Five Weeks In The Larder

No, not literally. It's been a few weeks since I posted something about my activities in college, but that's not because they've been locking me up in the stock cupboard.

Quite the opposite, in fact. My Fine Dining rotation was certainly a challenging and refreshing change in the early days, but as the weeks went on I began to feel a little less stimulated. To be perfectly honest, the novelty factor started to wear off. But when you're involved in a constantly changing work routine I guess it's inevitable there will be peaks and troughs. Now I've moved on to Larder rotation, where I've just finished week three of a five-week stint (hence the title).

It's a huge difference being on this rotation now I'm in the third year, because here - and only here - are we left with the great responsibility of designing the dishes ourselves. For Larder, that means canapés and cold starters and a wealth of possibilities for inventiveness. What's more, my lecturer in Larder rotation, Mr. Cottam, has been really supportive of me and let the reins out a bit, allowing me to be quite experimental in conjuring up new and interesting combinations. So away from the hustle and bustle of the hot kitchens and finally given the opportunity to put my creative instincts into practice, I soon found my mojo again. These are canapés I designed on a daily basis during the course of Larder week three, prepared with my own hands and served to lunch guests at our public fine dining restaurant The Escoffier Room. I'm feeling pretty chuffed. Click on individual photos to enlarge.

Seared kangaroo loin brushed with raspberry vinegar syrup, sprinkled with crushed pink peppercorns	A quartet: confit plum tomato, shredded sun-blush and sliced yellow cherry tomato crusted with yakajirri bush tomato	Carpet clam with shallots and pickled garlic, garnished with chive tips and red pepper paysanne	Hibiscus jelly with its own leaf in the centre, finished with its own foam
Medjool date stuffed with goat's cheese, garnished with micro cresses	Solidified chicken and lemon consommé with lemon myrtle	Seared drunken salmon (cured for 48 hours with Stoke's ginger wine), with wild rocket, frissé and green ginger	My first tray of assorted canapés
Smoked eel with lemongrass creamed horseradish, carrot and beetroot brunoise and thyme garnish	Carpaccio of yellow-fin tuna with passion fruit seeds	Juniper and star anise smoked venison with a rhubarb compote and julienne of orange zest	Hibiscus ice cube in shot glass Margarita-style with mint sugar and leaf
Swordfish sushi roll with mirin-marinated cucumber and red pepper	Honey-bound toasted pumpkin and black sesame seeds between goat's cheese melba toasts	Asparagus tip wrapped in Dijon-brushed prosciutto with cream cheese and chives	Wasabi and soy sauce are traditional accompaniments for sushi. Did I just say "traditional"?

But there's always one that got away and here's mine. My wild card of 'chilli-chocolate dipped physalis with cracked black peppercorns' was deemed to be too bold a statement for our clientele - the majority of whom are over 60. I'll admit it may have been pushing the boat out a bit too far, but I still think it looked great and tasted as good as it looked. Still, there's always another time and place. I'm sure this one will see the light of day again, even if it has to wait a while longer. You can't win 'em all!