Transcript Chapter 9 - Culinary

Chapter 9
Appetizers and Hors d’oeuvre
Chapter 9 Objectives
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Compare and contrast appetizers and hors d’oeuvre
Identify composed hors d’oeuvre including canapés,
profiteroles, tartlets, and barquettes
Discuss the role of appetizers in à la carte, buffet,
and tasting menu situations
Explain how to select and prepare appetizers
Recognize the principles of presenting appetizers
Understand the preparation of cold savory
mousses, sorbets, and espumas
Classify types of caviar and its role in garde manger
Distinctions Between Appetizers and
Hors d’oeuvre
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Hors d’oeuvre are typically served as preludes to a
meal
Hors d’oeuvre are small bite-sized items
Appetizers are served as the first course of a meal
Typically, appetizers are small portions of very
flavorful items, meant just to take enough edge off
the appetite to permit thorough enjoyment of an
entrée
Hors d’oeuvre
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Translates as “outside the work”
Today it is increasingly common for clients to
request an entire menu made up of hors d’oeuvre
to serve at a reception or cocktail party as a
“standing meal”
Hors d’oeuvre
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There are a few precepts to remember in general
hors d’oeuvre preparation and presentation:
 Keep in mind the nature of the event, as well as the
menu to follow
 Ice carvings and ice beds are sometimes used to keep
seafood and caviar very cold, as well as for their dramatic
appeal
 Hors d’oeuvre served on platters or passed on trays
butler style should be thoughtfully presented
 Choose something eye-catching that will show off the
design of the hors d’oeuvre
Composed Hors d’oeuvre
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Composed hors
d’oeuvre are built from
two or more
components
Can be served as:
 Tartlets
 Barquettes
 Canapés
 Profiteroles
 Spoons
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Classic elements:
 Cured and smoked
foods
 Pâtés
 Foie gras
 Salads
 Vegetables
 Mousse
Barquettes and Tartlets
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Pâté dough can be used to create small edible
containers, known as barquettes or tartlets
They may be filled with a cold mousse or other
savory fillings
Very moist fillings can quickly make the pastry shell
soggy
These hors d’oeuvre are best when assembled as
close as possible to service time
Barquettes and Tartlets
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Some classic examples from around the world:
 Bouchées
 Empanadas
 Beurrecks and tiropettes
 Dim sum
 Spring rolls
Canapés
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Canapés are small open-faced sandwiches
Elements of canapés:
 Small piece of bread cut to shape and toasted
 Spread
 Filling or topping
 Garnish
Profiteroles
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Profiteroles are small, round, hollow puffs made
from pâté à choux
Can have sweet or savory filling
They are very often baked, sliced in half, filled, and
garnished as desired
Alternately, a hole can be made in the bottom of
the puff while they are still warm and then a
smooth filling such as a mousse can be piped in
Spoons
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Spoons are used as a base for an hors d’oeuvre so
that you can layer a variety of items that have
different flavors, colors, and textures
One of the biggest advantages to using the spoon
as a base is that you can add a liquid element to the
hors d’oeuvre in the form of a sauce or gelée
Spoons also offer the functionality of having the
utensil built into the presentation
Appetizers on the à la Carte Menu
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When creating appetizers for the menu, it is
important to provide enough appropriate options
that work with the main course offerings
In some restaurants, waitstaff may suggest an
appetizer for the table to share and enjoy while their
entrées are being prepared, both as a way to expose
guests to something new or unusual as well as to
“sell up the menu”
Grazing menus or degustation menus are produced
by selecting a series of appetizer-size portioned
items served in a logical sequence
Appetizer Tasting Menus
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Allows the diner to taste a wide variety of dishes
because the plates are only a few bites each
The chef decides on the appetizer that will help
build a menu that has complementary flavors
through the entrée and dessert
A disadvantage for this type of tasting menu is the
limited amount that the customer gets to choose
from
Appetizer Tasting Menus
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Tapas restaurants offer the patrons their choice of
little dishes
Classically, tapas were small pieces of bread that
were used to cover glasses of sherry
Tapas in Spain evolved as bar and restaurant owners
began to feature their regional products alongside
their Sherries and wine
Seasonality is very important in Spanish tapas
Appetizer Tasting Menus
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Other cuisines’ small dishes:
 Russia: Zakuski table features smoked and pickled fish,
blinis with caviar, and a host of special salads
 Mediterranean region: Mezzes feature olives, nuts, dips,
spreads, and highly seasoned items such as grilled kebabs
of meat or fish
 Scandinavia: A smorgasbord showcases special dishes,
hot and cold, including herring, cheeses, and pickled
foods
Appetizers for a Banquet
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Banquet menus frequently call for one or more
appetizers
The chef does have the ability to “build” a menu,
progressing from one flavor and texture experience
to the next
Appetizers should be served in sensible portions,
perhaps smaller than you might offer on an à la
carte menu, so that guests can sample a few
appetizers and still enjoy their main course and
dessert
Selecting and Preparing Appetizers
