A Mini Milestone - Issue #50

Hey there, Food Lovers!

I can't believe this is our 50th newsletter! I hope you enjoy receiving these and find some useful tips, inspiration and ideas you can implement in your own kitchen. I love getting feedback - thanks to those of you who send a reply, it makes my day! If there is anything you would like to see featured in these newsletters, questions you might have or food things you'd like explained please let me know.

As you know, to get ahead on our cooking course and work on our website, we've dropped back to monthly YouTube videos, but keep an eye out for the next video coming next week.

In this newsletter there's an article about how a sauce can elevate your food presentation. There's also a link to an older video where I explain how easy it is to make a simple pan sauce.

Lastly in this newsletter, I share a quick and delicious recipe (if you could even call it that) that's a rare treat in our family when we want to splash out.

In this issue:

• What’s in the pipeline? - Breakfast Sandwiches Worth Waking Up For
• Food presentation tip - Adding A Simple Pan Sauce
• Inspiration from my kitchen - A Rare Treat

What's in the Pipeline?

Our newest video is coming next week. If you're ever stuck for ideas for an easy breakfast that looks and tastes amazing then this video is for you.

Even simple ingredients can be used in a way to make a stunning gourmet breakfast. They don't need to be expensive or putting it together doesn't need to be time consuming.

Keep and eye out next week for the video...

Food Presentation Tip - Adding A Simple Pan Sauce

Adding a sauce to a dish enhances food presentation by contributing to several different aspects of the overall visual appeal. It also adds depth and complexity to the dining experience, making the dish more visually enticing and enjoyable.

• It can add colour - sauces can bring the addition of vibrant colours creating a striking contrast to the main ingredients in the dish.
• A sauce can add artistic designs to the plate, which look appealing.
• It can bring added texture to a dish.
• It can add a flavour additions that can complement or contrast with the main components of the dish. This enhances the overall taste.
• Sauces can be used to frame the main elements of the dish, creating a visually appealing arrangement. This helps draw the diner's attention to the focal point of the plate and creates a sense of balance.
• Sauces can also provide an opportunity to customise and personalise a dish.

Making a sauce doesn't need to be tricky, in fact making a simple pan sauce is often the easiest way to start. When you've seared off a piece of meat or even vegetables, you have a light coating of the delicious flavours still in the pan. If you add some aromatics (garlic, onion, herbs etc) to the pan and then add a stock, you have the basics of a delicious sauce that will be complementary to the food since you've started with what you will be serving.

Here's a link to an older video with 5 quick plating tips that also explains how to make a pan sauce in more detail.

Inspiration From My Kitchen - A Rare Treat

A whole fillet of salmon is a rare treat our family thoroughly enjoys. Cooked on the BBQ with a light smear of basil pesto - it's quick, easy, looks amazing and is so jolly tasty. Who says simple can't be good ;)

Sometimes we feel that to make food look good we need to use expensive ingredients, but it's not the case at all. While expensive ingredients can add a layer of luxury and unique flavours to a dish, the art of plating and presentation relies on creativity, attention to detail, and an understanding of visual aesthetics. With a thoughtful approach, you can create visually stunning dishes using a wide range of ingredients, regardless of their cost.

Other times we think that if we are using an expensive ingredient it's going to be tricky to cook, well that's not always the case either. Here's our simple BBQ salmon with pesto. We made a tin foil tray so didn't even have to clean any dishes or the BBQ - talk about a simple tea 😄!

In fact when we buy the New Zealand traditional meal of fish and chips, I often toss up the small difference in cost had we bought a salmon and oven fries, and cooked it ourselves - it would definitely be healthier and taste better ;)

Happy cooking,
Taryn