Chapter 4 - Plating And Garnishing

Question 1

What kind of plate do you use for dessert?

Answer 1

Always use a dinner plate for dessert!

Question 2

What are the principles of plating? (BALANCE)

Answer 2

Odd numbers are usually better.
Colors - complementary colors or contrast (colors that go together - blue and green - or colors that are very different - black and white)
Height - use natural shape of foods or stack/lean things
Textures - pattern from sauces (always at bottom of plate)
Flavors - go well together

Question 3

What are the principles of plating? (PORTION SIZE)

Answer 3

Make the portion match the plate

Balance portion size of elements on the plate

Question 4

What are the principles of plating? (ARRANGEMENT ON THE PLATE)

Answer 4

Main item
Side dish/accompaniment
Sauces
Garnish - must be edible and comparable to other components on the dish (edible = can be eaten)

Question 5

Plating styles (CLASSIC)

Answer 5

Clockwork

Main in center, vegetable, starch, sauce are surrounding (like a clock)

Question 6

Plating styles (NOUVELLE)

Answer 6

Height
Stacks in center of plate
Excessive garnish

Question 7

Plating styles (MODERN)

Answer 7

Linear

Blend of geometric shapes

Question 8

How can you make the food on the plate pop?

Answer 8

Natural
Apply various cooking techniques to get the most color preservation
Creative/complementary

Question 9

Why is placement on a plate so important?

Answer 9

Provides visual appeal
Tells a story
Should be evident to the guest how to enjoy the dish (they should know how to eat it)
Sketching the dish as part of the creative process is always helpful

Question 10

What is sous vide? (Sue Veed)

Answer 10

A type of cooking. Example: raw meat is vacuum sealed and put in water (sous vide tank) which chef has set at temperature for rare (or whatever they want). Water cooks meat at that temperature, but it is never over cooked. When needed, chef takes it and sears it before serving.

Question 11

What are the current trends in today’s culinary industry?

Answer 11

1. Farm to table (local farm ingredients to restaurant table)
2. Local sourcing (of ingredients)
3. Return to classics, but retooled (meatloaf)
4. Deconstruction
5. Molecular gastronomy

Question 12

Construct = build, put together
Deconstruct = take apart (whole —> parts)

Explain your understanding of the term “deconstruction”:

Answer 12

Instead of one product like a piece of cheesecake, it is served as separate ingredients on a plate - couple of graham crackers, cheesecake filling, and sauce.

Question 13

What is molecular gastronomy?

Answer 13

A sub-discipline of food science that seeks to investigate the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur in cooking.