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Classic hors d’oeuvre can usually be served as
appetizers if you increase the portion size slightly
and take into consideration the plating of the
appetizer
Examples:
 Smoked fish or meat
 Sausages
 Salads
 Small portions of pasta
 Cooking an item more than one way on a plate
Principles for Presenting Appetizers
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Basic principles for selecting, preparing, and plating
appetizers:
 Serve all appetizers at the proper temperature
 Season all appetizer items with meticulous care;
appetizers are meant to stimulate the appetite, so
seasoning is of the utmost importance
 Slice, shape, and portion appetizers properly
 Neatness always counts, but especially with appetizers
Principles for Presenting Appetizers
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Basic principles for selecting, preparing, and plating
appetizers:
 When offering shared appetizers, consider how they will
look when they come to the table
 Color, shape, and “white space” play a role in the overall
composition of your plate
 Consider the garnish for the appetizer carefully and be
sure that it adds something to the plate
Cold Savory Mousses
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The French word mousse literally means “foam”
or “froth”
Mousses are always served cold
Three basic elements of a mousse:
1. Base
2. Binder
3. Aerator
The Base
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Savory items are pureed until very smooth
May need to add a liquid to adjust consistency
Base consistency should be that of a pastry cream
before adding binder and aerator
The Binder
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Gelatin is the binder used in a mousse
In some cases, the base product has enough body
and bind to hold the mousse together without an
additional binder
The key is to have the proper balance of binder and
base so that the mousse will keep a distinct shape
when chilled without melting or sagging but also
without being rubbery because there is too much
binder
The Aerator
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Aerators give mousses their frothy texture
For maximum volume, add about one-third the
total amount of aerator first to make it easier to
fold in the remaining two-thirds
Aerators include:
 Beaten egg whites
 Whipped cream
Basic Formula for a Mousse
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Base – 2 pounds
Binder* – 1 ounce (*if required by recipe)
Liquid* – 1 cup (*to bloom gelatin)
Aerator – 2 cups
Savory Waters, Jellies and Sorbets
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Flavored waters that can either be used as broths
for meats, poultry, fish, and vegetable entrees,
frozen as sorbets and granitas, or thickened with a
variety of agents to make jellies
Jellies can add a luscious texture contrast to most
dishes; for gelatin in jellies use 1% to 3% of total
weight
Savory sorbets and granités have been used for
some time to tease the palate as an intermezzo or to
add a contrasting frozen element to an entrée or
appetizer
Alternative Thickeners
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Other thickeners in lieu of gelatin:
 Agar agar
 Carageenan
 Alginate
Savory Foams and Encapsulations
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Cold and hot foams use methods such as agitation
and nitrous oxide canisters to create foam out
various products
Vegetable and fruit purees are especially appropriate
for foams because the carbohydrates in their cell
walls prevent the bubbles from disintegrating too
quickly
Encapsulations take the concept of the foam to the
next level
Makes spherical shaped items such as small orbs of
fruit puree to look like caviar or a tea sphere
Caviar
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A delicacy made from the roe of a sturgeon
Was described by Aristotle in the 4th century B.C.E.
Today caviar remains among the most expensive
and exclusive of all preserved foods, partly because
of overfishing and pollution and partly because
caviar is labor-intensive to produce, and extremely
perishable
From Roe to Caviar
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The roe sac must be harvested from the sturgeon
while it is still alive
The roe sacs are carefully rubbed over a sieve
The eggs (or berries) are caught in a container
Washed in fresh water
Drained
Graded
Grading Caviar
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Master grader looks for:
 Consistency of grain
 Size
 Color
 Fragrance
 Flavor
 Gleam
 Firmness
 Vulnerability of the roe skin
* The bigger and lighter in color the eggs, the more rare and
expensive the finished caviar.
Preparing Caviar
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Eggs of the highest quality are prepared by a
method called “molossal” or “little salt,” indicating
that salt is added at a rate of less than 5 percent of
the egg’s weight
Lesser-quality caviar will be processed with greater
amounts of salt
Salt both preserves the caviar and gives it its texture
and flavor
True Caviar
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Beluga: The most expensive and least readily
available caviar; color is light steel gray to dark gray
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Osetra: Brownish color with a golden tinge; strong
nutty flavor
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Sevruga: Dark brown, the smallest of the true
caviars, with a strong flavor
Other Types of Caviar
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Roe from these fish is also used as caviar:
 Salmon
 Paddlefish
 Whitefish
 Lumpfish
 Cod
 Carp
 Tuna
Buying and Storing Caviar
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Fresh sturgeon caviar
should be:
 Plump and moist
 Shiny, smooth, separate, and
intact
 Savory flavor, slightly nutty
with a hint of the sea
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Storing caviar:
 Under refrigeration at 28°F
to 32°F
 Can be held unopen for 4
weeks
 Can be held open for 2 to 3
days