www.masbakersfield.com

Holiday comida: It's all in the presentation

larger view

It’s the holiday season, and it’s all about food, more food — and of course, delicious desserts. However, preparing a delicious feast doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen. Simple recipes can be made to look like they took time to prepare. It’s all in the way you present and decorate your food,  admits Cocinando con Nestlés Chef Lorena Garcia. The following are her presentation tips for the Holidays:

1. Make your table look vibrant by using citrus foods such as oranges, lemons and limes as the base for your serving plates. Place your serving trays on top of the fruits, this will give your table different levels and will make it look dimensional.

2. Take advantage of the holidays by using cranberries, carrots, yams, et.c as your color dishes. Serve them on white dishes — this will allow your side dishes to really "pop".

3. Carve small fruits and add them to your dishes as garnishes to make your dishes look professional with little effort.

4. Use seasonal flowers and votive candles down the center of your table. Remember to use the unscented ones so they don’t compete with the fragrance of the food.

Dessert can be something simple and easy to make, but with touch of creativity in the presentation, it will look like you spent time preparing it. Don’t be afraid to use Latin flavors or fruits like coconuts, limes or oranges to dress it up, encourages Chef Garcia. One of her favorite easy to make holiday dessert recipes, Coconut Flan, goes with any main dish and requires little time in the kitchen, freeing up time to spend with the family.

Coconut Flan
Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 cans (13.5 fl. oz. each) coconut milk; 1 can (14 oz.) Nestlé La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk; 4 large eggs; 1 teaspoon coconut extract; whipped cream; toasted flaked sweetened coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat sugar in small, heavy-duty saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until dissolved and caramel-colored. Pour onto bottom of 9-inch-round cake pan; quickly swirl around bottom to coat.

Place coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and coconut extract in blender; cover. Blend for 5 seconds. Pour into prepared pan; cover lightly with foil. Place pan in large roasting pan; fill roasting pan with warm water to about 1-inch depth.

Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove flan from water. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, run small spatula around edge of pan. Invert serving plate over pan. Turn over; shake gently to release. Garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes.

For other tasty Cocinando con Nestlé recipes, visit http://www.cocinandoconnestle.com.