Final Thoughts

Overall I think it was a successful class. I became more comfortable with handling phyllo dough, and learned how to make a lot of cold soups. Making terrines was especially interesting since I had never made them before. I enjoyed making small bites of food. The costing form we were given in class was also very helpful for any future endeavors into any culinary field. I was hoping to learn more about being in the professional industry rather than almost exclusively making dishes from recipes, but I was generally satisfied with my time here.

Final Project: Fried Wontons

The filling mixture was made from ground beef, ginger, scallions, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, shredded cabbage, and sesame oil.

Mise en place

Meat filling

The filling was placed on a wonton wrapper, then the wrapper was folded into a triangle shape and twisted to form a boat shape. Egg wash sealed any folded edges.

Ready for the deep fryer

The wontons were placed in the deep fryer at 375 and cooked until golden brown. I made a sauce with soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and scallions. I also added some kimchi that was made in the penultimate class session.

Final plating

Prep: No problems with prep.

Presentation: I wanted to use the two sided sauce plate which was quite a large size so I had to use the largest plate that was available to create a visually appealing presentation. The wontons were arranged in a star pattern.

Taste: The filling is juicy, tender, and well seasoned. The wontons are crispy and provide a nice textural balance against the soft texture of the meat.

Overall: The only thing I would do differently for next time is to use the second fryer basket to submerge the wontons so that they are evenly colored. In this plating they have more of an ombre effect.

Final Project: Relish with Belgian Endive

Our assignment was to make a relish based on what was left in the produce room, paired with Belgian endive. I went with an Italian style relish with tomatoes, shallots, and green pepper cut into small dice. I also made a chiffonade of basil and mixed it in. I made a balsamic vinaigrette and drizzled it onto the filled endives and added a chiffonade of radicchio on top.

Italian style relish with Belgian endive

Prep: No problems with prep.

Presentation: I went with a simple presentation of the 3 endives in a row, but placed at an angle to the plate to create more visual flow. The vinaigrette to the side has a chiffonade of basil on top to also create more visual interest.

Taste: The taste is fresh and crisp with some acidic flavor from the dressing.

Overall: With some adjustments to the balsamic vinaigrette for a richer flavor, I'd make this dish again.

Final Project: Mozzarella Roulade

For the first component of our final project, I shredded a 1 lb. block of mozzarella cheese into curds. I then poured hot water over the curds to reform them into a smooth ball. Once smooth and pliable enough to shape I placed the cheese on a plastic lined baking sheet and shaped it into a rectangle.

Shredded mozzarella

Reforming the cheese with hot water

I then placed a single layer of prosciutto on the cheese, and then fresh basil on top.

Prosciutto layer

Basil layer

The cheese was rolled tightly, sealed with plastic wrap, and then dipped in hot water to seal the edges. I placed it in the fridge to set until ready to slice.

Ready for the fridge

I sliced the roll on the bias and plated the pieces with some balsamic vinaigrette.

Final plating top-down view

Final plating front view

Prep: It took a bit of adjusting of the hot water temperature to get the cheese to spread out evenly with a smooth appearance. No other problems with prep. I ended up rolling the cheese a lot tighter than when I first made this in class which made it easier to plate.

Presentation: I placed the rolls along each side of the sauce tray, placed a radicchio chiffonade on top of each roll for added color, with parsley garnish along the sides and on the sauce. In hindsight I could have also used the vinaigrette in a drizzle along the plate instead of a static sauce dish.

Taste: The creamy mildness of the cheese goes well with the aromatic basil and salty earthiness of the prosciutto.

Overall: A great appetizer to make which is pleasing to the eye and to the palate.

Ham and Asparagus Phyllo Rolls

We placed asparagus spears in boiling water and then blanched them. We then placed the asparagus in a cheese-lemon mixture to coat. We then lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, placed the phyllo dough on it and brushed it with melted butter. Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper were added to the dough before the ham was placed and then the asparagus.

Mise en place

Ready to roll!

The phyllo dough was rolled tightly and more melted butter was brushed on the outer part of the roll.

Ready for the oven

We placed the rolls in a 400 F oven for about 15 minutes until they were golden brown and crispy.

Ready to cut and plate

I then sliced the rolls on a bias with a bread knife and plated them.

Final plating

Prep: We worked quickly as possible with the phyllo dough to prevent it from drying out and cracking. We used a generous amount of butter to keep the dough as moist as possible. No other problems with prep.

Presentation: I used a star-shaped presentation with a chiffonade of basil in the middle and pea puree in between the phyllo pieces. I think the presentation overall works well. There is balance in the plate, all the components flow well together and there is a sense of movement from the bias cut and the curls of basil chiffonade. I would make the pea puree dots more even for next time though.

Taste: The taste was too salty for me due to the ham with the salty cheese and additional salt for seasoning. I would limit a lot of the salt out for next time and use prosciutto for more depth of flavor and better texture.

Overall: With less of a salt component, I'd definitely make this dish again.

Cold Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

We first started by drizzling halved tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and basil then roasting them in the oven until lightly browned.

Ready for the oven

After roasting in the oven

While the tomatoes were roasting I sauteed garlic in a pan, then onion, leek and celery until translucent and softened.

Garlic, onions, leek and celery

I then added fresh basil, bay leaf, the vegetables, tomatoes, and stock and simmered for about 40 minutes.

Chopped fresh basil

The bay leaf was removed and the mixture was placed in the Vitamix and blended until smooth

Ready to blend

The soup was placed in a hotel pan and chilled in the fridge until cool.

Ready to chill

Final plating

Prep: Prepping all the ingredients was fairly straightforward with no complications.

