Salads and Salad Dressings Chapter 21 Salads and Salad Dressings

Chapter Objectives 1. Identify and describe five different salad types, and select appropriate recipes for use as an appetizer, accompaniment, main course, separate course, or dessert salad. 2. Identify a dozen popular salad greens; list six categories of other salad ingredients, and recognize several examples from each category. 3. Judge the quality of fruits and complete the pre-preparation procedures for fruit. 4. Identify the four basic parts of a salad. 5. Prepare and arrange salads that achieve maximum eye appeal. 6. Set up an efficient system for producing salads in quantity. 7. Prepare the following types of salads: green, vegetable, bound, fruit, combination, and gelatin. 8. Set up a successful salad bar and buffet service. 9. Identify the major salad dressing ingredients. 10.Prepare the following: oil and vinegar dressings, mayonnaise and mayonnaise-based dressings, cooked dressings, and specialty dressings.

Salads and Salad Dressings Before refrigeration, the pantry was where food products were kept before going into the kitchen. It was especially suited to production of cold foods. It was called Garde Manger. Garde manger chefs have to master a wide range of cooking techniques and have artistic judgment.

The Salad The definition of a salad: A single food or a mixture of foods accompanied or bound by a dressing A salad can contain meat, grains, nuts, or cheese and contain no lettuce It can be an appetizer, entrée, side dish or dessert The color, texture, and flavor should compliment each other

Appetizer Salads Many establishments serve salads as a first course. Takes pressure off the kitchen Satisfies the customer with something to eat, quickly Appetizer salads should stimulate the appetite with tangy, flavorful dressings and look good. Appetizer salads should not be too filling Attractive arrangements and garnish are important.

Accompaniment Salads Salads served with the main course Serve the same function of other side dishes (vegetables and starches) Must be harmonious with the rest of the meal Light and flavorful, not too rich Heavy salads with macaroni or potatoes are less appropriate

Main-Course Salads Cold salad plates are popular with luncheon and diet-conscious customers. They should be large enough to be a full meal and contain sufficient protein. They should offer variety and a balanced meal in terms of flavors, textures, and color.

Separate-Course Salads The European version of a salad. A refreshing salad after a wonderful entrée to cleanse the palate and get ready for the dessert. It should be in no way filling.

Dessert Salads Usually sweet and may contain fruits, sweetened gelatin, nuts, and cream.

Salad Greens Lettuce Bibb or limestone Boston Iceberg Leaf Romaine Escarole Chicory or Curly Endive Frisée Belgian Endive Radicchio Chinese Cabbage or Celery Cabbage Spinach Dandelion Greens Watercress Arugula Mesclun Tatsoi Mâche Microgreens or Baby lettuces Brune d’Hiver Lola Rosa Red Sails Pirate Sprouts Edible flowers Fresh Herbs Mache

Salad Greens Lettuce Escarole Chicory or Curly Endive Frisée Bibb or limestone Boston Iceberg Leaf Romaine Escarole Chicory or Curly Endive Frisée Belgian Endive Radicchio Chinese Cabbage or Celery Cabbage Spinach Dandelion Greens Watercress Arugula Radicchio Mesclun Tatsoi Mâche Microgreens or Baby lettuces Brune d’Hiver Lola Rosa Red Sails Pirate Sprouts Edible Flowers Fresh Herbs

Vegetables Raw Avocado Bean Sprouts Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Cucumbers Jerusalem artichokes Kohlrabi Mushrooms Onions Peppers Radishes Scallions Tomatoes

Vegetables, Cooked, Pickled, and Canned Artichoke hearts Asparagus Beans Beets Carrots Corn Cucumber pickles Hearts of palm Leeks Olives Peas Peppers, roasted Pimentos Potatoes Water chestnuts

Starches Dried beans Potatoes Macaroni Products Grains Bread (croutons)

Fruits, Fresh, Cooked, Canned, or Frozen Apples Apricots Bananas Berries Cherries Coconut Dates Figs Grapefruit Grapes Kiwi Fruit Kumquats Mandarin oranges and tangerines Mangoes Melons Nectarines Oranges Papayas Peaches Pears Persimmons Pineapple Plums Pomegranates Prickly pears Prunes Raisins

Protein Foods Meats – All Poultry – All Fish and Shellfish Salami, prosciutto Bacon Eggs, hard-cooked Cheese, cottage Cheese, aged or cures

Miscellaneous Salad Ingredients Gelatin (plain or flavored) Nuts - all varieties

Arrangement and Presentation The Structure of a Salad There are Four basic parts of a salad: Base or underliner Body Garnish Dressing

Guidelines for Arranging Salads Use a cold plate Keep the salad off the rim Strike a good balance of colors Height keeps a salad attractive Cut ingredients neatly Make salad ingredients identifiable Keep it simple

Preparing Salad Greens Washing Draining Crisping Tearing and cutting Mixing Plating Garnishing Dressing (immediately before service)

Vegetable Salads Vegetable salads are those whose main ingredient are vegetables other than lettuce or other leafy greens. Some vegetables can be raw like celery, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, and green peppers Sometimes cooked pasta or a protein item is used along with cheese. Remember height makes the salads interesting.

