Hello dear friends,
Hope you're all doing well
I just thought I'd post my journal entry that I wrote after pulling another all–nighter of hard mental work in order to finish it today. 😵 Also, I felt encouraged with Chef Claire's positive comment on my work—thanks heaps for the encouragement Chef Claire! 😄 Part of our course is to write something about the dishes we cook during practical assessments. In our school, we use this digital learning platform called Blackboard to answer worksheets, post journal entries, and other theoretical learning activities.
Nothing fancy for today; just basic but delicious dishes that I cooked during the final practical assessment of our Vegetable, Fruit, Egg, and Farinaceous Dishes Unit last Tuesday (22 November). 😊 In case you'd like to try out the recipes, I'll try to edit this post next time when I get more time on my hands.
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• Name and describe the dish/es
you produced and photographed
Gnocchi
Pesto
Originating from Italy, gnocchi are small
dumplings or balls that are usually made with potato or semolina and served
with sauce. In this dish, I first baked the potatoes, peeled and mashed them,
and then added flour, egg yolks, and seasonings (i.e. nutmeg, salt, and pepper) to make a dough. I kneaded this
dough and made small gnocchi dumplings by rolling the dough into long
sausage–like segments and cutting these segments in small pieces. I gently
rolled each small piece between my palms to make oval–shaped balls and marked
each ball with that characteristic gnocchi indentation by rolling them against
the tines of a fork. (Marking gnocchi with ridges is not just decorative but
also help compress the gnocchi so that they keep their shape and the grooves
help hold the sauce when the gnocchi are served.) I cooked my gnocchi in
boiling salted water. With this cooked gnocchi, I mixed it together with a
creamy sauce made of basil and cashew pesto.
Green
Beans with Almonds
This is a simple but healthy vegetarian dish
made of green beans and slivered almonds that’s easy to cook. I toasted the
almonds in butter, squeezed in a little bit of lemon juice, and added my
blanched al dente green beans.
Lemon
and Spinach Risotto with Chicken Breast
Risotto is another dish that has Italian
origins. In this rice–based dish, I cooked short–grained Arborio rice together
with chicken stock, lemon juice and rind, spinach, and sage. To make it
creamier, I also added Parmesan cheese and a little bit of cream. For the
chicken breast, I allowed it to marinate for a while in chopped sage, lemon
rind, and olive oil before searing it and finally roasting in the oven. Lastly,
I plated this dish by carving the roasted chicken breast into slices, placing
them on top of the risotto, and garnishing the two elements together with
grated Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, a small lemon slice, and
aromatic sage leaves.
Potatoes
Marquise
Potatoes Marquise are not just ordinary
baked mashed potatoes but are more of a “jazzed up” version of them. I first
baked the potatoes, peeled and mashed them, and added egg yolk, butter, and
seasonings. I then piped this potato mixture into beautiful nest–shaped
rosettes on a baking tray and placed them in a preheated 200°C oven to dry
their outer surfaces. After a few minutes, I brushed the rosettes with egg wash
and continued baking them until they became golden brown in colour. According
to Escoffier and Saulnier, Pommes de Terre Marquise are traditionally prepared
by mixing reduced tomato purée or sauce with the finely mashed potatoes. In the
recipe that we followed, I used hot tomato concassé as filling or topping for
my baked potato rosettes and sprinkled chopped parsley as garnish. While these
Potatoes Marquise are simply made of humble spuds that have been baked, mashed,
and incorporated with other ingredients, their presentation as golden brown
rosettes finished with red tomato concassé and chopped green parsley gives them
an attractive appearance—like baked mashed potatoes that have been dressed up
to the nines or given a makeover.
Rice
Pilaf
Rice pilafs are popular in the Middle
East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Unlike plain boiled or steamed
rice, a pilaf is a rice dish that has been cooked in a seasoned or spiced
liquid, often with vegetables or meat added. The term “pilaf” comes from pilav, which is the Turkish/Persian name
of the same rice dish. In this simple Rice Pilaf that I cooked, I used chicken
stock, bay leaf, garlic, butter, onions, salt, and pepper to flavour
long–grained basmati rice. The first stage of the cooking was done on the hob
and then the rice was eventually finished in a preheated 190°C oven. The end
result is a very flavoursome rice pilaf that can be used to accompany meat,
poultry, seafood, or vegetable dishes.
