WEEK 2
Introduction
Cookery Topic:
Garde Manger- Cured and Smoked Foods
Cookery Method:
To create gravlax, the main cooking method is curing the salmon. The curing method is used for preserving meat or fish, with a combination of salt, sugar, and either nitrate or nitrite. Curing can also involve smoking. (Curing foods, n.d) To create smoked shrimp, the main cooking method is smoking. The use of smoking food will occur over fire. It adds a smoking flavor to your dish, which creates another depth of flavor.
Curing foods. (n.d.). https://www.scienceofcooking.com/curing_foods.htm.
Inspiration
Gritzer, D. (2020, May 1). Gravlax with caraway, coriander, and mustard-dill sauce recipe. Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/gravlax-cured-salmon-recipe.
Dishes:
Gravlax, Smoked Shrimp, Sesame Ginger Slaw
Prior Knowledge:
I have not used the curing and smoking cooking methods before. I know that the curing process has been around a long time. When there was no refrigeration, curing was utilized to preserve meat.
Learning Objectives:
"Understand the history and purpose of cured and smoked foods. Identify the crucial ingredients for preserving foods. Explain the function of salt in osmosis, dehydration, and fermentation. Describe the role of curing salts in preserving foods. Discuss seasoning and flavoring options for cured and smoked foods. Compare the effects of dry cures and brines. Describe the evolution of brining from a preservation technique to a flavoring technique. Evaluate cold smoking and hot smoking alternatives. Explain the technique of air-drying. Describe the method of preservation in fat. "( Plana, 2021)
Foster, K. (2020, January 29). Recipe: Sesame ginger slaw. Kitchn. https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sesame-ginger-slaw-257227.
Plana, A. (2021). HOSP 3450 Week 2:Overview. Log In to Canvas. https://auburn.instructure.com/courses/1385357/pages/week-2-overview?module_item_id=19964094.
Background
Scientific principles behind curing:
The process of curing involves sugar, salt, and nitrate with the purpose of preservation, color, and flavor. The salt, sugar, and nitrate are all used for flavor. Salt is antimicrobial and facilities the cure throughout the protein. The sugar helps counteract the salt and causes the bacteria’s energy to change. The nitrate or nature prevents botulism, rancidity, and gives color. Needle injection is the current way that the cure is injected into the meat. ( Texas A&M, 2021)
Scientific principles behind smoking:
Smoking adds flavor and has a small preservation effect. There are two methods of smoking: hot and liquid. Hot smoking is slow cooking and smoking occurring at the same time. In a smoker, as time passes the air temperature increases, causing the internal temperature of the meat to rise. Before placing the meat in the smoker, the meat is brined to help retain moisture during the smoking process. (Venema, 2018)
Admin. (2019, March 29). How to quick cure salmon (gravlax). eatCleaner. https://eatcleaner.com/how-to-quick-cure-salmon-gravlax.
Origin:
Gravlax is a Scandinavian dish that contains salmon marinated with dill. It was made before refrigeration existed , so the raw fish was coated with salt and dill. Then, it was buried in the ground ( grav is Swedish for grave or pit) for a varying amount of time until fermented. The process could last up to 3 months. In modern times, the fish is marinated in the fridge for three days ; then all of the salt and dill is scraped off, thinly sliced, then served with a mustard sauce. ( Oxford Reference, n.d)
Methods used:
Before serving, make the mustard sauce first. Use a food processor or blender to blend vinegar, mustard, dill fronds, and sugar until the dill is finely chopped. Gradually add the oil to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. (Gritzer, 2020)
Variations:
Gravlax can have many variations. By changing the sugar to salt ratios, it can cause a variation of taste. Different herbs or spices could be used instead of the dill. The taste of the gravlax can be varied depending on the modification.
Christine Venema, M. S. U. E. (2018, October 2). Smoking as a food cooking method. MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/smoking_as_a_food_cooking_method.
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Gritzer, D. (2020, May 1). Gravlax with caraway, coriander, and mustard-dill sauce recipe. Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/gravlax-cured-salmon-recipe.
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Oxford Reference. (n.d.). gravlax. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095904814.
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Texas A & M University. (2021, April 5). Fundamentals of meat curing. Meat Science. https://meat.tamu.edu/ansc-307-honors/meat-curing/.
Recipes
Plan of Work
Reflection:
Results
Overall, the texture of the slaw had a nice mouthfeel, but there were some size inconsistencies with the cabbage and carrot. The most prominent taste in the slaw is sour and umami. We wrapped the slaw, cool smoked shrimp, cheese, smoked tomatoes and parsley into the flatbread. The most prominent flavors was the smoky and seafood flavor. It was a light meal, and I would want another piece to fill more full. The plate was very colorful with the red and green cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and cheese. The improv decision of someone in lab making toasted meringue created a great balance between of smokiness and sweetness.
Evaluation
After the lab, I would modify a few things to the slaw. I would use a mandoline slice or hand- cut the cabbage. The cuts would be more consistent, and it would look better. We used a food processor which made the carrots a little too small, and some of the cabbage were larger pieces that had to be cut. I cut the carrot into smaller pieces before putting it in the food processor, and the best thing would to just leave it whole. The set up of using a food processor took a long time, so using a mandoline may be a more efficient way. When the shrimp was soaking in the brine for about 30 minutes, it helped intensify the flavor of the shrimp. The naan bread gave the dish more volume, and it was integral in tying together all components of the dish. The curing process did not take a lot of time, but trying to find some of the spices took the most time. I tried the cheese with everything, but the cheese's flavor profile did not really match everything else. I would either omit the cheese or try another cheese that would compliment the dish better. Overall, most flavors of the dish went well together.
Conclusions
My main learning objective was learning about the process of curing and how smoking certain ingredients can impact the dish's flavor. There were no caraway seeds, so we left them out of the cure mix. The smoking gun was used to smoke the tomatoes for 20 minutes, but there was not a lot of smokiness. It may need to be smoked longer. Torching the meringue gave a lot of smokiness. I learned that you must take out a lot of moisture from the salmon before covering it in the cure. It is not meant to be a gentle process and needs a good amount of force to squeeze out the water. I do hope in the coming weeks, I can improve time management skills and presentation.
Sesame Ginger Slaw where the cabbage and carrots were cut by hand and mandoline.
Gravlax with salt, chopped dill, toasted coriander powder, white ground pepper and sugar wrapped in plastic wrap to begin the curing process
Final Plating
Stages of Lab
Whipped egg whites that have been slightly toasted with a kitchen torch
Bricks weighing down the salmon to push out more moisture.