There is nothing more satisfactory than creating a dish that shines on the plate. When I was 7 years old I thought I was the creator of the chicken salad sandwich as every Sunday with the leftover cooked chicken I would finely dice onion , tomato , lettuce and the chicken , then I used to bind it with mayonnaise , I remember being so proud as it tasted delicious and it was my invention .
To me Modernist cuisine is about cooking in a way that builds an insight for technology and implementation of taste and being creative which in return creates delicious food.
My starter dish in contemporary culinary trends module is beetroot textures, goats cheese, caraway tuille and rye crumble .I want people to enjoy the taste, textures and enjoy the creativity on the plate .As a chef I work to enjoy food but for my final dish in culinary arts I want the guests to be seduced by my plate through the different techniques and textures I am using.
The concept for this starter came upon as in the restaurant goat’s cheese and beetroot are very popular ingredients. It is normally goat’s cheese salad with a pureed beetroot. This is why I chose beetroot done in many different ways.
Preparation was key in my dish as there were many elements.I think about plating like a painting, there should be a little unexpected like the contrast of the beetroot gel and beetroot vinaigrette in my starter.
For the recipes and all the different elements I used, click here,you can also use different elements of the starter to suit your own creation.
It was an honour to work with such a fantastic team of chefs throughout the past few years of my hons degree, I have made friends for life.To my friend Ciaran, thank you for your advice on presentation.