Open a glossy magazine, a cookbook, a colorful menu or watch almost any food commercial, and you’re almost assuredly witnessing the work of food stylists. The art of making food look irresistible for the camera is a learned craft, and students in a food styling course at Mississippi University for Women’s Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) Monday had a Valentine’s Day feast ready for its close-up.
Using color, shape, texture and food compatibility to artistically create dishes as beautiful as they are appetizing is the goal of the one-semester class being taught by Chef Mary Helen Hawkins.
“The course provides students with valuable experience in learning ‘tricks of the trade,’ especially if they plan to pursue a career in food styling,” said Hawkins.
For culinary arts majors, styling is a critical skill they can use throughout future food industry careers. Some may specialize as stylists, going on to work closely with photographers, magazines, restaurants, catering or media production companies.
“This class is definitely fun, especially since this is what I want to do,” said senior Nathan Ganucheau of Hazelhurst Monday as he pampered a 20-ounce ribeye for its final presentation. With a kitchen torch, he added points of browning, then lifted a hot cast iron skillet from the stove and pressed the bottom to the steak he had butterflied to resemble a heart shape for Valentine’s.
“The hot skillet is to get a char on top; it has a different effect than the torch itself,” Ganucheau said.
Nearby, Alysha McCalpine of Pascagoula and Annyce Ragan of Vicksburg plated white chocolate cheesecakes, painstakingly adding decorative droplets of raspberry coulis.
Lamon Stapleton of Shelby and Stephanie Miles of Shubuta lit flickering votives and fluffed a white tablecloth around their “potato tower” — a high-end loaded baked potato, with canola oil added to create a glisten.
Janeki Smith of Canton and Ja’Donnia Ballard from Greenville experimented with how best to use rose petals in the presentation of decadently delicious truffles in a heart-shaped chocolate box.
“It’s all about how to enhance the food,” said Smith, who explained that each student is keeping a food styling blog for the class and posts photographs of all their efforts.
Illusion
Foods prepared Monday by The W students were edible, but that isn’t always the case when it comes to a commercial photo or video shoot. Making it all look mouthwatering for the lens can require some sleight of hand. Hot lights and long production shoots take their toll, so stylists have plenty of ploys to make the product look tasty and fresh. Those can range from simple, like toothpicks or skewers to keep food upright, to replacing pancake syrup with motor oil.
Putty or wax can hold foods in place. Soap can be used to make foods look bubbly. Dyes or paints can add better color. Your favorite cereal might be “floating” in a glue mixture, not milk. “Ice cream” might involve shortening and powdered sugar, or even mashed potatoes. The list goes on.
The class makes use of a food styling kit, but some of the students are already developing their very own. Kits might contain toothpicks, skewers, dental tools, glue, dental floss, a kitchen torch, scissors, cheesecloth, tweezers, twine, paint brushes, Q-tips, tongs, zesters, peelers and more.
“People might be wondering why we would use some of the items in our food styling kit, but you never know what type of challenge you’ll encounter,” Hawkins said.
Monday’s Valentine’s spread was valuable training.
“We’re doing this like it’s their first job, seeing what works and what doesn’t work,” the chef said. “As the semester progresses they will be challenged with replicating photographs of food to see if they can match the top food stylists in the industry.”
The power, as the stylist knows, is in the picture.
ROSE MACAROONS
Makes 16
For the shells:
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg whites (room temperature)
1/4 cup superfine sugar*
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
Red food coloring paste (liquid also works, but paste is preferable)
For the filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 teaspoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon water
* Superfine sugar can be made by grinding regular sugar until it is fine, but not yet powdered.
(SOURCE: “Macaroons, 30 Recipes for Perfect Bite-Sized Treats,” 2011.)
STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH CANDIED BACON ROSES, PECANS
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
10 ounces fresh spinach & mixed baby greens, washed and dried
8 strawberries, washed and sliced into hearts
Feta or blue cheese, if desired
1/2 cup candied pecans (recipe below)
Candied bacon roses, if desired
(Variation: Add sliced mushrooms, sliced red onions and mandarin oranges.)
CANDIED PECANS
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
(SOURCE: allrecipes.com)
SWEETHEART RIBEYE WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE
1 20-ounce ribeye steak
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic glaze
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
POTATO TOWERS
Serves 4
4 small russet potatoes (8-10 ounces each)
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (3 ounces), divided
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely-grated Parmesan cheese
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate or white baking bars (white chocolate), chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or milk chocolate chips or white baking chips
Finely chopped nuts or candy decorations, if desired
(SOURCE: bettycrocker.com)
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH RASPBERRY COULIS
For the crust:
7 ounces Oreo cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces toasted almonds
For raspberry coulis:
1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
For cream cheese filling:
7 ounces white chocolate, small pieces
4 tablespoons whipping cream
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream (35 percent fat), chilled
(SOURCE: Adapted from homecookingadventure.com)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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