sporked.

Cheese Platter: A Study In Purple

2009-09-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

At the winery I am often called upon to assemble cheese trays... and depending on the week I can make anywhere from 2 or 3 to as many as a baker's dozen... This has given me a lot of practice to develop the craft. Today, I'm going to share with you 9 tricks of the trade that I have learned through tutelage, theory and above all else, trial and error.

1. Quantity & Variety
For starters let's just talk about cheese. When it comes to making a good cheese tray, you want to consider first the number of people who you'll be catering too, followed by the number of cheeses you can afford to provide. At the "bare-bones" minimum, you'll want to offer three cheese varieties: one semi hard - hard, one fresh - soft and one blue. This offers guests a variety of flavor at minimal cost. If you can swing it, five cheeses will give you plenty to choose from allowing you to add in say a sharp, smoked or goat. As guests increase along with budgets, so will the amount and varieties of cheeses. For the platter in my shades of purple study, which was to serve 220 guests, I only used 5 cheeses, due to a limited budget, but I used those cheeses in quantity. Had there been fewer guests, the cheese would have been diversified to seven or nine and their quantities reduced. The cheeses featured on the "Study in Purple" platter started with the three basics: Manchego (a hard cheese from Spain), "Rogue River" Blue (an American blue from Oregon) and St. Andre (a triple creme or soft cheese). From there the sharp Sage Derby and smoked Mozzarella were added to expand the flavor palette and fill up space.

2. Cuts
When it comes to cheese cutting it can make all the difference and the best way to cut cheese is with a hot straight-edged sharp knife. Really that is all there is to it. Luckily where I work there is a spigot attached to our coffee maker that generates near boiling water instantly... for those of us at home, heating water over the stove or in the microwave would suffice. Once the water is heated, add the knife to the water and let sit for a good three to five minutes and you should be ready to go. Also keep a clean towel handy... it will be useful to clean the blade after cuts. For best cleaning results, dunk the dirty knife into the hot water, let sit, then remove and wipe clean. As for the way to cut cheeses, you have either wedges, slices or cubes. The firmness and shape of the cheeses will help you determine how to cut each. Bleus and soft cheeses (goats, cremes, mold ripened) are best served in the form of wedges because they are spreadable and hold up best in larger shapes. I like wedges especially because they offer up a structural element to your tray. You could always serve your harder cheeses in wedges too, but for the sake of your guests, having the cheese pre-sliced saves them some effort and frustration (not to mention it keeps the voracious from taking off 1" thick slices on a whim). Semi Hard - Hard cheeses can work in either slices or cubes... it all depends on the texture and the intensity of the flavor of cheese. More elastic cheeses such as cured mozzarella and derbies hold up well in the sliced form and depending on how thin you can slice it can really extend the longevity of your cheese. Extra hard cheeses such as Mimolette or Manchego often have stronger flavors because they have been cured over a long period of time. Because of this, it is best to slice these extremely thin. These thin slices will enhance not only the flavor, but the texture of the cheese. Cheeses such as cheddar or Havarti are best served in cubes not only because their production in loafs lends themselves to that, but it is also the most efficient way of cutting cheese. If a cheddar is too sharp, cutting it in slices will result in it dissolving, but if you resort to cubes they will hold their shape longer.

3. Space
So you have all this cheese cut, now what do you do with it? If you close your eyes and think of those famous still-life paintings from the Renaissance, which displayed those marvelous spreads with their cheeses and fruits and meats all positioned just perfectly, you can realize these visions into trays yourself. What you need to remember though, is that those paintings are two-dimensional and you'll be working with three. You have depth to explore and you'll need to grasp how it works in order to create a piece for display. I remember when I first started, I was always looking down on my platters. That is how I would make them and when I finished they all seemed flat. It's because I was using too much cheese in depth and not enough in height. Depth is seen best in layers, and the best way to see layers is in varied height. It's like a pop up book... without the variation in height the depth would be lost. If you can grasp this concept you'll be ahead of the game.

4. Form
From space with it's depth and height, we reach form... which extends into the width. Here is where the platter is most influential... it determines the course of your form... whether or not you can extend outwards and to what affect. It's the idea of terracing. The wider the tray, the more gradual your upward climb will appear.

