Serving Stylish Pasta

Pasta is one of the easiest dishes to serve for a crowd. And, let's be honest: everyone loves pasta! While it's one of the easiest things to prepare, it's easily one of the most difficult things to serve (or shoot!) stylishly.I almost shudder when I think of having to style something like macaroni and cheese for a photo shoot. The cheese sets-up quickly, and it's just hard to make it look appetizing. Pasta has great texture in photographs, but without the appropriate styling, it's simply not pleasant to look at.Even though you might not be styling for a photo shoot, there are a few tricks to serving stylish pasta at a dinner party. In fact, the number one thing you can do to improve a pasta course is the dish in which its served. The vessel you choose to serve pasta in is the most important element in making pasta look delicious.Here are a few stylist tricks to use to serve stylish pasta is on your menu:Ditch the glass casserole dish. In fact I don't even own one. Instead, think about something earthy to present your pasta, like mac and cheese, in. An iron skillet is perfect! I own lots of iron skillets in all sizes. Not only are they great looking, great to bake in, but they make awesome presentation vessels. The photo above was a pretty cover shot for Southern Living that I styled a couple years ago. I still think it's so yummy looking. It's one of my favorites. Use glasses in unexpected ways. Pesto pasta is pretty, so seeing all the bits of basil in the clear glass is great, plus it's easy to serve. I love these brandy snifters. They are the perfect size for one serving. Think of all your tableware in different ways. Glasses can be used for more than just drinks!Look for interesting shapes in your serving dishes. Here the scallop edged bowl really makes a difference. It's a nod to the sea, and it looks a bit like a sea shell. You will never go wrong with a seafood presentation if you introduce the sea in some form. Even the serving spoon looks like something you would find along the beach.I hope that this has helped you look at how you serve your pasta dishes. Like I said above, the key is to always think about the vessel options you have. Plus it gives you an excuse to pull out your very best, most fun props!xx AnnettePhoto credit: Jennifer Davick, Lauren Rubinstein, Deborah Whitlaw LlewellyenSeafood Pasta Dish from my cookbook Picture Perfect Parties