hi there, i’m a senior who’s competing in a regional competition sponsored by florida prostart. however, i’m only doing “gourmet” which requires 2 copies of an entree and appetizer. i’m using a babish recipe that’s been heavily adjusted, but here are the core elements for the entree.
- soy/honey/rice wine marinated tuna
- soy reduced jammy/caramelized onions
- lemon rice
- spicy garlic & chili edamame
we have at least a protein, starch, and veggie. competition is at the end of this month, so any quick help would be greatly appreciated.
i have attached the most recent to oldest photos, to show progress/what we cut out. the original plating looks the best imo, but the asparagus wasn’t working taste wise and the tuile we cut out for the sake of time/it didn’t look as good without the asparagus.
the two sauces are just siracha mayo and siracha, we also need to add wasabi and ginger to our most recent plate.
we removed the seaweed salad, because despite adding color and lots of flavor, we didn’t make it and there’s too much of the green now.
the first photo is also heavily saturated not gonna lie 😜
by Old-Aardvark-8553
8 Comments
Plating is not about the chef. It is about the guest. Looks lovely, but…. Meh
Edit: my comment to 95% of posts here.
I like the plating with the tuile.
It’s important to work different techniques into your plate – the sauce dots are nice, but I think that’s a good spot to add your wasabi instead of the mayo sauce.
Candied or grilled ginger might be nice.
The rice looks good but it’s hard to spot under the fish and on the white plate. I don’t think you need to adjust the fish, but a brush-push of some slightly thickened marinade horizontally under the rice as a first step in the plating might help it pop a bit.
Lots to unpack here. First thing first, is the Tuna over marinated or is that bruising/blood line?
I know you’re just workshopping concepts, but the plates are filthy and it’s a bit distracting.
Also, the ramekin on the dish creates an unhygienic and dated look.
I do love where you’re going with the sauce presentation.
First and foremost: is this ProStart?! I have mentored a culinary team and a management team for 5 years. They have always required an appetizer, an entree with sides, and a dessert.
I am currently mentoring a student competing for an NAACP scholarship. That competition requires an app and an entree w/ sides. As well as fabricating a chicken….and some other requirements regarding knife cuts and ingredient limitations.
My personal opinions of your pics:
Number 6 is the most composed and elegant.
The tuile on is an elegant touch no matter what. That color is stunning.
I have seen seaweed salad more readily acceptable by reticent paletes before edemame. Just a side note.
I appreciate both for different reasons. To me: the seaweed salad adds a satisfying punch of salt and umame. The edamame adds vital nutrients and crunch.
I think you have a nice concept.
I hope you move forward, and we can meet face to face at nationals.
Break A Leg!
Last one with the tuile, and wipe your plates for God’s sake.
Your plates are very dirty. I’d start there.
Kiss.
Keep it simple stupid. Hurts my feelings every time but highly effective. I think the flavors are redundant and you can remove the soy jammy onions. They definitely overpower the fish. All of these are really big flavors and you need nuance. The star of the show should be the tuna. If you want the oniony pop add some Maui onion Mac nuts in the rice and switch it to lime rice. Almost all of your flavors are Asian and then you throw a lemon in there. I would try for one badass sauce and make it well. Don’t have two mediocre sauces. But I think the final playing looks the best.