Plating Week 2: Pork

Today marked the first day of our T1 finals at school. During the two hour time we had to make one chicken dish, one pork dish, two starches, two vegetables, and two sauces. At the end of the 2 hour time limit we also had to plate our food. I was impressed at how well our team did today since it was our first time ever cooking that much food in a single kitchen time slot. At the end of this week I will post pictures of most of the dishes we make in the following few days.

Last week our focus was pork. As I previously wrote, pork is not my favorite protein although I am starting to enjoy it more. Especially as I am becoming more comfortable cooking it. I think my highlight of last week was the time I butchered, brined, and cooked an entire pork tenderloin [pretty perfectly I might add] all by myself. It was the first time I had ever cooked a big hunk of pork before and I was happy with the results.

Last week we also learned how to make gnocchi which I am super excited about! I have been wanting to try to make these little potato dumplings for a while now and, as it turns out, they are super easy to make. I will post the recipe in the near future.

Now onto the photos, please excuse the iphone quality - they are the only cameras allowed in the kitchen.

Sage-brined Pork tenderloin with Robert sauce, apple-cheddar risotto, roasted butternut
squash and fried sage leaves

Stuffed and grilled pork chop with a modern demi-glace, creamy polenta cakes and
maple glazed carrots topped with fried shallot rings

Fig stuffed roasted pork loin with a creamy pan reduction sauce, roasted brussels
sprouts, and sautéed gnocchi with apple poached figs

I hope you all have a good night!
-c