This was France week 2. We made Ratatouille, Soupe de Legumes aux Petits Coquillages (Vegetables Soup with Shellfish), Le Blanc de Poisson Belle Mouginoise (Fillet of Fish Mouginoise), Filet de Porc Farci Lyonnaise (Stuffed Pork Tenderloin), Salade de Poire (Pear Salad) and Mousse au Chocolat (Chocolate Mousse). This was actually a very straight forward menu. Nothing was very complicated. The challenge came in the preparation. All of the cuts were VERY precise. For the Ratatouille everything was 1/2 inch. The soup required the Paysanne cut: a flat, square, round, triangular or diamond cut with dimensions of 1/2 in. x 1/2 in. x 1/8 in. It was worth the effort. That soup was delicious!! I was responsible for making the fish. That meant I had to fillet a snapper. Considering my focus is baking and pastry, this proved to be my challenge for the evening. With help from Chef Seth, I got it done. This is a visually beautiful dish. There are rows of cucumber, tomatoes and mushrooms. The sauce was a little thin. I needed to reduce it a lot more. But it still had a good flavor. The mousse was very rich and smooth.
We used: stovetop, stand mixer, oven, pots, bowls, spoons and knives.
We used: stovetop, stand mixer, oven, pots, bowls, spoons and knives.