Food Draft - Meal Presentation

[MKnight82]

@JoshstraDaymus @ramssuperbowl99 you have 24 hours to present your meals or you are disqualified.  

[SwAg]

So, I am going to read every dish, and ask any questions I have about the dish, and give you an opportunity to sell your dish to me before I render my votes.

I will explain myself fully to avoid the spiteful popularity contest.

[MWil23]

5 minutes ago, SwAg said:

I will explain myself fully to avoid the spiteful popularity contest.

Try this:

[SwAg]

On 8/17/2020 at 2:47 PM, Daniel said:

For @Counselor's meal:

Appetizer: Seafood soup (shellfish broth, crab or lobster mustard, cherry tomatoes, and garlic chives, thickened with rice)

Entree: Poached lobster, crab, and crawfish (cooked in wine, spices, and salt water), served with lemon slices; seared scallops

Sides: Seafood risotto (cooked in shellfish broth and sauteed garlic chives) with cherry tomatoes; grilled zucchini

Condiments: guacamole (avocado, saffron, lime juice, cherry tomatoes); crab/lobster sauce (shellfish [of your choice] mustard, tomatoes, chives, wine, saffron, and salt, cooked down)

Dessert: Poached pears (cooked in wine, vanilla, and palm sugar); Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Drinks: Cocktail bar containing gin, simple syrup, tonic water, Meyer lemons, and limes; Pinot Grigio

Shellfish

Garlic chives

Parprika

Pinot grigio

Cherry tomatoes

Arborio rice

Sesame oil

Avocado

Saffron

Vanilla

Gin

Palm sugar

Persian lime

Meyer Lemon

Tonic water

Bosc Pear

Zucchini

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Counselor, your meal is the only one without any contrast in texture, which was not obvious until I looked for what I was supposed to use as a vessel for guacamole that I want to eat.  Everything is soft (except CTC, which I’m frankly not eating), why should I overlook that, and what is the guacamole to be used on?

Did you shallow or deep poach the seafood in the entree?

[Scoundrel]

43 minutes ago, SwAg said:

Counselor, your meal is the only one without any contrast in texture, which was not obvious until I looked for what I was supposed to use as a vessel for guacamole that I want to eat.  Everything is soft (except CTC, which I’m frankly not eating), why should I overlook that, and what is the guacamole to be used on?

Did you shallow or deep poach the seafood in the entree?

Better than the trash you made

[SwAg]

I’m trying to be serious.

[SwAg]

I’m going to do this for everyone 🙄

[SwAg]

On 8/17/2020 at 8:18 PM, MWil23 said:

All right guys, I suppose it's time to present mine. Long story short, due to dietary restrictions in my family, such as my identical twin sisters having Celiac Disease (can't eat gluten/allergic to it), my mom is also on a gluten free diet and limited on some things as she's recovering from breast cancer/treatment for it, and general frustration with meal planning lends itself best in my extended family to:

*Family Style: Have a lot of options with really the same basic core concepts

AND

*Street Food: Fun and new things to try, lending itself to smaller portions but a lot more to choose from. It's basically a "Can I have a piece of that?" when you see someone else order something delicious

Essentially, this food setup is made to be shared and extensive, while also balancing the simple.

Appetizer:

Muhammara Roasted Red Pepper Dip:

Comprised of feta, Greek Yogurt, roasted red peppers (Florinis), onion, pepper, Brandywine Tomato paste, and optional ground lamb on the side for those who want to mix it in). Served with your choice of paleo naan bread or pita chips.

 

Entre:

Deconstructed Lamb Gyros (smoked lamb shoulder) and/or smoked rack of lamb with a butter paste (Butter, Salt, Pepper, Vadouvan, for those of you who don't know it's cumin on steroids)

With the gyros, I've prepared a homemade Tzatziki sauce (Yogurt, Cucumber, Mint) and have also made a chili paste available instead for those who prefer a bit of a walk on the wild side (harissa). Served with vidalia onion and brandywine tomatoes on a 4 ingredient gluten free naan flatbread (tapioca flour, coconut milk, almond flour, honey).

***NOTE****

Should you wish to put your gyros on pita chips or dip the naan bread in the roasted pepper dip, that's also an option.

*Roasted Lamb entre below*

 

Dessert:

I'm offering two desserts, both of which are very simple:

Stuffed Figs with Cambozola and walnuts, drizzled in honey

Stuffed boiled dates, marinated in honey, served with feta and walnuts

 

In the appetizer, what is cooked?  I see the red peppers are roasted, but are the other components kept uncooked?

On the entree, the deconstructed portion of the gyro is that it is not in the typical vessel?  It’s essentially an interactive dish where the flatbread is my vessel, and I can add the various components as I choose?  (Similar to how restaurants do fajitas?)

My favorite dessert is gluttonous, but I don’t mind this type of elegant dessert.  I understand the second dessert, but is the first dessert cooked?  And, I have no experience with Cambozola, but I see it’s derived from bleu cheese.  What type of flavor am I expecting here?

Edited August 23, 2020 by SwAg

[Shady Slim]

can i just say i love how creative the dishes for @MWil23 are; hit it out of the park in terms of gettin zesty 

[MWil23]

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

In the appetizer, what is cooked?  I see the red peppers are roasted, but are the other components kept uncooked?

Good question. I’m actually going to cook a few portions of it, albeit not all of it together. The walnuts will be toasted for an added crunch to the dip, and the feta will be cooked with the roasted peppers, and instead of olive oil, I’m using just a touch of butter. Aside from that, the rest will be chopped up separately in a food processor and added/mixed in after. You get the soft creamy texture of the pepper and feta with the crunch of the roasted walnuts, and I’m going to add just a touch of honey to caramelize the walnuts for a sweet/salty combination.

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

On the entree, the deconstructed portion of the gyro is that it is not in the typical vessel?  It’s essentially an interactive dish where the flatbread is my vessel, and I can add the various components as I choose?  (Similar to how restaurants do fajitas?)

Correct. Think of it more as I’d personally choose the deconstruction/flatbread for the vessel instead of a typical pita, and then you have the options to add ingredients like diced tomatoes and raw onion with the fresh homemade taztziki sauce, or you could choose to go bolder/spicier with the chili paste. You could even forego this idea altogether and enjoy your lamb and naan on the side, or even opt for a bed of pita chips instead of naan, use the naan for the red pepper dip, and make gyro nachos.

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

My favorite dessert is gluttonous, but I don’t mind this type of elegant dessert.  I understand the second dessert, but is the first dessert cooked?  

Yes, it will be roasted at a lower/more indirect temperature, so it will be soft and warm, smokey, with a sweet taste from the fog and honey, and you get the finish of crunch from the nuts. Believe it or not, you could actually choose to serve this cold should you want to change the consistency. 

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

And, I have no experience with Cambozola, but I see it’s derived from bleu cheese.  What type of flavor am I expecting here?

You may as well choose to believe it’s bleu cheese (or if you like triple creme cheeses) in all honesty. It’s a bit more unique and more natural flavor than cream cheese, but still rich. The softened (we are talking more to warm it up, not completely melt it) and creamy cheese and figs should be served warm. It’s more of a sweet and savory one that could actually be served as an appetizer, but after dinner with a drink would be nice too. Some would serve it with port, but I’m choosing to go another direction.

I essentially picked more of an early to mid fall theme here. It makes me want to wear jeans, a flannel or sweater, maybe have a jacket handy, and sit around the fire and eat

[MWil23]

54 minutes ago, Shady Slim said:

can i just say i love how creative the dishes for @MWil23 are; hit it out of the park in terms of gettin zesty 

Thanks buddy! It’s a bit unorthodox, but I typically eat healthy with a few splurge meals here and there.

[SwAg]

5 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Good question. I’m actually going to cook a few portions of it, albeit not all of it together. The walnuts will be toasted for an added crunch to the dip, and the feta will be cooked with the roasted peppers, and instead of olive oil, I’m using just a touch of butter. Aside from that, the rest will be chopped up separately in a food processor and added/mixed in after. You get the soft creamy texture of the pepper and feta with the crunch of the roasted walnuts, and I’m going to add just a touch of honey to caramelize the walnuts for a sweet/salty combination.

Correct. Think of it more as I’d personally choose the deconstruction/flatbread for the vessel instead of a typical pita, and then you have the options to add ingredients like diced tomatoes and raw onion with the fresh homemade taztziki sauce, or you could choose to go bolder/spicier with the chili paste. You could even forego this idea altogether and enjoy your lamb and naan on the side, or even opt for a bed of pita chips instead of naan, use the naan for the red pepper dip, and make gyro nachos.

Yes, it will be roasted at a lower/more indirect temperature, so it will be soft and warm, smokey, with a sweet taste from the fog and honey, and you get the finish of crunch from the nuts. Believe it or not, you could actually choose to serve this cold should you want to change the consistency. 

