LESSON 19 - COOKING BY ABSORPTION – CREATIVE LEFTOVERS

Subjects Demonstrations Recipes cooked

Cooking by 188 Parmesan risotto ½ each Absorption – 125 French dressing creative leftovers using store cupboard ingredients Mixed salad leaves handout for varieties XR Parmesan crisps 558 Crème Brulee 1/2 each vanilla or cinnamon Save and freeze approx 2 - 3 tablespoons of risotto for Arancini week 20

‘ ….before I learnt to cook I opened the kitchen cupboard and saw meaningless ingredients, now I see food….’

Teaching points An opportunity for a revision, theory Q&A or short test...

Theory points Risotto rice

Italian Arborio rice, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are all short-grained rice varieties suitable for this type of cooking.

A risotto is made by adding boiling stock, a ladleful at a time, to the rice while stirring continuously. The rice should absorb 5 times its volume in liquid.

A good risotto should be creamy from the starch of the rice whilst the grains should have some texture (al dente)

What additions can be added to this simple risotto? What could be done with leftover risotto? …. Arancini di Riso, use as a filling for a spinach roulade…..

Other rice based dishes: Kedgeree, paella, biryani, sushi, jambalaya, pilaf, nasi goring, polo XR Prawn pilaf week 26

Arancini for week 20

Allow 2-3 tablespoons of risotto to go cold. This can be frozen already shaped into balls the size of a walnut approx 35-40g of mixture for each arancini in advance or just as it is. Name the container ready for week 20

Egg Custard - Crème Brûlée

See lesson 8

A baked custard is milk thickened by the binding and partial coagulation of denatured egg protein.

A perfectly baked custard should have a smooth texture throughout, just firm enough to slice or spoon and it should taste smooth and creamy.

Egg proteins are so sensitive to heat they can easily be overcooked so a preheated oven 150?/GM 2 is used together with a bain marie

A bain marie is a roasting tin half filled with hot water in which terrines, custards etc stand while cooking. The food is protected from direct, fierce heat and cooks in a gentle, steamy atmosphere. In a commercial setting it is a large container that will hold a number of pans standing in hot water. It is used to keep soups, sauces etc hot without further cooking.

Throughout the cooking it is important to maintain the water level at half the depth of the dish the custard is being cooked in. Add water carefully so as not to disturb the crust of the cooking custard. The water should always remain at just below simmering point. If the water level gets too low there is a danger that the custard will overcook.

Check for cooked: give the dish a gentle shake, the centre of the custard should wobble very slightly, if the custard ripples it needs more cooking.

There will be residue heat, so don’t leave the custard in the bain marie to cool as it will over cook.

What has gone wrong if The custard is rubbery and cracked

despite the bain marie the custard is over cooked. It has been cooked for too long or the oven temperature was too high

Small bubbles have set in the base and sides of the custard the water level in the bain marie was allowed to get too low and so the custard has over heated

The custard has not set

the custard was not baked for long enough the oven temperature was too low

What to look for when assessing Presentation of food and working area should be clean, neat and tidy. Food is the correct temperature. Method will have been as independent as possible with the student making a good effort to suggest solutions to queries they may have

Parmesan Risotto a plated garnished main course

The rice should be cooked through with a creamy, soft coating of sauce The seasoning should be well-balanced

Dressed leaves

The dressing should be a balanced The leaves should be lightly dressed

Parmesan crisps

The crisps should be lightly golden and should not be greasy

Work was independent, confident and well organised

For the MAX 5 marks available all these elements need to be in place

Crème Brûlée

The custard should have a pale yellow skin The texture should be completely smooth and silky with no bubbles or air pockets The custard should be set The flavour should not be overly sweet with a definite flavour of vanilla or cinnamon The brûlée top should be crisp and completely covering the custard Work was independent, confident and well organised

For the MAX 5 Marks available all these elements need to be in place