A feast for the eyes

The Rembrandt Anniversary Year is well under way. 350 years after his death, the life and works of Rembrandt van Rijn are being celebrated with wonderful exhibitions in the Fries Museum, the Lakenhal in Leiden and the Rijksmuseum. His prints, etchings, paintings and drawings are nothing short of a feast for the eyes, and a source of inspiration for you to make your dish a work of art.

Shape

Cut your ingredients into shapes. For example, cut stars out of potato and roast them in the oven, cut an oven-baked lasagne into heart shapes for serving, or make quiche in single serving dishes instead of in a springform pan. You could also slice the ingredients for your Waldorf salad and stack them instead of tossing them together. A delicious surprise for your guests!

Contrast

Create a composition on your plate. For example, slice each product attractively and group them together on the plate, or alternate meat/fish, potato and vegetables with each other. Do your best to turn your dish into a beautiful artwork – we can assure you that this will definitely have an effect on the flavour too!

Colour

Looking for paints in the kitchen? Just grab some beet, turmeric and cocoa! You can use beet juice to add colour to your home-baked bread, pastries and desserts. A pinch of turmeric provides your dish with a yellow glow, while wheat grass powder can be used for green and cocoa for brown (as well as a tasty chocolate flavour!). Tip: always start with a small amount of colouring, and add more bit by bit to achieve a more intense colour.

Finishing touch

Top off your dish with one of the ingredients. For example, if you’ve made pasta with a tomato sauce, top it with fresh tomato slices. Serve a risotto with freshly grated slivers of Parmesan. Just about any dish can be given a lift with a sprig of fresh herbs or a scattering of arugula, and flower petals from your own garden make a beautiful addition to salads, desserts and pastries. But check that they’re edible first!