5. (A)Symmetry
The aesthetic here is up to you. Personally I gravitate towards an asymmetrical scheme as it allows for more visual form in terms of cascades... ebbing and flowing... and that sort of deal. It's a looser art than symmetry, but it's also a bit more challenging to master. For beginners starting with symmetry can allow for a greater ease of balance. I like to think of it this way. If you look at a bike from behind, one that has training wheels will stay poised, in vertical alignment without any leaning to left or right. Sure this is balanced, but it's predictable... it's safe and it works. Take the training wheels off and you have a risk factor. The bike if barely leaned will seem as if it's trying to be symmetrical but ultimately fails because it is too close to symmetrical, making you want for perfect alignment and upset because it is not. As the angle increases, the daring increases... the further you get from the middle alignment, the more interesting the body becomes as it creates angles and dynamism in an effort to correct its center of gravity. However, lean too far to either direction and the bike will become unstable... a point of no return will be reached and all will fall hurtling to the ground.

6. Evens vs. Odds
The rules to evens and odds are complex. Generally speaking odds are more intrinsically pleasing. One, you have a single object of focus, one to be enamoured with or disturbed by (hopefully in our case the prior), one which can be viewed from afar and examined up close. Two, you have competing objects of focus, and your eyes shift back and forth, they produce commentary, but soon they fall short with conversation and you are left with wanting. Add one more and the wheel is back in conversational motion... exponential dividends in visual interest. This is not to say that evens are out of the question... when dealing in a hierarchy doubles cannot be avoided. A pyramid for example with three levels will have a base of three blocks, followed by a middle layer of two, topped with a singular block. If you were to remove the middle layer, you'd end up with four blocks and uneven balance. Notice also that the pyramid can only be completed with an odd number of layers... and while the sum of all the parts are even, the heirarchy results in its tertiary segmentation. Basically what I'm saying is find a way to have hierarchy in which the overall visual representation is in the odd form... even though the total may be evens, the associations will be odd.

7. Found Objects
Found objects such as pedestals, vases, urns, candlestick holders, teapots, gravy boats, boxes, vessels really of any sort can add a touch of drama, structural detailing and dynamism to your trays. When used correctly, they strengthen the aforementioned principles with little effort and maximum results.

8. Color Theory
Here's where we run into a realm as vast and rich as any ever could be. It's hard to describe how color works, without a color wheel... and examples... so I'm going to keep it simple... whatever looks good to you... will work for you. Let's face it though... cheese is pretty neutral and you'll need more than just cheese to create contrast in hue and spectrum range. Sure there's the addition of meats and nuts which is always nice, but still you are only scraping the surface of what can be done. I like color themes a lot... and for me I base my color palette on what is available in Janet's garden and on the Chateau grounds. It's all seasonal and if you stick to seasonal selections your colors will seem to trigger nostalgia in a guest's frame of mind. Produce also has it's weight in terms of color. Strawberries, blackberries, figs, grapes, plums apricots, pears, pomegranates, peaches, nectarines or any other fruit you add can develop a color scheme.

9. Make It Work
Often times I have a time crunch... and a cheese tray is only the beginning to a day's work. I'll be the first to admit that I am not always the fastest, because I like getting things set up just so. But I find that when I'm in my element and enjoying myself most is when I have limited time. It makes me lose thought of what I'm doing and just go with it. I follow my gut and refuse to question it. When this happens I find the end product is more real, more comprehensible, more accessible and ultimately more pleasing. So there you have it... my post on how to make a cheese tray. I'll be sure to share more trays with you as I photograph them.

So Long Xiao Li...

2009-09-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back a good friend of mine, Xiao Li, left for Beijing. But before she went, I wanted to send her off the best way I know how... with a hearty meal in a lavish setting. I set the table with crisp white linens and laid out red chargers in the most fire engine hue imaginable. Using cordials set up in a line, stocked with crocosmia stems and yucca cuttings offered the perfect minimalist approach for a sleek and thoughtful design. Overhead, antique silk lanterns cast a Chinese red glow while linen white tea lights elevated on silver pedestals sent the crystal into a gleaming frenzy.

