Garnish for attractive presentation

If you have a picky eater in your household, want to make plain foods look exciting, or are planning a magnificent wedding buffet, the simplest of edible garnishes and an attractively arranged presentation will make all the difference.

It takes just a fraction of a second to arrange a pinwheel of mint leaves around a lemon slice on a hummus dip, for instance, or a small bouquet of edible flowers like violas and a pretty ribbon with a basket of breads or muffins.

When preparing a platter or an individual entree plate, think about spacing and especially color. A "good example of a bad example," as a teacher I once had used to say, might be cauliflower, white rice, and a white fish - all on a white plate.

There are lots of "rules" about complementary colors and shapes that one learns in an art class, but basically if your presentation looks beautiful with balanced colors and forms, it will inspire the appetite as well. Pair a rosy piece of salmon with a green vegetable, and perhaps a starch, and you have a lovely dish just waiting for a final garnish!

Probably you have many edible plants to use for garnish in your own backyard. And you also may have some that are decidedly NOT edible like daffodils, rhubarb leaves, sweet peas and lupine. My main reference for edible flowers and plants is "The Edible Flower Garden," by Rosalind Creasy. She also lists many plants that are not edible, or are poisonous. The old rule for commas applies for plants - "When in doubt, leave it out." In short, never put anything on a plate that isn't edible.

A few of the more popular and well known flower garnishes are all the viola/pansy family, lavender, rose petals, nasturtiums, calendulas, and one of my favorites, squash blossoms. (We'll talk about them in another column closer to squash season.) Among the green garnishes are the mints, other herbs, watercress, and of course, pretty lettuces and the classic restaurant dusting of finely chopped parsley. Sliced fruits, a cluster of berries or tiny cherry tomatoes, radish roses and cucumber twists would be pretty as well.

Today's two recipes are for muffins made with seasonal fruits. The recipe for strawberry muffins (somewhat altered after all these years) was the "Cooking Light" cover recipe in May 1999, and the rhubarb one - by far the best of all the many recipes for rhubarb bread or muffins that I have tried - came from Erma Rummel's Bed and Breakfast in Michigan many years ago. It has also been changed a bit, and oatmeal has been added and nuts removed. (We often have B and B guests who are allergic to nuts, so we frequently substitute an equal or slightly greater amount of Old Fashioned oatmeal for the nuts.)

Enjoy these spring muffins, and freeze a few for later.

RHUBARB MUFFINS

Make the topping and set aside:

Mix well:

2 teaspoons melted butter

1⁄3 cup white sugar

1 heaping tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together the following ingredients:

1⁄2 cup buttermilk or low fat plain yogurt (I use whichever I have.)

1⁄2 cup canola or other vegetable oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

11⁄4 cups brown sugar

21⁄2 cups (fluffed before measuring) flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Then add:

3⁄4 to 1 cup oatmeal

11⁄2 cups finely diced rhubarb

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners; fill a generous 2⁄3 full, and sprinkle with topping.

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees. Test for doneness, and cool on a rack. These muffins freeze well.

STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

Put the following ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until just blended:

11⁄2 cups hulled, quartered strawberries

3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

2 eggs

In a medium bowl, mix together:

11⁄4 cups sugar

11⁄2 cups (fluffed before measuring) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Add the strawberry mixture to the flour mixture.

Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups about 34 full. Sprinkle the tops with a little granulated sugar (about 12 teaspoon per muffin) and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 18 minutes.

• Muffy Vhay and her husband own and operate the Deer Run Ranch Bed and Breakfast in Washoe Valley.