Menu Project

With the deadline for our project looming and just days away, I spent the past weekend continuously working on all the details. Looking back, I’m glad I started weeks ago – there was a lot of cooking, shopping, prepping, research, plating and photographing involved. I plated and photographed dishes two and three times before I was happy with the final result.

My menu’s theme is Sunday dinner in Paris, a special meal for family – where the food is part comfort, part sophisticated and made with a lot of love. I begin the meal with an Amuse Bouche – a savory gougère (baked pastry dough with the addition of cheese similar to a popover) with a white bean and roasted garlic purée. My first real course is a butternut & acorn squash soup which is puréed. The soup is garnished with crème fraîche, pepitos (roasted pumpkin seeds) and drops of pumpkin seed oil. The velvety soup is wonderful for this time of year, the color and depth of flavor make it a real winner.

Next, a fish course – sautéed sea scallops with mussels in a saffron broth. I served this dish in a real scallop shell on a bed of smoked salt that I mixed with smoked paprika to produce a pink “sand” under the shell. The dish presented itself beautifully and photographed well. I must have spent at least three to four hours on that dish alone.

Before my meat course I wanted to have a palate cleanser so I whipped up a citrus & mint granité – which was so easy to make! Simply make some simple syrup, I added the juice of a couple of lemons and an orange plus the zest. To thin out the mixture and extend it, I added about a cup of water. Poured in a metal pan and right into the freezer. The granité must be raked every 30 minutes to produce ice shards. The granité was a gorgeous canary yellow and the chiffonade of mint a nice contrast.

For my meat course, a rack of lamb persillé with a parsnip and potato purée, sautéed swiss chard with garlic chips and a niçoise olive tapenade. The first time I made this dish I plated it in a hurry and it looked too messy – but it was delicious! So I knew I would have to make it again, and re-think the plating design.

A digestif salad follows, heirloom tomato with baby greens, endive and radish with a sherry shallot vinaigrette. I think I was the most astounded how beautifully this dish photographed.

Lastly, a tarte tatin with lavender-scented crème Chantilly. The tarte is an upside-down caramelized apple tart with puff pastry. A classic French dessert that I’ve never made before – so it was a challenge on my first shot. Happily it turned out well and I had many slices after I photographed the finished tarte.

A few more items to finish before handing in my project, wine pairings, costing sheet and a summary needs to be edited. After all that, it needs to be printed and bound for final review by three different Chefs. I have a lot of work still ahead of me!

Sunday Dinner in Paris

This past weekend I started seriously working on my menu project that is due in a few weeks. I’ve picked a theme – Sunday Dinner in Paris – and the food will have a South of France flavor. My inspiration came from my affinity for my Mom’s Sunday afternoon dinners that we had while growing up. While the food I am presenting in this menu is far off from what Mom would have served – the love and intent is the same.

I’m finding that photographing the food has become the most difficult thing to do. Capturing the right angle and positioning the dishes is tricky. I’ve included some of my attempts at being a food photographer. The menu begins with an Amuse Bouche of Gougère (a simple pâte à choux pastry dough with Gruyère cheese) a white bean puree with parsley and a French Martini to start the celebration of the meal (thank god for cocktail culture!).

My second dish is a Soupe au Potiron (Butternut and Acorn Squash soup) with crème fraiche with herbs de Provence essence and chive oil. The nasturtium flower came from my sister’s garden and is an edible garnish. Next a fish course that is still under consideration then Lamb Persillade with Parsnip puree, sautéed Swiss Chard with crispy garlic and a Niçoise olive tapenade.

After the lamb a digestif salad (still being composed) and then dessert – most likely a Tarte Tartin with a Lavender scented Crème Chantilly. After photographing all the food, I need to pair wine with one of the courses, figure out some costing, write up a summary and bind it in an attractive way. Not a simple task but it’s been fun to eat through my mistakes.