Presentation: I added some cream swirls and a small chiffonade of basil in the center for a simple presentation.

Taste: I liked the deep rich taste of the tomato from the roasting. The texture was a little grainy though despite blending it in the Vitamix for a long time.

Overall: I like the idea, but I might add some extra ingredients to make the soup less grainy tasting if I were to make this again.

Duxelles Stuffed Chicken Breast

We first started on the mushroom mixture. I roughly chopped crimini mushrooms into approximately brunoise size and minced some shallots. Other ingredients included heavy cream, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

Mise en place

I melted some butter in a saute pan and cooked the shallots until translucent.

Cooking the shallots

I then added the mushrooms, with salt and pepper to taste.

Adding the mushrooms

 When cooked, I combined the heavy cream, parsley, and breadcrumbs to complete the duxelles mixture.

Ready for the chicken

We used a mallet to pound out the chicken breast until it was evenly flat. We took the duxelles and placed it on the chicken, then rolled it up. I used a toothpick to bind the two open "seams" of the bottom part of the chicken.

Ready to roll

Ready for the oven

We placed the chicken in a 375 F oven for approximately 30 minutes. After taking the chicken out, we tested it to make sure the internal temperature was 165 F.

Cooked and ready to slice

I sliced the chicken into 3/8" pieces slightly on the bias and placed it in a fan pattern.

Final plating

Prep: No problems with prep.

Presentation: I went with a simple presentation, fanning the different slices out with a sprig of parsley in the middle. Some sauce would help to add some additional color and visual appeal.

Taste: The chicken was well cooked and tender with a good amount of seasoning. The mushrooms went well with the chicken and added some earthy flavor to contrast with the meat. I would add some sauce to the dish for an additional element if I were to make this next time.

Overall: This was a fairly easy dish to make and tasted great. I'd make it again.

Seafood Strudel

Our next dish using phyllo dough was seafood strudel. We first ground cleaned and deveined shrimp into a paste, then pulsed egg into the mixture. Heavy cream was then added to the food processor. The end result was a light whipped looking filling for the strudel.

Mise en place

Shrimp ready to grind

Shrimp in the food processor

Ready for the egg

After egg was pulsed in

Adding the cream

Filling ready for next step

Green onions were cut on the bias, cooked until soft in butter, and combined with beef Italian sausage, and canned crab meat.

Green onions, crab, and sausage

The mixture was cooled in the fridge and then folded into the shrimp paste along with the scallops, crayfish tails, and mustards. The mixture was placed in the fridge until the phyllo dough was ready.

We added melted butter and breadcrumbs to phyllo dough sheets, for 3 layers. The fourth layer only had butter on it. The filling mixture was placed lengthwise along the sheet and rolled.

Buttered phyllo dough

Seafood mixture added

Rolled up, ready for the oven

The dough was placed in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes. We checked the temperature with a thermometer to ensure the seafood was cooked. It was cooled for 5 minutes then sliced into 1/2" pieces on the bias.

Golden brown, ready to slice

Final plating

Prep: The biggest difficulty with prep was keeping the phyllo dough from breaking. We needed to handle the thin sheets quickly, carefully, and cover them as much as possible to prevent the dough from drying out.

Presentation: I chose a simple presentation with the slices placed in a fan pattern and parsley garnish below for color.

Taste: I liked the taste of the seafood filling overall, but I felt that the beef sausage tasted out of place with the rest of the ingredients. If I were to make this dish again I might use a lighter tasting sausage like chicken or turkey, or use a small amount ham for some smoky salty flavor instead. The phyllo dough browned up nicely in the oven and provided a delicate, crisp texture to contrast with the softer textures of the filling.

Overall: Despite the difficulties with handling the phyllo dough, this was an enjoyable dish to make and eat. I'd definitely make it again.

Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Tiny little sandwiches to go with your afternoon tea. We made a set of wheat and white bread sandwiches. Thinly sliced cucumber (On setting 2 using the slicer) was layered on top of whipped cream cheese spread.

Cream cheese spread

Added cucumber slices

The crusts were cut off, then sliced into smaller pieces. I sliced the white bread sandwiches into triangles, and the wheat bread into rectangles.

Triangular sandwich plating

Rectangular sandwich plating

Prep: The most difficulty in prep was learning to cut with the bread knife for a clean cut through the soft bread and harder cucumber layer.

Presentation: After slicing the sandwiches into smaller pieces I used the leftover cucumber pieces as a garnish.

Taste: The taste is cool and refreshing.

Overall: It was a good experience to know how to slice these. With more practice I'll be able to slice the sandwiches more evenly and with more ease.

Vichyssoise

Ah, the cold soup with the funny name. This soup was simple to make. Instead of leeks we used yellow onion though.

I chopped yellow onion into a brunoise, and potatoes into small dice.

Potatoes and onion

The onions were placed in a pan to sweat until they were translucent. Vegetable stock and potatoes were added, brought to a boil, then simmered until the potatoes started to fall apart.

Ingredients simmering

We pureed the mixture in the Vitamix then let the soup chill in the fridge. Some chopped chives were folded in right before plating.

Final plating

Prep: No problems with prep. We made our own vegetable stock with celery, carrot, and onion.

Presentation: Plating was simple. The soup is clear enough that you can see the folded in bits of chives and two chive ends were placed for visual interest.

Taste: The soup had an overwhelming onion flavor. Some leeks would tone down the flavor since it has a milder taste. The texture was similar to applesauce and was a bit grainy from the potatoes. Some cream would add more smooth texture and enrich the flavor.

Overall: I would make this soup again but with leeks and I'd also add some cream for more richness.