Things You'll Need
Vegetable brush
Potato peeler
Paring knife
Container
Water
Ice cubes
Decorative edible radish roses are not difficult to make; they simply require patience and the willingness to move slowly. Cut the radish roses 1 to 2 days before you need them so you don't feel the need to hurry. Pick large radishes of uniform shape and size for the vegetable tray. Make more roses than you need for the vegetable tray and use them to decorate other foods that you are serving. Radish roses look particularly attractive when piled high in the center of the vegetable tray.
Step 1
Scrub the radishes with a vegetable brush to remove any blackened spots and trim off the stem and root. Use a potato peeler to peel off any blemishes on the radish skin. Do not trim off any more red color than necessary.
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Step 2
Set the radish on its bottom where you trimmed off the root. Using a thin, sharp paring knife, start approximately one-third of the way down from the top and make a long, thin slice almost to the bottom of the radish, curving inward to follow the shape of the radish. Make two more similar cuts approximately 1/8 inch apart above the first one. The series of three cuts are one above the other toward the top of the radish in the style of a staircase.
Step 3
Turn the radish one-third turn while it is sitting on its base, and make three more cuts approximately 1/8 inch apart, one above the other, stair-stepping toward the top of the radish. Turn the radish one more time and make three more similar cuts. The radish now has three series of cuts spaced around its circumference.
Step 4
Place the radish in a container of water heavily packed with ice cubes and slide it into the refrigerator overnight. The cuts you made the day before will spread open to complete the radish rose.
Tip
Cut a different type of radish rose by sitting the radish on its bottom and making cuts into and across the top of the radish approximately 1/4 inch apart and approximately ¼ inch deep. Turn the radish one-half turn and make cuts ¼ inch apart over the previous cuts to resemble a checkerboard pattern. Soak in ice water overnight so the radish will open up and spread.
Warning
Radish roses are consumed raw. Wash the cutting board, utensils and your hands thoroughly, and then sanitize with a solution of one part chlorine bleach to nine parts water.
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