Building Height on the Plate

Food stacked a little gives the plate shape. Start with a soft base that holds things in place, such as mashed potato, polenta, purée or a spoon of rice. Lean the protein against it, or slice it and fan it out over the base. Tuck the vegetables in on one side. Put a garnish of herbs or crisp shallots on top last. Odd numbers of items look more natural than even ones. Don't overdo it: a tower that falls over when the fork goes in is worse than a flat plate.