The Good Rabbi's Blog

Each group has to produce three plated salads (suitable for a buffet), three different types of hors d'oeuvres, and a platter of some sort (fruit mirror, cheese marble, etc.). This is also one of the classes where I get to explore more of the artistic parts of cooking. Some of the items that I've had to make have been really good, where as some of them have been down-right awful.

In making these hors d'oeuvres, my work has been broken down into several categories: canapés, which are small pieces that are served on a plain bread base (not toasted), crostini (which are pretty much the same as canapés, except that they are served on toasted baguette slices, crudités (which are vegetable based), and something I can't remember how to spell, which is served in a pastry shell.

My first expedition into this realm had me making a cream-puff pastry that was filled with a mixture of avocado mousse and beet mousse. This was not very good. The beet mousse is really a misnomer, because it's really beet-coloured cream cheese. I switched it up the next day, and changed the overall method for doing this, adding some candied oranges and some citrus to the mousses for a much better overall taste.

In the ensuing days, I made fruit mirrors, as well as cheese marbles, meat mirrors, and lots of different hors d'oeuvres. I've also made some kick-ass platters of grilled vegetables and composed salads. This Friday, I have my final competency. I have a written exam, followed by a practical exam where I need to make twenty canapés. I'm experimenting with my design today and I'll have a final choice soon. I'm leaning toward some sort of a miniature duck l'orange, using duck confit, and one of my signature sauces - an orange balsamic maple sauce (you may recognise this sauce from my recipe for cedar plank salmon). I'll post an update as soon as I solidify my plans.