Week 4- Hot Hors d’oeuvres

Today we prepared hot hors d’oeuvres. Oh my goodness. We rocked it today. Everything turned out amazing and we got done plenty early. I prepared a Fennel and Chorizo Strudel, and prepared the majority of Arancini di Riso recipe (Fried Risotto Balls). Natane prepared the Zucchini Fritters and Grilled Swordfish on Rice Cakes. Ian made the Grilled Beef Roll and Steamed Mussels with Thai Green Curry. Stacy prepared the Oysters Rockefeller, as well as all the sauces and dips to go with the other main dishes.




I began by gathering my mise en place and getting everything prepped for the risotto. I made the risotto and began on the strudel while it was cooling. Ian formed the cooled risotto into balls during a break in his work. A small block of fontina cheese was placed in the middle of the risotto to give it an ooey, gooey center when fried. Natane breaded the formed spheres when she had a break in her work and I fried them off just before “service.” You have not lived until you have tasted these. Risotto alone is heavenly. Fry it in bite sized portions with cheese in the middle and you have reached a whole new level. I am not, as should be obvious, raving about the nutrition benefits. Every once in awhile you just have to let go and eat something strictly for the taste of it. This would be one of those items. It was served with a tomato coulis that I made, as well.



The enjoyment I encountered upon eating the Fennel and Chorizo Strudel was delightfully unanticipated. Fennel, if you have not ever worked with it raw, has stalks like celery and smells strongly like licorice. I chopped up the Chorizo (Spanish Sausage) and Fennel into tiny pieces and cooked them gently until some fat had been rendered and the fennel was soft. Then into the robot coupe it went with and egg, spices, and panko. This was placed along the edge of phyllo dough that had been brushed with butter and sprinkled with crushed panko, and rolled up like a burrito. The top was coated in more butter (again, not health conscious), and baked until golden brown and crispy. The flavors were amazing and the creole honey mustard sauce that went with it really set everything off.



Our plating also went really well today. We all helped each other out in any way we could and our teamwork really paid off this week. I was practically floating as I left the kitchen. I love this feeling. I love cooking. I am so thankful that I get to have this experience.