Once more, with feeling: the final round

Today we had our last go at designing plates. Tomorrow marks the end of class, the end of the term, and the start of a much needed vacation.

This one, while maintaining the same basic principle, was not at all what I had planned out. As such, there are a number of changes that I would make. We'll start with a reference point.

So what was running around in my head in the first place? Well, I had intended to use three lamb chops, arranged around a central mound of the rice. Between these three chops were supposed to be fanned-out snap peas (or green beans, or whatever was green, long-ish, and in the refrigerator at the time). Sadly calling dibs on the three pieces early in the day wasn't enough, and most was taken so that people could practice for the final. Blast you education system.

So what would I change? Like I said, the idea is there. I like the bone-up presentation, and the sauce under the mini-steak (although it could be a bit cleaner). I'd swap out the green beans for haricot vert in a heartbeat (aka, baby green beans). They're more uniform, skinnier, and overall just a tad fancier. The rice bores me. It was supposed to be surrounded by beautifully seared lamb, but the way it turned out it's a bit of an eyesore. If I were to keep it, maybe some tomato concasse on top would be nice, or really about anything to give some color. Switching the rice out for a quenelle of mashed potatoes (garlic chive... mmm...) would provide a more stable platform for the lamb, offers its own garnish, and all sorts of good times.

Lastly the plate itself. Since the original concept was circular, a round plate would have been great. For this I'd much rather have a longer, rectangular plate, and stretch the whole thing out in a straight line. I don't much care for the angle on this, and it's an awkward balance trying to get the lamb in the center without pushing everything else out of sync.

I just want to say that I love bones. They look awesome. And not just that, but they add amazing flavor, especially if you take the time to roast whatever it is that you're working with.

A fun class overall (granted I say this before the written final and practical take place). I definitely like having the chance to practice playing with my food. I'm not going to say that this sort of work is something that I'll be doing every day for myself, but it can be fun to mess around a bit here and there to get a few "ooh's" and "aah's" from the crowd.