While researching pie decorations this weekend, I have found that pastry is often used to make decorative crusts and pie toppers and designs and the like. The alternative is NOT using pastry to make decoration. I have a few thoughts for both:

I found a Bon Appetit recipe for Strawberry and White Chocolate Mouse Tart, which looks amazing to me. I really want to eat it, so I think I’m going to make it.

I think it would be cool to arrange the strawberries into concentric circles. The strawberries themselves are made to look especially appetizing because they are brushed with a melted-strawberry-jam-and-lemon-juice mixture. I would like to experiment with chocolate drizzle designs to make to little dark chocolate pieces to incorporate into the circular strawberry design. Something along the lines of these little hearts:

Or maybe make a chocolate ribbon to place in the middle. Seemingly impossible, but I need to do more research to see whether or not this would be feasible.

The other option would be to make a pie and manipulate pastry for decoration. Here are just a few of the really cool things I found while poking around in Pintrest.

This sunny, yummy looking spinach thing. Wow.

This work of art!

An interesting take on a lattice-top-esque prebaked thing that is apparently set atop a pie like a lid.

And this use of color. I’d never really thought about dying pastry before…

Yep, just a few thoughts of mine. I am leaning towards the tart at the moment. I’ve never made one before and would really like to try!