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Life is too short to eat bad food! Sharing great recipes, farm life, stories and photography from our Northern California dairy farm.

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July 10, 2010

My new 'Toy' ~ Guess what it does!

Last month when I attended the Novato Art & Wine Fest, I made a purchase.  I think I was drawn to the vibrant colors and the fact that it was some sort of ceramic plate.  I LOVE dishes, bowls, serving platters, anything for the kitchen but especially pottery!

This is a French Garlic Grater.  But it's not just for garlic, you can also grate ginger, citrus rind, nutmeg, parmesan cheese or chocolate.  I watched the woman at the booth demonstrate how it worked.  When you're grating something that releases water or oil, such as garlic, moisten the surface of the grater by rinsing it under water.



This morning, I grated some garlic out on our deck.


I placed a garlic clove in the garlic peeler tube, that came with my purchase.


Roll it on a firm surface with the palm of the hand until you hear a crushing sound.




Your garlic is peeled.  It takes just a few seconds to peel one clove and it's fun too!


Hold the garlic with the root pointing up and the tip towards the plate and start grating.


You can either grate in a circular motion or back and forth.


I used the handy dandy brush that came with the plate to sweep the garlic into a dish.


The ceramic 'teeth' on the grater are supposed to last for years.  It grates garlic into a puree or paste form....perfect for homemade salad dressings. 


I love my new garlic plate :)  It's super easy to clean, I don't grate my fingers in the process and I actually had a fun time using it.  I just hope I don't drop it as I do SO many other bowls, cups, plates, etc in my kitchen
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I've only grated garlic on my plate so far, but I'm sure other items are just as easily grated.  Now my fingers are smelling like garlic and it's making me hungry......next time maybe a rubber glove :)

This would be the perfect gift for a 'foodie' wouldn't it?!
Here's a great dressing recipe from Eating Well that is super creamy, yet low in fat.

Creamy Garlic Dressing



















photo from Eating Well


Ingredients



1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste


Preparation
1.Combine buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Parmesan, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth.


Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.


Nutrition
Per tablespoon: 16 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 89 mg sodium; 5 mg potassium.

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6 comments:

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

lovely- William Sonoma makes one of these but not as pretty and colorful as yours-
If you rub your garlic fingers against a stainless steel sink the smell disappears.

k. said...

I have a ceramic ginger grater that is similar, so you can probably use it to grate ginger also. The best way to peel ginger is with the edge of a spoon, then you can grate it on your plate. I do like how your plate is very colorful. Mine is plain white, but the teeth are very sharp and pointed.

Anonymous said...

Great Blog thanks for sharing.

RSI Petaluma said...

I found your blog through our FFA champs (I helped Sally with the fund raising) and just LOVE IT!

Karen said...

That garlic grater/plate is beautiful! I have never seen one before. We love garlic and we use it in almost every meal. I don't think I would know how to cook without it! Grating garlic would be an inspiring event when feasting eyes on that beauty! :> Great share! :>

Kristen said...

What a great new toy. I just put 20 cloves of garlic in my crock pot for a chicken recipe I'm making, so I know the hunger that comes from garlic smelling hands!