Download Salads and Cheese

Salads
Salad Greens
Identification
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Lettuce – Leafy greens with crisp
texture and subtle flavor.
– Butterhead (Boston & Bibb)
– Crisp Iceberg
– Leaf Lettuce (Red & Green)
– Romaine
– Baby Lettuce (Mesclun)
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Chicory – Create a contrast in salad
textures and taste. Can be hearty and
slightly bitter. They can be cooked,
usually grilled or braised.
– Belgian and Curly Endive
– Radicchio
– Escarole
Salad Composition
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Base – Usually greens that line the plate.
Body – Main ingredient, usually salad
greens, fruit or cooked and blended
ingredients such as chicken or potato salad.
Garnish – Added for color and interest.
Should always complement the flavors and
balance the body of the salad.
Dressing- Need to complement the flavors
and textures of the salad.
Salad Preparation
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Sanitation –
– Proper hand washing.
– Gloves should be used since product does not
undergo further cooking.
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Purchasing– Greens must be fresh and blemish free.
– Try to purchase on a daily basis.
– Products should be free of yellowing or
browning.
– Heads should be heavy with little or no damage
to the outer leaves.
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Cutting vs. Tearing
– Personal preference.
– Hand tearing minimizes bruising but not
always practical.
– Acceptable to cut hardy greens with a
knife.
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Iceberg Lettuce Preparation.
– Peel away undesirable outer leaves
– Hold the head firmly with core facing
downward.
– Smack the head against the cutting board
to loosen the core.
– Remove the core and cut as desired.
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Romaine Lettuce Preparation.
– Peel away the undesirable leaves. Trim
the damaged leaf ends with a knife.
– Split the head lengthwise.
– Make one or two cuts lengthwise leaving
the root intact.
– Cut Romaine to desired width.
Washing Greens
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All greens should be washed after cutting to
remove dirt, insects and pesticide residues.
Fill sink with very cold water.
Place cut or torn greens in water.
Agitate greens to remove sediment.
Remove greens by hand or with strainer.
Shake greens in strainer or salad spinner to
remove excess water.
Salad Dressings
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“Sauce for the salad”
Vinaigrette – temporary emulsion of oil, vinegar &
seasonings.
Standard Ratio: 3:1 oil to vinegar
– ½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
– 1 ½ cup Olive oil
– Salt and Pepper to taste
MOP: Pour vinegar in small bowl. In a slow
steady stream pour in oil while whipping with a
wire wisk.
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Permanent Emulsions – Oil and
vinegar do not separate due to the
addition of an emulsifier, usually egg
yolk, mustard or cream.
– Mayonnaise
Cheese
A fermented milk product made from
the curds produced when milk is
coagulated.
 There are more than 500 kinds of
cheese.
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History
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Believed to have started in the Tigris-Euphrates
valley (present-day Iraq) approximately 8,000 years
ago.
Egyptian hieroglyphics depict workmen making
cheese.
The Roman Legion facilitated the spread of art of
cheesemaking throughout Europe and England.
During the Middle Ages the art of cheesemaking
improved greatly in the monasteries and feudal
estates of Europe.
Milk
Most cheese made from cow’s milk.
 Other commonly used milks: goat and
sheep.
 Less commonly used milks: buffalo,
camel, caribou, elk, horse, llama,
reindeer, and yak. Used mainly by
remote societies, not as alternative to
cow’s milk.
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Composition of Milk
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~88% water
Remainder: proteins, minerals, sugar
(lactose), fat (whole milk = 4% fat), vitamins,
and minerals.
Non-water components are collectively
called “milk solids.”
Two major proteins in milk: caseins and
albumins.
Caseins play major role in coagulating milk.
It takes about 10 lbs milk to
make 1 lb. Cheese.
Cheesemaking
Manufacturing – The first 24 hours of
cheesemaking, from pasteurization to
final salting.
 Ripening- The process of aging.
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Pasteurization
A heat treatment of milk to destroy
pathogenic bacteria that cause human
disease.
 Does not sterilize the milk, many
nonpathogenic bacteria and spores
remain in the milk (causes milk to
sour).
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Acidification – lowering the pH of the milk, making it more acid.
Process performed by lactic acid producing bacteria.
Coagulation- Curd formation. Most commonly done by the enzyme
“chymosin”. Traditional source of chymosin was Rennet, produced by
the lining of the 4th stomach of very young, milk-fed calves. 1990development of genetically engineered chymosin
Cutting the Curd- Syneresis- Cutting the curd to
release whey. Heating causes curd to contract and
release more water. When the curd is sufficiently
solid it is transferred to molds and the cheese is
pressed into its final shape.
Salting and Shaping – Salt is added for flavor and inhibit
bacterial growth. Mold is submerged in a brine bath for
several days.
The cheeses are turned regularly
During the maturing, the cheeses are provided
at regular intervals with a thin coat of plastic
which protects the rind against the formation of
mold. The rind of some types are rubbed with a
bacteria during maturing.
Samples are taken at the conclusion of the production
process when the cheese leaves the brine bath, and also
during maturing. The cheese is tested for e.g. moisture,
fat and salt content. At the same time random checks
are made for pollutants, such as PCBs, aflatoxin and
any remainders of herbicides.
The control stamp gives the fat content, cheese type
and a number indicating batch and creamery. It also
indicates the cheese complies with all statutory
regulations
Types of Cheese
Soft: Brie, Camembert, Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese, Feta,
Mascarpone, Neufchatel, Ricotta
Semisoft: American, Asiago, Baby Swiss, Blue, Brick, Gorgonzola,
Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster
Firm: Edam, Gouda, Provolone
Hard: Cheddar, Colby, Colby Jack, Gruyere, Parmesan, Romano,
Swiss
Specialty Cheese: Pasteurized Process Cheese, Cold Pack