DAZigns

Morning Show Projectby DAZ
Tasty Tomato Vase Project
Monday, July 17, 2000

Supplies:

Assorted fresh vegetables, washed and dried. I used...
1. Tomato
2. Radishes
3. Carrots
4. Green Peppers
5. Cucumbers
6. Zucchini
7. Yellow Squash
8. and assorted Fresh Herbs<>
9. Sharp Paring Knife
10. Cutting surface
11. Plate or bowl
12. Heavy plastic bag or pastry bag
13. Cream cheese type dip
14. Salad plate
15. Toothpicks
16. Mini cookie cutters
17. Melon baller(optional)

Instructions:
Early Prep
	1. The day before or several hours before your meal you need to prepare a few of the vegetable blooms and sprays, like the radish flowers and the celery and carrot sprays. These must be soaked in cold water in the refrigerator for a few hours so that they curl. To make a round radish bloom, simply cut the radish from top to bottom as if you were going to slice the side off, but do not actually cut all the way through the bottom. Do this on all four sides. Now slice the very top of the center off. Soak in cold water.
	2. Another radish flower requires that you lay a long shaped radish on its side and make thin slices the across the radish, once again be sure to not cut through the bottom of the radish. 3. The third radish flower requires that you slice up several radishes (a good way to use accidents from the other flowers), both round and lengthwise, soak these in cold water in refrigerator, too. These are petals.
	4. Cut celery into 4"-5" pieces, then cut those in half so that they are still long but narrow. Now start cutting the length of the piece of celery leaving about a 1" uncut on one end. Soak.
Day of Dinner Prep
	5. Cut slivers out of the side of cucumber length ways, and then slices crossways to create medallions.
	6. Do the same with the yellow squash. 7. Slice Zucchini into medallion shapes then use mini cookie cutters to cut out shapes. 8. Cut carrot into slices to make center of flowers.
	9. Cut top off of the tomato, cutting at angles to create an interesting pattern. Scoop out a little of the inside of the tomato, but not all of it, just a small area, a melon baller would be good for this but a spoon will work nicely. 10. Cut small hole in the corner of a heavy plastic bag and fill with cream cheese. Use like you would a pastry bag and squeeze the cream cheese dip into the center of the tomato. 11. Insert toothpicks into the bottom of your flowers and sprays the insert them into your Tomato Vase. 12. Intermingle the fresh herb sprigs through out for foliage. 13. Skewer 4-5 radish "petals" on a toothpick to create a different flower. The same can be done with slices of squash. 14. I would set the Tomato vase on a plate that has fresh herb or lettuce leaf laid beneath it. I thought this was a great way to use those fresh veggies, and have table decor that doesn't just look good, it taste as good as it looks!!! Have fun and enjoy!!!! DAZ


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E-mail: DAZ@DAZigns.com