Building the Plate

Foundations of Plated-Dessert Design
By Jaime Schick

A successful plated dessert starts long before it reaches the guest. It begins by giving structure to the inspiration, whether that is an ingredient, a season or an aesthetic. Each component serves a purpose in creating balance, texture and cohesion on the plate. Understanding these foundational elements can streamline the creative process while ensuring a well-composed dessert is on the menu. 

Main Item

This is the foundation of the dessert, the primary flavor and often how the dish appears on the menu. The main item is the largest component on the plate, ranging in size from 1.5 – 3 ounces. The flavor of the main item influences the other flavors, textures, and components of the dessert.

Many times, the main item is the visual focal point, as seen in IMAGE 2. This style of plating draws the focus directly to the main item, while in IMAGE 3, the main item is hidden under layers of textures creating an air of mystery and intrigue.

Frozen Component

The frozen component is the second-largest component on the plate and adds both a secondary flavor and a temperature contrast. Frozen elements include ice cream, gelato, sorbet, sherbet, granita, semifreddo, etc. The style of the frozen element depends on many factors, including the richness of the main item, the service style and the other components of the dessert. Choosing a leaner option, such as a sorbet or granita, contrasts richer main items such as custards while using an ice cream with a warm cake and lean sauces and garnishes creates overall balance on the plate. 

Flavor & Fat Balance

When you build a plated dessert, you need to consider the balance of fat and flavor. Avoid combining multiple rich and fatty components, as this can make the dish feel heavy. Fat helps carry flavor, but too much can mask it. Instead, pair richer components with leaner accents to create a natural contrast and balance. 

Flavor is the number one reason any component is on the plate. Staying with three to four main flavors maintains cohesiveness, and balancing the tastes within those flavors creates depth. Aim to include a minimum of three tastes (e.g. sweet, salt, bitter, sour, umami) on each dessert.

Sauces

Sauces add layers of flavor, visual movement, and interest to the plate. The style of a sauce can vary from traditional techniques to more modern applications, including foams, gels, gelees or infused oils. Sauces are meant to enhance a dish’s flavor profile. Using two to three sauces with a total weight of ½ – 1 ounce of sauce prevents the flavors from becoming overpowering. 

You can achieve visual movement through sauce design. Sauces easily lead your eye through the composition of the plate and create character and direction. 

The graphic below IMAGE 4 shows common sauce designs that you can use in order to add dimension to the plate. 

Lines convey strength and precision and provide visual edges, while circular sauces create continuous movement, curves and a soft focus. 

Texture

Having multiple textures on the plate engages the senses. Textures such as crunchy, creamy, chewy, soft, crisp or airy create contrast and offer different ways of perceiving flavor. One way of adding texture and depth to desserts is by repeating flavors in different textures. An example would be using chocolate mousse (smooth, creamy) with a chocolate sauce (thin) and chocolate soil (crunchy). The result is multiple textures of chocolate, creating a cohesive flavor profile. Additionally, different textures create visual dimension on a plate. You can demonstrate this by plating a smooth and shiny molded item with a rough, dull and organic one. 

Garnishes

Many components fall into the garnish category, and technically everything on the plate other than the main, frozen and sauce is a garnish. Garnishes may include fresh fruit, flowers and secondary sauces or the more classic garnishes such as ornate and intricate sugar work, tempered chocolate pieces or delicate tuile stencils. Garnishes help to provide a finished look, can showcase skill and finesse, and give the dish eye appeal. Garnishes are meant to enhance the plate, so flavors of the garnishes are important and should be edible. Larger garnish pieces should match the overall flavor profile of the dish, meaning that a tempered chocolate garnish would be appropriate on a dish with a chocolate main item. 

Using this foundational formula to build a plated dessert can help create well-rounded desserts with efficiency and intention.

Jaime Schick is an Associate Professor and Department Chair at Johnson & Wales University. She teaches courses ranging from baking and pastry foundations to contemporary plated desserts. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts and a Master’s of Education in Teaching and Learning, and she co-hosts the Culinary Now Podcast with her colleague Matthew Britt. Find Jaime on Instagram at Vanillabeanchef

(This article appeared in the Summer 32 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)