Playing with Presentation

Recently I've become really interested in techniques for food photography and presentation. I've been doing some research and reading other blogs and today's post is my first attempt at trying out some of the things I've learned!

The other day I was in Target and was excited to find a sale on white plates, bowls, etc. I snapped up a few solid ones and some with texture like a plate with a raised floral design. I also picked up some pretty cloth napkins with metallic threading. You can use bowls with solid colors to brighten or tone down the food or to fit with a theme. Some patterns are cool but you don't want anything too busy to distract from the food.

My biggest hurdle I'm finding right now is taking pictures with proper lighting. The best lighting is around mid-morning and I do most of my cooking in the evening and then we eat it for dinner. If I have the time I could prepare something in the morning and then we can eat it later but I also want things to be fresh and not soggy from sitting in the fridge and then having to be reheated. It just doesn't taste as good. Eventually I want to get a reflector, white boards, and wooden planks to make my own little mini photo booth.

I chose a salmon dish to experiment. You will need:

2-4 salmon fillets
1 pound of Brussels sprouts
1 garlic clove cut into slivers
2 tablespoons of chives, chopped
1 shallot finely diced
4 springs of thyme
1 package of diced pancetta
3 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1/4 cup of white wine
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt and pepper

To start, blanch the sprouts in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then drop them in an ice bath. This stops the cooking process and keeps them bright green.

Next, saute the pancetta in the olive oil until browned, then set aside. Add the sprouts to the leftover grease as long as there's not too much and saute until light brown. Add in the garlic slivers and cook for another 30 seconds, then add in the white wine. Stir for a few minutes, then turn heat to low to keep sprouts warm while you cook the sauce and salmon.

In a saucepan add half the pancetta, shallots, and saute in one tablespoon of butter. Add in the stock and mustard then whisk in the cream until desired consistency. Mix in chives and thyme.

For the salmon season with salt and pepper and cook on the stovetop until skin is crispy and fish is cooked through.

Now for the presentation. I took a medium sized white bowl and poured the sauce in, then placed the sprouts in the center and the salmon on top. I garnished with the remaining pancetta. To photograph the dish I placed it on our black dining room table with the metallic napkin underneath. I was pretty pleased with the result!