LOOKING GOOD!

To be honest I think I'm a pretty good cook, with 'cook' being the operative word. I'm not a chef, have never taken any sort of cooking lessons, and learned most of what I know from my mom. Now in the age of technology I also learn from the computer and television. I can Google a recipe, or even specific ingredients to find a recipe. I can watch cooking shows on television and get new ideas, see how other people come up with new twists for old favorites. Honestly, I love to cook, but again, it's just cooking to me, and presentation has never been something I've bothered with. Yes, a beautifully presented plate certainly adds to the experience, but if the food doesn't taste good who cares how good it looks, right?

When we attended GABRIELLA'S COOKING CLASS after our morning of TRUFFLE HUNTING, I was snapping away while she was cooking. It wasn't until later when I looked at ll the photos in sequence that I saw how beautifully she had created the antipasto plate, layer upon layer.


When she began there was only one piece of bruschetta with tomatoes and a bit of lettuce on the plate. This looked quite beautiful to me, and I might have finished it off with a nice drizzle of new oil and served it proudly. But not Gabriella! She had more food to add to the plate, so she continued......



More slices of bruschetta were added, and again, I thought the plate looked beautiful - simple, inviting, pleasing to the eye and surely very pleasing to the palette as well.



But of course Garbiella still wasn't finished....she added this small polenta flan she'd baked earlier (and I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember much about it's origins, other than it involved, eggs, truffled polenta and maybe some parmesan cheese!)





And just when I thought it couldn't get any more beautifuk, she added a drizzle of honey over the polenta for the finishing touch!




What do you think..was it worth the additional work? I certainly think so! I can also tell you that it tasted as good as it looks!