Culinary School - Q4 Week 4

American Regional
January 31- Feb 1, 2011

Floribbean

Day one

Menu:
Black Bean Soup
Ceviche of Gulf Scallops with Floribbean Slaw
Chicken with Tamarind Ginger Sauce
Stewed Pink Beans
Stuffed Chayote with Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Cheese

The Food: Tonight we are in Florida with Caribbean influences. It seemed to me that there were a lot of red, green and yellow peppers used in the food tonight. I am not a fan of them raw but when they are cooked they had a sweet spicy flavor to them.

Summary: I thought the Ginger and Tamarind Chicken had too much ginger in it. The black bean soup was really good. I know Chef thought there was too much salt and Tabasco in the Stewed beans but I really liked the flavor of them.

Ginger Tamarind Chicken
with Floribbean Slaw

Black Bean Soup

Day Two

The Menu:
Key West Seafood Chowder
Hearts-of-Palm Salad
Pan-Seared Grouper with Black Bean, Jicama, and Corn Relish or Tropical Fruit Salsa
Corn Custard
Key Lime Pie
The Food: Tonight we substituted Scallops and Grouper for the Conch. I have never had Hearts of Palm. The salad was a little too watery for me. That could have been adjusted by straining it before I added the mayonnaise. We made mini key lime pies by using the muffin tins. I thought they were really cute. We served them with a whipped cream quenelle. The black bean and jicama salsa was good; I preferred the tropical fruit salsa.

Summary: I liked the grouper. This is the first time I have ever had it. I usually prefer milder white fish. I really liked the corn custard. It’s really frustrating for me to not be able to taste some of the dishes we make because of my allergies.

Chayote stuffed with
Mushrooms and Tomatoes



Corn Custard

 

Pan Seared Grouper with
Tropical Fruit Salsa

Pan Seared Grouper with
Black Bean and Jicama Relish

Seafood Chowder

Mini Key Lime Pies