Personally, I have never
liked long and over complicated menus and I always prefer to narrow them down
to a specific type of cuisine. Too many restaurateurs try and conjure up
long-winded menus in the hope that they will appeal to just about everybody. I
feel that those restaurants tend to lack any real personality and customers
find the menus difficult to navigate. More importantly, chefs and waiters can
also find these menus difficult to work with, making them unable to memorize
all the dishes you offer, their ingredients and their preparation. You may also
find yourself faced with food waste from the ingredients you stock for
unpopular menu items. A small, well refined menu gives customers only your best
offerings, cuts
When you are planning a
special meal at home, the same principles apply, and that means providing
enough variety and contrast for the meal to hold interest from the first course
to the last. To balance a menu, you must develop a feeling for which foods
complement each other or provide pleasing contrasts.
And you must avoid repeating
flavours and textures as much as possible.
These principles apply
whether you are planning a banquet menu, where the diners have no choices or a
large à la carte menu, where customers have many choices.
Of course, with an à
la carte menu, the customers’ own choices determine how balanced their meals
are going to be and sometimes they inevitably make bad choices. When you are
planning a menu, think about flavours, colours and textures. The importance of
a nutritionally balanced menu is also to be taken into consideration.
My
philosophy revolves around the idea that good quality natural ingredients,
prepared in a simple and uncomplicated way can produce some of the best
flavours and tastes. I focus on using fresh, seasonal produce and combine them
to create what I hope are new and exciting dishes. I then like to try and add a
modern twist to the dish for example adding Mediterranean salt flakes and olive
oil to a Chocolate Truffle because it really brings out the best flavours of
the chocolate. Other classic dishes with a modern touch on the menus may
include Yellow Gazpacho with Avocado Sorbet and Marinated Salmon or Hake with
Quinoa, Mussels, Saffron and a Tomato Ragout. Generally I’m aiming for clean
tastes but with a depth of flavour, less is often more I find. Years of experience, however, are required to develop
this kind of creativity and a feel for what makes certain combinations work. Over the next couple of weeks we
will be practicing and perfecting the dishes on our new menu. Here are a couple
of recipes that might find their way onto the final draft.
YELLOW
GAZPACHO WITH SMOKED SALMON & AVOCADO
This is a wonderful, light, colourful chilled soup that I
adore in the summer.
It’s a yellow version of the classic Spanish recipe with a
twist!
Ingredients:
serves 4
6 ripe
yellow tomatoes
2 Spanish
Cucumbers, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 large
yellow bell pepper
½ Medium
onion, peeled and chopped
2tbsp sherry
vinegar
200ml good olive oil
1 Garlic
clove
300ml mango puree
6 Ice
cubes
Salt
/ pepper
Garnish:
1 avocado,
peeled and diced
8 slices
of smoked salmon
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate for at
least 30 minutes. Place in a food processor and blend to a fine consistency.
Pass through a fine sieve and chill for at least 2 hours.
To serve, Place 2 slices of
smoked salmon in the centre of 4 chilled soup bowls add the diced avocado. Pour
the chilled Yellow gazpacho around and serve immediately.
Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Salad with Coriander & mint yoghurt
Ingredients serves
4
2 chicken breasts, cut into long strips
80g Greek natural yoghurt
1tbsp chopped coriander
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
½ red onion, peeled & sliced
20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 bunches of rocket leaves
2tbsp olive oil
Coriander & mint yoghurt
150g Greek natural yoghurt
4tbsp chopped mint
2tbsp chopped coriander
1 garlic clove, chopped
juice of ½ lime
Seasoning
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor and season to
taste.
Tandoori
paste
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
2 cloves garlic
2 red chilies, deseeded
100g onion, chopped
15g ginger, peeled
juice of one lime
2tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp tamarind puree (optional)
1-2 tbsp water
Sea salt to taste
Dry roast all the spices in a pan over a low flame, untill
they begin to release their aroma and essential oils.
Place them a food processor and grind all the spices to a
powder.
Add the garlic, chilies, ginger, onion limejuice, tamarind
and tomato puree, then blend to a form a paste adding a little cold water if
necessary. Season with sea salt. Store in an airtight container for up to 6-8
weeks.
Marinate the chicken strips with 2 tablespoons of tandoori
paste, the chopped coriander and 80g of Greek yoghurt for at least 30 minutes.
(for a more intense flavour, they can be left overnight in the refrigerator)
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, brush with olive oil
and cook the chicken pieces, turning occasionally, until nicely glazed and
cooked through.
To serve, dress the rocket, avocado, tomatoes & red
onion with a little olive oil and sea salt. Divide between 4 plates. Add the
tandoori chicken pieces and drizzle with coriander & mint yoghurt.
Comments
Post a Comment