All in all the scene was beautiful, tragically Xiao Li was unable to attend. Nevertheless I made the feast for which I had planned and hosted my roommate and his cousin who was visiting from out of town. Below is the main course that I prepared for them, Halibut Spiedini, Pepperoncini Shrimp & Fire Roasted White Corn Salad with Green Beans and Potatoes (recipes to follow).

The first two recipes are from Giada De Laurentiis and can be found here:
Pepperoncini Shrimp
Swordfish Spiedini
(for this one, I substituted halibut and bacon for the two main ingredients as neither swordfish, nor pancetta were available at the time)

Fire-Roasted White Corn Salad with Green Beans and Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 ears white corn
1 lb red potatoes
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
3 tabs butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
1 lb green beans, trimmed
equal parts, fresh: summer savory, Italian flat leaf parsley, mint, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme (or whatever fresh herbs are available) chopped, totaling 1 - 1 1/2 cups
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Special Equipment:
Grill/Charcoal Barbecue

1. Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees and the grill set at a medium setting. Line a metal baking pan with foil and set aside.

2. Quarter the smaller potatoes and if larger, cut pieces to match and add to the lined baking dish. Douse with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, remove from oven, toss again and rotate pan before returning it to the oven. Bake another 15-20 minutes until potatoes are golden brown on undersides and tender.

3. Meanwhile, schuck corn and coat with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add to grill once it is heated and turn the corn every few minutes or once it has begun to turn brown and a few kernels have blackened. Rotate until all sides have been chared and remove from heat. Let stand for a few minutes then on a cutting board, stand a cob on end and gently slide a chef's knife along the cob to remove the kernels. Repeat for the remaining cobs.

4. While potatoes are roasting and the corn is grilling, on the stove, melt the butter in a large sauté pan, add the shallots and sauté until tender and slightly translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Add the green beans and toss to coat in butter, shallots and garlic and sauté until al dente, approx. 4-5 minutes.

5. Combine potatoes, corn kernels and green beans in a large heat proof mixing bowl, season again with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in fresh herbs and cheese and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Avgolemono: Greek Lemon Soup

2009-08-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

It's interesting that Avgolemono would be the recipe that kicked off my foodie blog, especially during the month of August, but today was different than others, it was cool, it was calm - it was comfort. And it's times like these that remind me that when we're taken off the heat and just left to simmer a while the best parts of us show through; a bit like this recipe.

Avgolemono ("ahv-go-LEH-mo-no"), from the greek meaning "egg lemon" is a sauce (or in our case) a soup made from chicken stock and what else... eggs and lemons. The soup is rich and tangy and when done properly it caresses the mouth like silk.

The soup starts at the basics, with the traditional sauce and then builds with the addition of pulled roasted chicken and a small portion of rice or orzo. In my version, it is expanded in texture and flavor with the addition of butter, shallots, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic and seasonal fresh herbs. In about thirty-fourty minutes, you can be reclining with a warm bowl of soup, easing you to melt into your favorite chair.

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken (I recommend a garlic & herb or home-style seasoning), pulled into thin strips
8 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
1/3 cup rice (long grain/wild or arborio) or soup pasta (such as orzo)
1 dozen egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 3 lemons)
4 Tbsps butter, separated into two, two tab portions
2-3 shallots, fine diced
2 leeks, green parts removed, thinly sliced
3 small carrots, peeled halved and sliced 1/4" thick
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4" thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup mixed, seasonal fresh herbs (for this recipe I used summer savory, mint, chives and Italian flat leaf parsley), chopped fine

Instructions:
1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add rice or pasta and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with lid and let simmer for 8-10 minutes until rice or pasta is al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt 2 Tbsps of the butter. Add shallots and leeks and sauté, approx. 3-4 minutes. Add carrot and celery and reduce heat to
medium. Sauté another 4-5 minutes.

3. While the vegetable mixture is sautéing, remove 2 cups or so, of the simmering chicken stock from the pot and temper the yolks by constantly whisking a thin stream of the stock into them. Return this mixture to the pot in the same manner, constantly whisking the stock as you pour the yolks in a thin stream.

4. Add the sautéed veggies to the Avgolemono and add the remaining butter to the skillet, once melted add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add this to soup.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh herbs and ladle into bowls.

Makes 6-8 servings.