Stocks to Stock

Tournage: The purpose of tournage is to produce a particular uniform product that ensures the even cooking and enhances aesthetic presentation.

AKA: Make your vegetables look like footballs.

This lesson brought me one step closer to my goal of focus. I peeled a ton of potatoes, carrots and turnips and attempted the tournage technique. (you take a pearing knife and cut in a ovular motion toward yourself) At first plain old fear of slicing off my fingers got in the way of success. Once I realized the chances of losing an entire finger were pretty small I managed to create some interesting shapes including my version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and that cucumber shaped building in London. Failure seemed not only possible but likely.

After 5 hours, more wasted vegetables than I care to imagine and a thoroughly wrinkled brow I managed to create 8 potato footballs, 9 carrot footballs and 8 turnip footballs. Seeing as I'm attending a French school, I then cooked them in salt and butter to perfection. The potatoes were especially delicious as I prepared them "rissolez." While the plate presentation was beautiful (they poured out of and surrounded an artichoke "cup") I highly doubt I will be "turning" enough vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner. Although... you never know.