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Serviette/Napkin Folding, Another Restaurant Favourite.
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 2 Minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Minutes
Servings: 2
Between the teachings of my Grandmother, an Aunt, my Mother and several restaurants I learned a lot about serviette/ napkin folding.. Works well with cloth napkins, or larger paper ones. I have included step-by-step photographs to illustrate/supplement the written directions. This one was taught to me by the staff of the Iron Horse restaurant in Christchurch New Zealand, the 1980's. The instructions look long but I wanted you to know how it should look at every step. It's REALLY NOT as hard as the long instructions imply. Practice once and you'll laugh at how easy it is.
Ingredients:
1 paper, serviette (large)
1 cloth, serviette (large)
Directions:
1. Lay your serviette square out flat before you in the shape of the square.
2. Fold the bottom left and right corners up to meet the top left and right corners so that you now have a rectangle shape with the crease at the bottom.
3. Place your finger in the center of the top of the rectangle. With your other hand take the bottom left corner of the rectangle and bring that point up to your finger. You will have before you a triangle shape on the left hand side and a square on the right hand side.
4. Place your finger on the bottom center point where the triangle meets the square, and with your other hand, take the top right corner and bring it to meet your finger. You will now have before you a shape that is somewhere between that of a diamond and a rectangle with a gap that runs diagonally from top left to bottom right.
5. Carefully turn the serviette over.
6. Take the bottom left and right edge and fold it upwards to meet the top edge. There will be a triangular flap hanging down on the left hand side. If you pick the serviette up, the other loose triangle will fall down from the back of the right hand side, so now you have a long narrow strip at the top that has pointed east and west edges and two triangles hanging down at the bottom.
7. Put your finger on the topmost left point of the bigger triangle that is hanging down, (your finger should be about 1/3 of the way along, from the very top left edge)Then fold the most top left point to the right so that the finger would be at the center of the new fold that you make. Lift up the flap of the bigger triangle that is hanging down and tuck the point that you folded over underneath.
8. Turn the serviette over so that the straight edge is still at the top and place your finger at the peak of the triangle that is pointing upward. (your finger should be roughly half way along the top edge of the serviette).
9. Bring the most left point completely towards the point in the top right hand corner, where your finger was, is where the new fold line is.
10. Pick up the napkin and carefully tuck this flap into the opposite fold.
11. Carefully pick up the serviette so that the two points are in the North/South position, slip your fingers underneath and pull very gently in both east/west direction to open the serviette enough so that it stands up.
12. Neaten the centre a little if necessary.
By RecipeOfHealth.com