Dessert garnishes

An open pastry textbook explains that a garnish's main purpose is decoration, but well-chosen ones can add important flavour, texture and functional elements. A garnish should suit the dessert instead of competing with it.

Tuiles are thin cookies that can be shaped with a stencil, by combing or by piping, and they add visual appeal, flavour and a crunchy texture to the plate. Chocolate garnishes need proper tempering to achieve a crisp texture and glossy finish, and common shapes include curls, fans and cigarettes, made by spreading a thin layer of tempered chocolate on a marble slab and shaping it as it partially sets. Too thick a chocolate garnish can overpower the dessert.

A garnish can also be practical: placing a frozen item such as ice cream on a base slows its melting, which makes it easier to serve.