The art of food design

Daniel Pfyl, senior lecturer at the Otago Polytechnic’s Food Institute, has handed over the baton of Cooking 101 to students in their final year of a culinary arts degree.

They will share the professional techniques they have learnt in the kitchen, behind a camera and occasionally in video. Beginning the series is Dani Johnson, a third-year student with some tips on presenting a dish to suit the occasion.

Arranging a dish and its components is a key method in the chef's tool kit.

In today's Cooking 101, Johnson will demonstrate how to deconstruct and reconstruct a dish in different ways.

Using ingredients from the Otago Farmers Market, Johnson has created a dish of smoked salmon, shaved fennel salad and horseradish creme with grilled ciabatta.

Smoked salmon, fennel and radish salad, horseradish creme fraiche and grilled ciabatta

Ingredients
150g smoked salmon (we used rimu smoked salmon from Wild Smokehouse at the farmers market)

Fennel salad
1 fennel bulb
1 radish
¼ red onion
Juice of ½ lemon
30ml extra virgin olive oil

Horseradish creme fraiche
100g creme fraiche
10cm grated horseradish root (add to taste)
½ loaf of ciabatta

Method

1. To prepare the salmon, gently remove the skin and either leave whole or flake slightly.

2. To prepare the salad, wash carefully and finely slice the fennel, red onion and radish. Place aside and dress with the lemon and olive oil. Season lightly and add a few fennel fronds for colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Next take the horseradish, wash, peel and grate finely. Add a little at a time to the creme fraiche to taste to achieve a gentle heat. Season with salt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Slice the ciabatta and grill on a skillet or a BBQ. You could also toast under your grill if need be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arranging the dish

Shared casual platter

In the above image the ingredients have been plated to allow for shared eating experience. By simply separating out the dish components the guests are encouraged to assemble the dish according to their own taste preferences.

Dinner party starter

The arrangements (above) are suitable as a starter course for a dinner party. The use of negative space on the plate highlights the artistry of the plating. In this dish the grilled ciabatta would be served as a side.

 

 

 

 

Finger food - formal

In the above plating, the components are served on a silver spoon and would act as a canape or finger food. A silver spoon adds sophistication.

Finger food - casual

To adapt the dish for a more casual setting, the same items are arranged on a grilled slice of ciabatta. Decoration of the canape with edible flowers and the use of vintage plates creates a rustic experience.

If you would like to request a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know. Write to Cooking 101, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with cooking 101 in the subject line.

To check earlier Cooking 101 columns visit: www.odt.co.nz and search for ''cooking 101''. More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com