips. Take two rubber bands and wrap them around the outside of the vase. Then just take the asparagus spears and slip them in vertically next to each other. It looks like the vase is made of asparagus spears! Then, take two pieces of ribbon and wrap them around the outside over the rubber bands to cover them. Afterwards, you can make steamed asparagus, and Cowie takes some of the pesto sauce he made from the herb test tube centerpiece and spoon it over the asparagus. Delicious!
RECIPES
Pesto
Serves 10
1 cup packed basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated imported Parmesan Cheese
In food processor combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts and oil. Process until pureed. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine.
Twenty-Minute Tomato Sauce
In a medium saucepan, sauté in 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 chopped garlic cloves and ½ finely chopped medium onion. Add 2 cans of crushed medium onion. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and season to taste with salt, pepper, fresh basil, and a bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes. For a sweeter sauce, add 1 tablespoon sugar. For a lighter sauce, add a 5-ounce can of tomato juice.
Other Toppings for Toasted Baguettes
Tomatoes Provencal
Serves 8
4 large ripe tomatoes, halved
1/3 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
4 teaspoons coarse breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish, place tomatoes cut side up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. Sprinkle bread crumbs over tomatoes, then drizzle ½ tablespoon of olive oil on each tomato. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and browned on top.
Couscous with Died Fruits and Walnuts
Couscous and tagine are the pasta and tomato sauce of Moroccan cuisine, a natural and ubiquitous pairing. Couscous, by the way, is an ideal light starch accompaniment for many entrees. By adding golden raisins, dried apricots and dates, and toasted almonds, you can take a plain version of this dish and make it both extra colorful and extra tasty. On the plate, the couscous absorbs the wonderful cooking juices from the chicken, and its dried fruits are an excellent foil for the spices in the tagine.
2 Cups precooked dried couscous
1/4 Cup finely chopped dates
1/4 Cup golden raisins
1/4 Cup cubed dried apricots
1/4 Cup toasted almond slivers
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, mix the couscous with the dates, raisins, apricots, almonds, butter, and salt. Cook the mixture according to the directions on the couscous package. (The rule of thumb is 2 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of couscous.) When the couscous is done, fluff it with a fork, transfer to a platter, and serve alongside the tagine.