"All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth." -Nietzsche
Communicating a recipe has always fascinated me. It's almost crippling when a picture sets beside a recipe because it crimps some creative possibilities. In class we observe cooking demonstrations where a final product is presented and then we must duplicate the dish in teams for the chef's approval. This exercise is very helpful because it teaches us traditional technique and presentation. I really like when our chef shows us multiple presentation possibilities, usually one from classic cuisine and another from contemporary influence.
Today I had some time to play with presentation a little bit. Over the weekend I visited the Union Square market and selected some items I thought would marry well together and decided to incorporate them into a salad. I used a few preparation techniques I learned in school and made homemade croutons out of aged loaf of rosemary bread and I also made my own interpretation of a champagne vinaigrette.
I knew I wanted to use pears. Most of the market tents house beautiful pears of varying shades. I toyed with the idea of using Asian pears but opted for bosc pears, which have a warm brown color and slightly more slender pear shape. I knew fennel was a common component in salads with pears, so I also bought a fresh fennel bulb to deliver a light anise flavor with the similar crunch of celery. My final selections included a slice of local New Jersey Gorgonzola, some buttery field greens, and some delicate micro greens.
I sliced my pears, making a few julienne cuts to toss with the micro greens. I took some pale field greens and sliced them into lettuce ribbons and tossed them lightly with a variation of champagne vinaigrette that I read about in Sondra Bernstein's the girl & the fig cookbook. Instead of using quality Dijon mustard with mustard seeds I used some cheap spicy brown mustard (it's actually all I had in my refrigerator) and instead of granulated sugar I used brown, which was the only sugar I had on hand. Sondra Bernstein's Champagne Vinaigrette
2 1/2 T. Champagne vinegar
1 t. minced shallots
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 t. sugar
5 T. extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff!)
salt & pepper
The champagne vinaigrette is lovely because it has the light taste of champagne vinegar, the subtle tang of mustard, the slight crunch from minced shallots, and a soft sweetness of sugar. Together with the croutons, which were toasted in a pan with butter, the salad was pretty perfect, but then it dawned on me that I forgot to use my Gorgonzola.
So I tried the salad again, this time with a different approach to the presentation. Rather than using croutons, I made a thin piece of toast, and instead of shaved fennel, I took a fennel stalk and made it mirror the julienned pears. With some crumbled Gorgonzola, this salad was also delicious. Hopefully I'll have some interesting presentation photos to share after tonight's class, which will cover organ meats. Yum...
