Appetizers and Hors D’oeuvres

Oh yes, that’s what I’m talking about today! Appetizers were the first task in our Food Service course! This course and the sequel course next semester are both requirements for applying to the Dietetic Internship, so we must take them.  

Each group teams up with one other group to form a recipe team and our teams pick out tested-recipes, format them to fit our lab appropriately, and then we have to make them in one class according to a production schedule that we formulate as well.  We also have to follow guidelines such as using seasonal and local ingredients when possible, less than 5 main ingredients ( aside from seasonings), at least one meatless option, one soup, one had to be hot, one cold…

We decided on Butternut Squash with Parmesan and Fried Sage Leaves Soup,
recipe here

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Stacks, recipe here

Figs with Peppered Honey and Goat Cheese. recipe here

Other lab groups made
Eggplant Crostini, Bruschetta

Spinach Quiche, Pear, Date and Proscuitto Bites

Strawberry , Peach and Tomato Gazpacho and Corn Chowder

Here is my sampling with our sensory evaluation sheets…

We don’t have to evaluate everything (thank goodness) but everything tasted so wonderful! I am not a fan of some things, like corn chowder I cannot stand, but it was well-done by the other group.

My favorite was our grilled cheese and tomato stacks, which uses Halloumi cheese ( an expensive greek cheese that is salty and rubbery in the best way possible!) and whole wheat pita and fresh heirloom tomato. Another delicious bite were the figs with peppered honey, which was a nice combination.  The goat cheese balanced the sweet and peppery figs.

The asian pear slices were crispy and sweet. On each slice was a cream cheese stuffed medjool date, mint and they were wrapped with a tiny slice of proscuitto.
The eggplant crostini was sauteed eggplant with ricotta cheese and lots of spicy seasonings to balance. Hmm… I didn’t pack lunch because this was way more then enough food for me!

After foods lab, I have Food and Society class.  We had more sensory evaluation for that class too…

We had to do blind taste testing of Coke, Pepsi, and generic brand soda…. Our professor always makes coffee for us so I had some as well. I didn’t like ANY of them… it was so shocking how your taste buds regenerate once you have stopped drinking soda . BLECH… it tasted like chemicals plus sweeteners and none of them were even diet.  The results? Every single person rated #3 ( coke) last, and most preferred the generic brand best!

Continuing the taste test with a more pleasant item..

Dagoba chocolate…. hmmm yummy!

Jeff and I made a fantastic dinner that deserves its own post!

Body:
Yoga

Mind:
For the foods lab, we actually had to create a production schedule with each person assigned to recipe portions. It was helpful to start out, but then once we started going , I ended up cooking the soup, but then helping slice the cheese stacks, and prepping the figs and honey!
Our group seemed to mesh really well together and they did awesome at picking up all the other stuff that needed done. I am pumped to work with them this semester!!

Soul:
Um hello- those recipes were killer and I loved being back in the kitchen!