Testing the Taste

How about Murg Mughlai with Cranberry sauce..?? or Petit pois Ala Flamande with Nariyal Chutney..? Well, certainly u won't try out such weird combinations.. hehe .. but definitely you would like to try out some dishes with a NO-MATCH accompaniment.. may be just to try out, or for any other reason.
In my case, I actually don't try it but make others try. My family and the relatives who have tasted my dishes had a common thing : their response after having the dish..lol . When they start to swallow up the bite.. their facial expressions explain everything. Neither they can complaint, nor they want to say that its complicated.. he he.. They might be liking the dish but certainly not as much wherein they could just jump out of the seat to congratulate and say.. " wah!! kya cheez banai hai"
     Its probably because of the kind of dessert which they get to eat after the kind of meal they had. What would you expect from a person who likes to have ''desi daal-roti'', if hes been given choux pastry as ''meetha'' after the maincourse. He would certainly like to screw you up or yell out some nice desi muhavare aur shlok(refers to the evergreen gaaliyaan)  for spoiling his taste. This is the problem which I face when I make dishes at my home.On one side, I try to find the accuracy to match the characteristic taste of a dish, but on the other, I miss out on the tastes and preferences of the people who are going to have it. And ofcourse, why would they like to have mousses.. strudel.. tarts.. and all. I can't blame them for this because they have developed a taste in which they like to have traditional Indian Desserts. But I prepare the basic desserts of the Pastry Section, in the strive for becoming one of the Best Pastry Chefs ever. And so, I would not like to take this blame of creating products which they don't like because I have my own desired results which I aim for, while making the product.Well, I said earlier that the desserts are 'Complicated' .. because they don't actually match the taste of the maincourse. With a regular Indian thaali, if you serve a Strawberry Pavlova instead of Gajar Ka halwa, then ofcourse no one would like this combination.
      But, after much of dislikes and "have no taste for" Facial expressions.. somehow I found out a way.. to get both the tasks done.. getting the accuracy & impressing the one who have it. I tried out Baba au Rhum in our desi way.. wherein I soaked the Baba in the Sugar syrup flavoured with Kewra water..lol..also, I explained the very rich, and one of my favourite dessert Baklava as the Indian Chandrakala or Balushai. I prepared Veg Wellington with the Aloo parantha filling and described it as a new shape of the patties. To add one more.. I prepared Conversations( a puff pastry product ) with the filling of dry fruits and nuts, rather than the actual Pastry Cream. This is how I got my " wah!! kya cheez banai hai"!!
                            
So, the gist is that there is some point which you need to strike.. which would give you an idea to make a balance. I got it.. after much of trying out.. created something new.. in a traditional way.. and am happy about it.   So.. Keep Going on!! and diversis.cogitare!!!

Cliché

Clockwise ....errr .. or anti-Clockwise?  10 o' clock position or 6 o'clock ??
Well these styles of Plate Presentation have become cleshade now or you can say irrelevant. With the much newer trends of the Plate Presentation coming up, this ages back style of presentation doesn't go well now a days. The Culinary Master Chefs have come up with the new ideas.. latest trends which now are followed in our industry.
  In olden days, it was considered to be somewhat sheer wastage of time and money but today it acts as a productive tool which can't be done away with. I don't completely do away with these Basic Principles of Plate Presentation, but somewhere I do feel that these have become extraneous in this 21st Century, where the Presentation or the way the food is served to the guest, is given equal or may be more importance to the quality of the product to add onto the supremacy of the product. In such competitive industry, where every restaurant chain or any food outlet is trying its best to get ahead of the others, Plate presentation does play a very important role. An impressive or an eye catching plate does leave an ever lasting impression on the guest. Some restaurant chains go for a standardized plate presentation for all their outlets whereas some put on innovation and creativity to make it look different every time it is served to the guest.
   Well, my personal views are that its good that such changes are taking place creating a scope for innovation and creativity, though no doubts that our industry revolves around these only. But, in the strive to impress the customer with something new , which shouldn't forget our basics. There must be some rules or principles laid to guide the chefs to think out of the box as well as keeping it simple. You can't just make decoration with chocolate sauce in a plate, in which entree is going to be served. You need to have some common sense when you try something different, and always try in small batches and take reviews from other people before finalizing it. So, the next time you go for a plate presentation, don't just stick to what you know or what you are being taught, diversis.cogitare!!!