Bound Salads Bound salads are mixtures of foods that are held together with a thick dressing, such as a mayonnaise type. Popular choices for cooked salads are: Chicken Eggs Rice Crab Salmon Turkey Potatoes Ham Shrimp Lobster Pastas Tuna Mixed Vegetables

Gelatin Salads Principles: The history of gelatin salads started with aspics, the highly ornamented appetizers and elaborate pieces made with fish stocks in natural gelatin. Aspics are part of classical cuisine and part of modern buffet work. Purified granular gelatin and gelatin sheets are available for use in the pantry You need to know how to prepare these salads using unflavored gelatin with fruit juices and other ingredients for flavor.

Composed Salads Composed salads are made by arranging two or more elements attractively on a plate. Guidelines: Observe the guidelines for each of the salad components, such as greens, vegetables, cooked salads, and fruit salads Prepare each component separately Arrangements may be plated in advance if the components will hold well Prepare and add hot or warm components immediately before serving Observe general guidelines of salad arrangement and presentation

Salad Bars and Buffet Service Salad bars have become standard fixtures in restaurants They are popular with operators and customers. Customers like them because they can select from a large number of items and choose exactly what they want. To be successful with salad bars you should keep a few points in mind Keep salad bar attractive and well stocked Keep the components simple but attractive Provide a variety of condiments for the customers to select from Simple ingredients Prepared salads

Salad Bars and Buffet Service (cont’d) Arrange the salad bar using the following format (see p. 720) Plates Mixed greens Condiments (the expensive last) Dressings Crackers, breads, ect., if desired Make sure you adhere to the health code Choose the right size plates and serving pieces to allow for some portion control.

Salad Dressings Salad dressings are liquids or semi liquids used to flavor salads The basic salad dressings can be divided into three categories Oil and vinegar dressings Mayonnaise-based dressings Cooked dressings

Ingredients Because the flavors of most salad dressings are not modified by cooking, the quality of the dressings depends on the quality of the ingredients Most dressings are an oil and acid like vinegar or citrus juices

Oils Kinds Quality Factors Corn oil Cottonseed, soybean, canola and safflower oil Peanut oil Olive oil Walnut oil Quality Factors All purpose oils have a mild, sweet flavor Winterized oil should be used for dressings that will be refrigerated

Salad Dressing Ingredients Vinegar Cider Vinegar White or distilled vinegar Wine vinegar Flavored vinegars Sherry Vinegar Balsamic vinegar Others specialty vinegars Malt Rice Fruit flavored like raspberry Lemon Juice Fresh lemon juice may be used in place of vinegar in some preparations Egg yolk An essential ingredient in mayonnaise

Seasoning and Flavoring Nearly any spice or herb can be used in salad dressings Dried herbs and spices need extra time to release their flavors Most salad dressings should be made 2-3 hours before serving Other ingredients added for flavoring are mustard, catsup, Worcestershire sauce and various types of cheese Remember if you use a Roquefort cheese dressing it has to be made with Roquefort cheese

Emulsions in Salad Dressings Temporary Emulsions Simple oil and vinegar dressings are called temporary emulsions because they will always separate after shaking The negative side of temporary emulsions are they have to be shaken or stirred before each use Permanent Emulsions Mayonnaise is a mixture of oil and vinegar but the two are bound together by egg yolks which act as a emulsifier Commercial emulsifiers are gums, starches, and gelatins

Oil and Vinegar Dressings Basic vinaigrette or basic French dressing is a mixture of oil, vinegar, and seasonings FYI, the thickened, sweet tomato-based dressing often served as “French Dressing” is unknown in France The ratio of oil and vinegar in basic vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar Some chefs use a 2 to 1 ratio, others 4 to 1 ratio. The more vinegar or acid used the more tart the dressing will be.

Emulsified Dressings Mayonnaise is the most important emulsified dressing. It can be served by itself or added to make a new dressing Emulsified French Dressing is similar to basic French dressing, except egg yolk has been added to keep the oil and vinegar from separating.

Mayonnaise You can make your own mayonnaise but remember it is not as stable as commercially produced mayonnaise and would not have as long a shelf life The general ingredients are pasteurized egg yolk, oil, vinegar, and seasonings

Other Salad Dressings Cooked salad dressing is similar to mayonnaise, but it has a more tart flavor. It is made with little or no oil and thickened with a starch thickener.

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