Chapter 4 Salads and Garnishing

1. Chapter 4 Salads and Garnishing

2. Ingredients andParts of a Salad • The three keys to ensuring a quality salad are: • freshness of ingredients • the ingredients blend together in harmony • appealing to the eye Kinds of salad greens: iceberg: most popular salad green romaine: crisp texture, main ingredient in Caesar salad leaf lettuce: red or green, mild flavor spinach: alone or mixed with other greens arugula: pungent flavor 4.1 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

3. Salad cont. • The four basic parts to most salads are: • Base: usually a layer of salad greens that line the plate or bowl in which the salad will be served. • Body: consists of the main ingredients. • Garnish: enhances the appearance while also complementing the overall taste; must be edible • Salad dressings: are liquids or semi-liquids used to flavor salads.

4. Types of Salad • Wearing gloves is critical when preparing salads. • The five main types of salad are: • The two types of green salad are tossed and composed P. 225 • Bound salad: ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice and bound with mayo. • Vegetable salad: cooked and/or raw vegetables (coleslaw); can be bound with mayo or mixed with vinegar/oil dressing • Fruit salad: using a slightly sweet or sweet/sour dressing to enhance the flavor; fruit must be coated with acidic liquid to prevent discoloring • Combination salad: incorporates a combination of any of the four salad types. 4.1 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

5. Salads and Service • Salads can be used in five ways during the service courses: • Starter salad, served as an appetizer to the main meal, stimulates the appetite. • Accompaniment salad: also called side salad, served with the main course of the meal, make it light (potato salad, green salad) • Main course salads: large enough to serve as a full meal and contains protein ingredients, such as meat, poultry, seafood, egg, beans, or cheese (chef salad) • The intermezzo salad is intended to be a palate cleanser after a rich dinner and before dessert; vinegar of dressing cleans palate • Dessert salads are usually sweet and often contain fruits, sweetened gelatin, nuts, cream, and whipped cream (Waldorf, Watergate) 4.1 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

6. Cleaning and Storing Salads • Always thoroughly wash greens because dirt can lodge between leaves. • Proper storage is essential to keeping them fresh (below 41 degrees but not lower than 36) • Unopened produce can be stored for 2-3 days 4.1 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

7. Types of Dressing • Vinaigrette dressing: • made of 3 parts oil and one part vinegar • In suspension form (must be remixed each time because ingredients eventually separate) Types of oils and vinegar Canola: mild flavor, good omega 3 fatty acid profile Olive: greenish color; virgin olive oil is from first pressing of olives Peanut: more expensive; must disclose in labels because of allergies Soybean, cottonseed: bland nearly tasteless Balsamic: dark brown and sweet flavor; aged in wooden barrel for 4-50 years Cider: made from apples 4.2 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

8. Dressings cont. • Emulsified vinaigrettes: An emulsion is a mixture of ingredients that permanently stays together, unlike a suspension that eventually separates (addition of egg forms emulsion); thicker than vinaigrette and coats ingredients more heavily • Mayonnaise-based dressings are typically creamy dressings, such as Russian, thousand island, and blue cheese. • Mayonnaise: most stable and thickest emulsified dressing. It contains a higher ratio of oil to vinegar and a greater quantity of egg yolks than is required for emulsified vinaigrette.

9. Dips A dip is a flavorful mixture that accompanies certain foods. • Can be served hot or cold • should be soft enough to scoop up with a cracker, chip, or vegetable, but thick enough to stay on it (most thicken in refrigerator) • Ethnic variations of special salads and accompaniments are very popular as dips: • Guacamole:Avocado dip (Aztec origin). • Salsa: Peppers, such as jalapeño or serrano, onions, and tomatoes (Mexico). • Hummus:Chick pea with garlic and tahini (Middle East). 4.2 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

10. Garnishing:Why and How • Proper garnish complements the main dish in color, flavor, and texture. • Adds personality to a plain dish • Garnish should enhance the flavor of a dish. • The purpose of plate presentation is to enhance the eye appeal of the food • Common foods used in garnishing: • Frosted grapes: brush with water, sprinkle with sugar • Lemons: twisted, sawtooth pattern and dip in paprika 265 • Cucumber fans: score cucumber with channel knife from end to end; slice finely and fan out slices 267 4.3 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

11. Classical French Garnishes • Bouquetiere: bouquet of vegetables • Crecy: carrots • Dubarry: cauliflower • Fermiere: carrots, turnips, onions, and celery • Florentine: spinach • Jardiniere: garden vegetables • Lyonnaise: onions • Provencale: tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and herbs

12. Garnishing Dessert • Numerous items can be used to garnish desserts properly: • Fruit coulis in many varieties (make a design on plate or drizzle over dessert) • Whipped cream, flavored and unflavored • Frosted mint leaves • Chocolate work in the form of string work or formed pieces • Spun sugar work • Sweet sauces 4.3 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

13. Garnishing Soups • Garnishes for soups are classified into three groups: • Garnishes in the soup are the actual ingredients. (vegetable soup) • Add toppings to soups as a garnish as well. Place any topping on the soup immediately before service because it will either melt or sink to the bottom. • Garnishes in the form of accompanimentswith soups include crackers, melba toast, corn chips, breadsticks, cheese straws, whole-grain wafers, and gougères (finger sized pastries filled with meat) 4.3 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing