© Copyright 2011 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and published by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 4 Salads and Garnishing

Ingredients and Parts of a Salad  The three keys to ensuring a quality salad are:  freshness of ingredients  the ingredients blend together in harmony  appealing to the eye Kinds of salad greens: iceberg: most popular salad green romaine: crisp texture, main ingredient in Caesar salad leaf lettuce: red or green, mild flavor spinach: alone or mixed with other greens arugula: pungent flavor Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Salad cont.  The four basic parts to most salads are: 1.Base: usually a layer of salad greens that line the plate or bowl in which the salad will be served. 2.Body: consists of the main ingredients. 3.Garnish: enhances the appearance while also complementing the overall taste; must be edible 4.Salad dressings: are liquids or semi-liquids used to flavor salads. 3

Types of Salad  Wearing gloves is critical when preparing salads.  The five main types of salad are: 1.The two types of green salad are tossed and composed P Bound salad: ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice and bound with mayo. 3.Vegetable salad: cooked and/or raw vegetables (coleslaw); can be bound with mayo or mixed with vinegar/oil dressing 4.Fruit salad: using a slightly sweet or sweet/sour dressing to enhance the flavor; fruit must be coated with acidic liquid to prevent discoloring 5.Combination salad: incorporates a combination of any of the four salad types Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Salads and Service  Salads can be used in five ways during the service courses: 1.Starter salad, served as an appetizer to the main meal, stimulates the appetite. 2.Accompaniment salad: also called side salad, served with the main course of the meal, make it light (potato salad, green salad) 3.Main course salads: large enough to serve as a full meal and contains protein ingredients, such as meat, poultry, seafood, egg, beans, or cheese (chef salad) 4.The intermezzo salad is intended to be a palate cleanser after a rich dinner and before dessert; vinegar of dressing cleans palate 5.Dessert salads are usually sweet and often contain fruits, sweetened gelatin, nuts, cream, and whipped cream (Waldorf, Watergate) Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Cleaning and Storing Salads  Always thoroughly wash greens because dirt can lodge between leaves.  Proper storage is essential to keeping them fresh (below 41 degrees but not lower than 36)  Unopened produce can be stored for 2-3 days Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Types of Dressing  Vinaigrette dressing: made of 3 parts oil and one part vinegar In suspension form (must be remixed each time because ingredients eventually separate) Types of oils and vinegar Canola: mild flavor, good omega 3 fatty acid profile Olive: greenish color; virgin olive oil is from first pressing of olives Peanut: more expensive; must disclose in labels because of allergies Soybean, cottonseed: bland nearly tasteless Balsamic: dark brown and sweet flavor; aged in wooden barrel for 4-50 years Cider: made from apples Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Dressings cont.  Emulsified vinaigrettes: An emulsion is a mixture of ingredients that permanently stays together, unlike a suspension that eventually separates (addition of egg forms emulsion); thicker than vinaigrette and coats ingredients more heavily  Mayonnaise-based dressings are typically creamy dressings, such as Russian, thousand island, and blue cheese.  Mayonnaise: most stable and thickest emulsified dressing. It contains a higher ratio of oil to vinegar and a greater quantity of egg yolks than is required for emulsified vinaigrette. 8

Dips  Can be served hot or cold  should be soft enough to scoop up with a cracker, chip, or vegetable, but thick enough to stay on it (most thicken in refrigerator)  Ethnic variations of special salads and accompaniments are very popular as dips:  Guacamole: Avocado dip (Aztec origin).  Salsa: Peppers, such as jalapeño or serrano, onions, and tomatoes (Mexico).  Hummus: Chick pea with garlic and tahini (Middle East). 9 A dip is a flavorful mixture that accompanies certain foods. 4.2 Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Garnishing: Why and How  Proper garnish complements the main dish in color, flavor, and texture.  Adds personality to a plain dish  Garnish should enhance the flavor of a dish.  The purpose of plate presentation is to enhance the eye appeal of the food  Common foods used in garnishing:  Frosted grapes: brush with water, sprinkle with sugar  Lemons: twisted, sawtooth pattern and dip in paprika 265  Cucumber fans: score cucumber with channel knife from end to end; slice finely and fan out slices Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Classical French Garnishes  Bouquetiere: bouquet of vegetables  Crecy: carrots  Dubarry: cauliflower  Fermiere: carrots, turnips, onions, and celery  Florentine: spinach  Jardiniere: garden vegetables  Lyonnaise: onions  Provencale: tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and herbs 11

Garnishing Dessert  Numerous items can be used to garnish desserts properly:  Fruit coulis in many varieties (make a design on plate or drizzle over dessert)  Whipped cream, flavored and unflavored  Frosted mint leaves  Chocolate work in the form of string work or formed pieces  Spun sugar work  Sweet sauces Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing

Garnishing Soups  Garnishes for soups are classified into three groups:  Garnishes in the soup are the actual ingredients. (vegetable soup)  Add toppings to soups as a garnish as well. Place any topping on the soup immediately before service because it will either melt or sink to the bottom.  Garnishes in the form of accompaniments with soups include crackers, melba toast, corn chips, breadsticks, cheese straws, whole-grain wafers, and gougères (finger sized pastries filled with meat) Chapter 4 | Salads and Garnishing