culinary arts I, vegetable cuts
week 2 - it’s salad week in the gbc kitchen. we discussed herbs, spices, and vegetable cuts. chef demonstrated three recipes: pacific rim beef salad, cucumber onion salad, and tuscan bean salad. we chopped up our own tuscan bean salad to take home for the lab portion of the class.
it’s pretty great to actually be using fresh herbs in our recipes. I’ve been generally too skeptical to buy them because too much goes to waste, so it’s a refreshing change.
notes on herb storage:
leafy herbs (parsley, mint) should be kept in a bag with water, or a wet paper towel
woody herbs (rosemary, thyme) can be taken out of packaging
basil should be unwrapped and placed in a dry paper towel as it is very sensitive to water
notes on peppercorns:
white pepper is stronger than black pepper, and is often used when the dish is meant to be light in colour
white peppercorn is the centre of black peppercorn
green peppercorn is the same as black peppercorn before it is dried and roasted
sichuan peppercorn is a different family, more floral
gives a stronger flavour the longer it sits inside a dish
notes on different vegetable cuts:
julienne allumette = shoestring (like shoestring fries)
batonnet = matchstick
paysanne = rough cut, natural shape of vegetable
tourné = football shape, with 5-7 even sides
creates a lot of waste and not commonly used anymore
notes on pacific rim beef salad: spiced beef and pineapple, served with fresh herbs in the pineapple. old school presentation, super tasty.
the recipe calls for beef tenderloin but it can be substituted with any steak meat
shallots can be subbed with sweet onion
slice green onion on a bias for the looks
when juicing citrus, use a reamer over a strainer
oyster sauce contains no oysters
sub oyster sauce with hoisin for a spicier, five spice taste
when cutting the pineapple, cross hatch and slice in a perimeter to slice out the core and remove the flesh
mince = slice thinly against the grain
searing must be done on very high heat
grapes oil is most commonly used in kitchens
smoke point = smoking
flashpoint = it’s on fire!
separately sauté shallots, chillies, ginger in sesame oil until just softened, not browned
layer salad, then shingled meat in the pineapple to serve
notes on cucumber and onion salad: simple recipe, seems like it would be great for a summer picnic.
salting veggies = pulling out water content
not commonly done in winter as there is less water content in the vegetables
more water content in local vegetables in the summer
after letting it sit, rinse the salt off and pat dry
sub the acid in this recipe (cider vinegar) with any vinegar that is light in colour
any soft herbs (not woody) can be used in this recipe
quick pickle onions by squeezing them
sub red onion with any kind of sweet onion
make a couple hours in advance at most, between 30min to 2hrs
notes on tuscan bean salad: pretty substantial dish involving a lot of chopping. I think I used a bit too much asiago in my dish and it brought up the total salt content too high. a recipe worth revisiting in the summer when we can get fresher, local vegetables.
proscuitto can be subbed with salami, capicola
soppressata is not recommended as the spice is overwhelming
slice peppers skin side down to keep the knife from dulling
whisk the oil and vinegar together first and set aside
to chiffonade basil:
pile the leaves from larger to smallest
roll into a small cigar
chop
regarding parsley:
flat parsley has a better flavour
curly parsley has more texture
to make a spice bag or sachet, place spices in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it together with butcher’s twine
simmer the beans for at least an hour minimum