MENU REDESIGN (V 1.5)

I've looked over the criteria for the final project, experimented with a dish for the menu, decided on a theme, come up with the rest of the dishes, searched for plates to fit the menu's style and bought the materials with which to shoot the food. From here on out I'll be posting drafts of the menu for the final project with the precis, continually tweaking things until it's finalized.

The running count is five dishes down, four to go. My more ambitious plan entails about five additional dishes and a homemade beer which I'm still going to try to complete but they're not exactly crucial. That said, we discovered on Friday that our final project is due on October 4th, and considering I have to find a way to bind it I may not have the time to be as ambitious with the desserts as I had planned.

As it is, I'm removing the "Tasting" from the "Dessert Tasting Menu," because the portions aren't tasting menu size. Because I already have completed two desserts if I get pressed toward the end, expect the rest of the planned dishes in this category to be eliminated.

See the menu on the jump now with pictures next to the finished dishes and links to the posts which described how each was made and conceived.

REMINAGINED CLASSICS FROM GLOBAL DHABAS

Dhabas are homey restaurants found along the highway in India that serve local cuisine. Between attending the French Culinary Institute and working at the Dining section at The Times, I've eaten some good food in some of New York City's trendy restaurants and enjoyed haute cuisine. But some of the food I've enjoyed most during this time and overall are still the simple standard dishes I find at local haunts. Two of my favorite upscale restaurants that I've visited since January are A Voce and Momofuku Noodle places that serve meatballs and soup. The idea is to upscale standard comfort dishes you'd find in cozy, down-home, hole-in-the-wall restaurants of different cuisines.

MENU

Amuse Bouche
Mini Bagel with Lox
???

Appetizer
Frozen Caprese
Homemade Mozzarella Ice-Cream, Tomato Ice-Cream, and Basil Ice-Cream with Balsamic Vinager Watercolor and Fried Basil Leaf

or

Bul Gol Gi

Pasta
Goat-Milk Ricotta Perogi
Ricotta Perogi
or
Pho

Fish
Poached, Drunken Gravalax
Citrus & Tequila Cured Salmon, Mashed Potatoes and Braised with Chili Peppers
or
Fish Taco
???

Entree

Murgh Makhani

Cornish Game Hen 'Butter Chicken-Style,' Spicy, Butter-Tomato Cream Sauce; 'Saag Paneer,' Spinach With Homemade Paneer Cheese; Indian Naan Bread; & Cucumber-Radish Raita, Yogurt

or

Steak Frites

Pan-seared Filet Mignon Au Jus, With Sauteed Granny Smith and Dried Apples, Oyster, Cremini and White Mushrooms, and Light Greens with Orange Vinaigrette and French Fries Sprayed with Framboise Lambec Reduction served with Chili-Pepper Aioli

DESSERT MENU

Kha Niao Man with Cha Yen Ice Cream

Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream with Coconut Sticky Rice and Fried, Wonton-Wrapped Banana Slices With Chocolate Ganache Trimming

Navajo Frybread Fruit Taco

Frybread with Fresh Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Champagne Grapes Drizzled With Blueberry Honey

Peach Cobbler

Gulab Jamun, Fired & Iced
Warm Gulab Jamun, lightly dressed with Honey Ice Cream

Crepes

Frozen Tiramisu

Chocolate Snowballs, CookieX1, CookieX2, CookieX3

Take Home Treat
Cinnamon Roll