International Bread Displays

Cooking Principles - Braised Chicken and Celery

Combining a dry heat cooking method beginning with a moist heat cooking method finish gives us a braise or stew.

Braising: larger cuts, less liquid

Stewing: smaller cuts, more liquid

Sushi Variations, 12-11-08

Pizza and Focaccia

Italian style rustic flat breads:

What's your favorite topping?

Foie Gras and Caviar

Foie Gras: the enlarged liver of a duck or goose
Specialty of Alsace and Perigord (France)

• Two Lobes: split, de-vein
• Always take care to not over-cook; will melt away
• Grades A, B or C based on condition (blemishes) and size
• Process originated 2500 BC by the Egyptians
• Perfected in the 1800's by the French

Caviar: True caviar is the roe (eggs) of sturgeon: available in three categories based on size and color:

• Beluga: most expensive from largest fish (can weigh up to 1800 lbs)
• Osetra: considered by many to be the best quality: medium sized, golden yeloow to brown in color
• Sevruga: smallest
• Pressed: smaller and broken eggs are drained and pressed to a jam-like, spreadable consistency
• Malassol: "Lightly salted"
• Commonly served accompanied by minced onions, chopped hard cooked eggs (whites and yolks seperate), lemon, sour cream or creme fraiche, buttered toasts, blini, brioche

Garde Manger Presentations 12-03-08

• Aspic: savory jelly traditionally produced by reducing a well made double consomme



• Use in proper concentrations; thinner and delicate for cut food glazing; thicker and sturdier for covering platters and centerpieces

Vegetarian Products

Todays lesson included the use of a variety of meat analogs: meat substitutes for vegetarian dining.

These include Silken and Firm variations of tofu: soybean curd made by coagulating soy milk then pressing into molds; Result is low in calories and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. Silken Tofu retains a higher water content, allowing it to be used like a mayonnaise or in dressings.

Also, Seitan [Known also as "wheat meat"] This is wheat gluten, made by washing away the starch leaving a malleable substance which can then be shaped into a variety of forms.

As well as Tempeh: fermented soybeans formed into a cake; higher fiber, protein and vitamin content than tofu.