Scrambled
Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
This is basically an egg dish that is
suitable for breakfast. Scrambled eggs (or œufs
brouillés in French) is one of many different ways of cooking eggs out of
their shell. I prepared this dish by beating the eggs together with cream and
seasoning. To complement my scrambled eggs, I also included pancetta, which is
a type of unsmoked bacon used especially in Italian cuisine. I first fried the
diced pancetta, took out about half of it for plating, and then I poured in the
beaten egg mixture. I continuously stirred the eggs and pancetta together in
the pan over a gentle heat until the eggs have coagulated but not overcooked.
For presentation, I served my scrambled eggs topped with the other half of the
fried pancetta and sprinkled some chopped parsley on it.
• For each dish, write down one significant point of awareness (e.g. production steps, safety, hygiene)
Gnocchi
Pesto
– The gnocchi must be
light in texture but firm enough to shape and not break up when cooked.
Green
Beans with Almonds
– The blanched green beans
must not be overcooked but should be tender yet still “firm to the bite” (al dente) and still retain their bright
green colour.
Lemon
and Spinach Risotto with Chicken Breast
– The cooked risotto
should have a creamy consistency and al
dente texture.
Potatoes
Marquise
– The potato rosettes
should be baked in the oven until they develop golden brown colour on their
surface.
Rice
Pilaf
– The chicken stock must
be fully absorbed by the rice at the end of the cooking period and the cooked
rice should be somewhat fluffy and not too clumpy.
Scrambled
Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
– The eggs should not be
cooked too long or they would be rubbery in texture otherwise.
• What feedback did you receive from your lecturer? (improvement, alternative
approaches, etc.)
Gnocchi
Pesto
– Gnocchi is a little bit
dense, but otherwise OK
Green
Beans with Almonds
– Almonds were a little
too brown, but otherwise good
Lemon
and Spinach Risotto with Chicken Breast
– Well–done
Potatoes
Marquise
– Well–done
Rice
Pilaf
– Well–done
Scrambled
Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
– Pancetta should have
been fried further to make it crispier, but still generally good overall
• How would you improve these dishes?
Gnocchi
Pesto
– This dish is already
good enough on its own.
Green
Beans with Almonds
– This dish is already
good enough on its own.
Lemon
and Spinach Risotto with Chicken Breast
– This dish is already
good enough on its own.
Potatoes
Marquise
– This dish is already
good enough on its own, but I would probably try making this dish as described
by Escoffier (Le Guide Culinaire / A Guide to Modern Cookery) or Saulnier (Le Répertoire de la Cuisine) in their
cookery guide books by mixing reduced tomato purée together with the mashed
potato mixture.
Rice
Pilaf
– I would add either meat,
chicken, seafood, or vegetables in order to make this pilaf as a complete and
wholesome meal.
Scrambled
Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
– This dish is already good
enough on its own.
• Where could you place these dishes on the menu?
Gnocchi
Pesto
– As entrée, but should
only be a small portion size
Green
Beans with Almonds
– Main course, but should
accompany a more substantial dish (e.g.
meat, chicken)
Lemon
and Spinach Risotto with Chicken Breast
– Main course
Potatoes
Marquise
– Main course, but should
accompany a more substantial dish (e.g.
meat, chicken); a good alternative to potato wedges or potato chips for steaks
and other roasted meats
Rice
Pilaf
– Main course, but should
have other ingredients as well, like meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables
Scrambled
Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
– Breakfast
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– 🤓 Description of Pommes de Terre Marquise (“Potatoes Marquise”) in page 663 of the abridged English translation of Georges Auguste Escoffier's Le guide culinaire (“A guide to modern cookery”)
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🤓 Description of Pommes de Terre Marquise (“Potatoes Marquise”) in page 211 of the English translation of Louis Saulnier's Le répertoire de la cuisine (“The Cookery Repertory”)