You may as well choose to believe it’s bleu cheese (or if you like triple creme cheeses) in all honesty. It’s a bit more unique and more natural flavor than cream cheese, but still rich. The softened (we are talking more to warm it up, not completely melt it) and creamy cheese and figs should be served warm. It’s more of a sweet and savory one that could actually be served as an appetizer, but after dinner with a drink would be nice too. Some would serve it with port, but I’m choosing to go another direction.

I essentially picked more of an early to mid fall theme here. It makes me want to wear jeans, a flannel or sweater, maybe have a jacket handy, and sit around the fire and eat

This information helped.  Thank you, MWil.

I'm more of a "make my teeth rot and give me diabetes, daddy" when it comes to dessert.  The gluttonous, the better, but I appreciate the elegant dessert game.

[SwAg]

On 8/18/2020 at 12:06 PM, MKnight82 said:

MKnight82's Meal:

 

Appetizer - Balsamic Bruschetta 

Sliced toasted french baguette. 

Chopped fresh sweet basil.

Diced roma tomatoes.

Drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese.   

Seasoned with salt and pepper.  

 

Main Course - Rigatoni with Bison Meatballs

Rigatoni. 

Fresh made marinara sauce made with pureed roma tomatoes, olive oil, diced yellow onion, sweet basil & salt.

Pan seared meatballs made with Bison meat, semolina flour, parmesan cheese, sweet basil and salt & pepper.

Topped with fresh basil leaves and graded parmesan cheese.

 

Dessert - Strawberry Basil Crumb Bars

Fresh strawberries.  Semolina flour.  Roasted chopped pecans.  Old Fashioned Oats.  Brown sugar.  Zest from an Orange.  Lightly covered with powdered sugar.  

 

Booze - Chianti

 

Draft Picks

1. Olive Oil

2. Roma tomatoes

3. Parmesan cheese

4. Bison

5. Sweet basil

6. Yellow onion

7. Rigatoni

8. French baguette 

9. Balsamic vinegar

10. Strawberries

11. Old fashioned oats

12. Brown sugar

 

UDFA

Pecans

Oranges

Semolina flour

Powdered sugar

Chianti

On the appetizer, any reason you stuck with balsamic vinegar instead of a balsamic reduction?  I don't mind.  I'm just wondering if you had a cumulative flavor profile difference in mind.

No question of note on the entree.

On the dessert, (as I said before) I prefer a gluttonous dessert, but have a place in my heart for the elegant ones.  And, I actually really like this treat, as I find it nostalgic, and simple yet elevated with the sweet basil adding a layer of subtleness.  So, my question is: you had orange available (and used the zest here), did you have a flavor profile concern with also incorporating orange juice into strawberry couli for a citrus-strawberry bar?

[MWil23]

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

This information helped.  Thank you, MWil.

👍

1 hour ago, SwAg said:

I'm more of a "make my teeth rot and give me diabetes, daddy" when it comes to dessert.  The gluttonous, the better, but I appreciate the elegant dessert game.

I absolutely am too, but lately I’ve tried to move away from this a bit more, as I have bad genetics when it comes to heart health and diabetes, so it’s a matter of trying to pick and choose when to bring/eat those rich desserts. Those custard nachos, for example, are absolutely on point and I’m having a mountain of them, whereas admittedly my options are more a matter of just taking the edge off of that sweet craving with a relatively spicy/zesty dish. Throw in all of my extended family and friends who have some dietary restrictions, and I made mine gluten free while not outwardly marketing it as such. The naan bread is actually paleo, minus the honey for some texture to make it a flaky/and a golden color. 

[MKnight82]

3 hours ago, SwAg said:

On the appetizer, any reason you stuck with balsamic vinegar instead of a balsamic reduction?  I don't mind.  I'm just wondering if you had a cumulative flavor profile difference in mind.

Ya I wanted to add that vinegar flavor vs a sweet flavor.  

3 hours ago, SwAg said:

On the dessert, (as I said before) I prefer a gluttonous dessert, but have a place in my heart for the elegant ones.  And, I actually really like this treat, as I find it nostalgic, and simple yet elevated with the sweet basil adding a layer of subtleness.  So, my question is: you had orange available (and used the zest here), did you have a flavor profile concern with also incorporating orange juice into strawberry couli for a citrus-strawberry bar?

The recipe I was following actually used Lemon, but they were drafted so I substituted Oranges.  It did call for a teaspoon of juice so yes it should have a little bit of orange juice.  Also thanks for the compliment, I was actually looking for a dessert that used Basil cause I was trying to incorporate some of my main ingredients into each course.