Panko Crusted Crispy Lamb Chops Creamy Polenta Local Summer Vegetable Medley atop Honeyed Butternut Squash Puree 2016 CATIE Submission for BEST MAIN COURSE PLATE PRESENTATION
Synopsis Our company hosted an intimate sit down dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel for some local event planners, décor specialists and suppliers to show appreciation for the collaborating with us on a bid for a major fundraising dinner. After we wrapped the big event, we invited our fellow event vendors to an exclusive thank you dinner. We know that many of our colleagues in the industry don t get to sit down enjoy dinner when working on an event. For one night, we thought it would be nice for these hard working individuals to be treated like guests instead of service providers. It was important that every aspect of the dinner was perfect, professional, and most importantly, delicious. Absolutely NO grabbing bites of leftovers while standing in the kitchen between dance sets. This was a night for the guests to sit back, relax and enjoy. Tonight, the employees became the clients!
Synopsis This dish was a culmination of everything our fellow suppliers wanted in an evening. A relaxed atmosphere, amazing food, and no demanding clients. It was nice to be able to sit back and just enjoy the evening, and not have to look at our watches or even stand up. A perfect evening!
Concept and Design The dinner was held in the midst of summer. It was important for us to incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients. Since this event was for industry specialists, we knew we could not cut corners anywhere. Our guests had sharp eyes and discerning taste buds, since this was their field of expertise. The plate needed to be colourful, clean and creative. It also had to be different these dinner guests had seen it all. We decided not to serve beef or potatoes, since that dish had been done way too many times for these guests. We knew that lamb and polenta were both favourites of many of these attendees and therefore decided to base the meal around these two ingredients.
Concept and Design For added texture, panko was added to the crust of the lamb chops instead of the usual herbs and spices. The squash puree added a pop of colour and a sweet contrast to the savoury lamb. The vegetables were bright and crisp, lightly steamed and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. The polenta was hearty, filling and creamy. A perfect combination. All the components of the dish came together spectacularly. Every plate came back to the kitchen clean. And the following day, we had clients calling our office requesting the main course served at this exclusive dinner. Definitely a huge success!
Culinary Components and Assembly For this unique dish, we wanted to incorporate as many local, Canadian ingredients as possible. Butternut squash is plentiful and widely available at our local farmer s market, and we wanted to highlight the creamy taste the squash had to offer. Instead of dicing, roasting or sautéing the squash, we wanted to introduce a new texture to the dish with a smooth puree, accented by local clover honey and the quintessential Canadian ingredient, dark maple syrup. The squash puree served as a base for the lightly steamed local baby vegetables, which included stemmed heirloom carrots, baby beets, French beans and pearl onions.
Culinary Components and Assembly Instead of the usual meat and potatoes, local Ontario lamb and creamy polenta provided a different twist on a classic favourite. The polenta was cooked at our commissary, cooled and then reheated on site at the hotel. We added a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to the polenta to keep it smooth and creamy during the reheat. Our chefs carefully scooped the polenta onto the plate, ensuring the composition of the vegetables were not disturbed.
Culinary Components and Assembly Finally, a beautifully cooked, medium rare, panko crusted baby lamb chop was nestled on top of the polenta mound. The lamb chops were cooked halfway at our commissary, and flashed in the on-site ovens to a perfect medium rare. A light drizzle of lamb demi glace, made at our commissary and reheated on site, added depth of flavour and a delicious finish to the plate.
Challenges and Obstacles The ovens on site at the hotel were Combi ovens, meant for re-heating hotel food with plate covers. We had to do a number of test runs to figure out the correct temperature of the oven so the lamb would not overcook. We were used to cooking in conventional ovens at our kitchens and using a warming box to reheat. As well, since the evening was more relaxed, without a specific timeline or itinerary, we had very little notice before main course was served. Our chefs had to be on stand by until the guests were ready to start their main course.
Challenges and Obstacles Finally, because we were working in a very small space, we had to have our mise en place compactly packed and organized. We had no fridge space on site, and therefore we needed to keep our refrigerated truck running in the loading dock, which we used as a fridge. It was a hot day in June, and temperature control was very important. We needed to ensure food was only removed from the refrigerated truck just prior to the trays going into the oven.
Recipes Panko Crusted Lamb Chop Ingredients: 2 boned baby lamb chop, Frenched Salt & Pepper, to taste Extra virgin olive oil 1 TBSP Dijon mustard 2 TBSP Japanese panko 1 tsp finely chopped herbs, including rosemary, thyme 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp melted margarine (to keep dairy free) or butter Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Liberally season lamb chop with salt and pepper. Rub with olive oil. Pan sear lamb chop in a hot, cast iron pan until just cooked on the outside. Remove from heat and let rest. Combine panko with fresh herbs and garlic, melted butter or margarine and toss. Brush lamb chop with Dijon mustard and carefully bread both sides of lamb chop with the panko until well covered. Transfer lamb chop to baking sheet and roast in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until medium rare. Honeyed Butternut Squash Puree Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash Salt & Pepper Extra Virgin Olive Oil ¼ cup clover honey, or any local honey 2 TBSP Canadian maple syrup, Grade B Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Cut squash in half length-wise. Scoop out seeds. Brush squash with oil. Lay the unpeeled squash, cut side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast squash in the oven for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until flesh is soft. Scrape out flesh into a bowl. Add squash, honey, maple syrup and olive oil and puree in Vitamix or blender until very smooth and creamy.
Recipes Lamb Demi Glace Ingredients: Creamy Polenta Ingredients: 3 lb Mirepoix: Onions, Garlic, Celery, Carrots 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 5 TBSP Canola oil ½ cup milk or soy milk 8 lb Roasted Lamb or veal bones 1 cup Tomato Paste 4 cups Dry Red Wine Salt, pepper 8 10 Rosemary sprigs 24 Whole Garlic cloves 2 tsp butter or extra virgin olive oil ½ cup fine cornmeal Salt, pepper Method: Combine stock and milk in a medium stock pot and bring to a boil. Add butter or olive oil to stock. Remove stock from heat. Slowly add cornmeal to hot liquid and whisk. Return pot to heat and cook until polenta is thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is too thick, add hot chicken stock to thin. Method: In a large stock pot, sweat mirepoix in canola oil until golden brown. Add roasted bones, tomato paste, red wine, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic. Simmer for at least 2 to 3 hours until reduced by half. Strain, discard solids and add stock back to pot. Cook for an additional 1 2 hours until sauce is thickened and smooth. Serve hot.
Recipes Local Summer Vegetable Medley Ingredients: ¼ lb stemmed heirloom carrots ¼ lb stemmed baby beets, assorted colours (golden, candy cane, purple) ¼ lb haricot verts ¼ lb white asparagus ¼ lb cippolini onions 3 TBSP Dry red wine 2 TBSP Balsamic vinegar Method: Pan sear cippolini onions in a hot cast iron until golden. Deglaze pan with red wine and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 3 4 minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Remove onions from pan and lay on a baking sheet. Roast onions in a 320 degree Farenheit oven for 5 10 minutes at. Set aside. Steam the beets, carrots and haricots verts individually. Steam beets for 30 minutes, carrots for 4 minutes, and haricots verts for 2 minutes, until vegetables are tender crisp. Remove vegetables from steamer. Peel beets and cut into quarters. Arrange vegetables on plate, and season with salt, pepper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and Pepper