A bowl of tomato soup garnished with crab-meat, fresh basil, shredded Grana Padano cheese and snipped chives (photo © Wisconsin Dairy)..

Remember when a garnish meant parsley? Today, part of the creativity in cooking is the choice of edible garniture. Just a bit of glamorous garnishing makes any plate look better.

Try whole or halved cherry or grape tomatoes or actual grapes, caperberries with stems (or scatter small capers on the plate), beads of whitefish caviar, edible flowers…

There are dozens of tasty choices whether your course is sweet or savory.

So whether you’re presenting the turkey, yams, stuffing, cranberries, or other dishes tomorrow, consider whether sprigs of rosemary, orange peel, dill, or other garnish (yes, even parsley) can make them even more of a visual “wow.”

> For a cornucopia of ideas, see our article on glamorous garnishes.