1. Even though our Zaatar Straws didn’t actually contain any Zaatar in them, they still tasted amazing. The crunchy pastry was cooked to a perfect golden-brown and tasted delicious mixed with the creamy feeling of the cheese and spices wrapped around on the inside. We had to improvise with spices, and used seasonings such as Cajun. The flavour was very unique in my mouth, but still tasted delectable. The straws didn’t exactly turn out the way they looked on the recipe picture, but they looked similar. The pastry was nicely twisted and with the spices sprinkled on top, I think the end product looked very yummy. You could strongly smell the Cajun on the Zaatar Straws, and they felt quite rough on the outside. When we took them out of the oven, they were scolding. Though I thought they tasted much better hot, than cold. The only sound that we heard when we bit into them was a big crunch sound from the pastry. I thought they tasted delicious, and wish that we could have made much more of them!
2. I was actually really happy with how or Zaatar Straws turned out. I knew they wouldn’t be the most beautiful dish, as they were very, very fiddly to prepare, especially when we were setting them out on the oven trays. But when we took them out of the oven, the pastry was cooked perfectly, and we couldn’t stop eating them after we tried our first one, so I thought they were a huge success.
3. I think next time I cook these, I will prepare more time so that I won’t have to rush, and make sure I understand everything that the recipe says. I remember Monique and I were quite unsure about a few of the instructions on the recipe, so I think we will be more organized next time. We were also rushing abit at the end, trying to get the Zaatar Straws in the oven, but we eventually got them in, and they tasted great when they came out.
Like very much! 27/4/11
Product Evaluation – Gnocchi Bolognese 1. I thought our gnocchi bolognese was one of the most successful dishes Monique and I have completed. Though very basic, it still tasted delicious and looked as though it was from an Italian resturant. The beef mince was cooked perfectly and once mixed with the juicy Napoletana pasta sauce, it tasted delightful even without the potato gnocchi. Once all the flavours were mixed together, it didn't just taste like normal bolognese, but something totally different and scrumptious. I thought our bolobnese looked very professional, especially once we added the herbs and parmesan cheese. The mince mixed togather with the pasta sauce was bright red in colour and with the potato gnocchi looked really tasty. The whole dish smelt amazing, but I could strongly smell the tomato flavoured pasta sauce the most. We didn't really need to touch the bolognese, because it was in the pan the whole time, but I guess the mince and pasta sauce would feel mushy while the gnocchi would feel hard. Once the bolognese was out of the pan and in our bowls it was scorching, but we let it cool down before we ate it, and I don't think that it would taste as nice as it is hot. There wasn't really any sound from our bolognese, execpt a sizzling sound from when we were cooking it. I really enjoyed our gnocchi bolognese and was really proud that we made something so delicious.2. I thought our dish turned out to be a huge success in the end. It wasn't a very difficult meal to make but it was still fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the end presentation looked incredible and the fact that it did turn out how it was supposed to made me really happy. Monique and I understood everything on the recipe which I think is why we found it easy to follow and not complicated at all.
3. I actually don't think I would do anything different with this recipe. I thought it turned out looking and tasting amazing and we were much more organised than last time when we cooked our Zaatar Straws. We knew the recipe and were actually on time in finishing this week, which was a huge improvement seeing as we're always the last people to pack up and leave. Our gnocchi bolognese was a huge achievment!
Like very much! 29/5/11Product evaluation - Satay Chicken Skewers
1. The satay chicken skewers with rice were a huge success. Even though the acutual sticks were burnt, the chicken breast itself was cooked perfectly into a delicious for filling meal. They tasted absolutely superb, and the flavour combination was just right. I thought that the chicken sticks looked really appetizing, especially due to the bright orangey colour of them, which was how I expected them to look when they were complete anyway. The rice was also cooked perfectly which looked very tasty and blended quite well with the rest of the meal. The satay and coconut milk blended sauce which we also used looked very delectable, and once combined with the chicken skewers tasted incredible. With all the flavours mixed together it was hard to smell the individual ingredients in the chicken skewers but all together it smelt pretty amazingly delicious. The rice smelt like rice and the sauce strongly smelt like satay. The chicken felt firm but also squishy as well. When we took the chicken skewers from under the grill, they were scolding, though I thougt they tasted much better hot than they would have cold. There wasn't really any sound that came from any part of the meal when I was eating it, but when we were cooking the chicken you could hear a sizzling sound coming from under the grill. I really enjoyed making this meal, I always love having chicken satay skewers whenever I'm at a chinese or thai returant and am really proud and happy that I was finally able to make them.2. I was so happy with how our chicken skewers turned out. I thought they tasted really good seeing as I made them and they weren't cooked by a professional. I was really proud of how well they looked looked at the end of the lesson and can't wait to make more at home. I didn't think the recipe was too hard to follow. It was clear and simple instructions which made it easier to understand much more.3. There isn't many things I would change about the ingredients or proccess in making the meal, but next time I would make sure that the sticks don't go black because it looks terrible and doesn't make the chicken look as good as it should. I also would replace the bok choy with something else like salad with green lattuce and shaved carrot pieces because I don't think bok choy really enhances the meal.
In the middle of like a little and like very much. 1/6/11 Product Evaluation - Chocolate Fondue
1. Our chocolate fondue turned out great, though not exactly how we expected it too. Monique and I thought the chocolate would be light and runny, but it ended up being thick and hard. Despite this, it still tasted delicious. We added marshmellows and strawberries to our dessert, that were dipped in the fondue at the end of the lesson which tasted superb. The fondue contained very little ingredients, melted chocolate drops and cream. Though being very basic it was still quite challenging to make. The first time we added everything together and placed the saucepan and bowl on the stove, the fondue didn't melt like it should have but blended into icecreamy mush. We had no idea what happened so we started again from scratch. The second time around it did the same thing, but Chrissie saved it for us and turned it into fondue. It looked a bit black as though it was made from dark chocolate but was entirely made from milk chocolate. It was quite thick but still very apetizing. The garnishes around the bowl for the presentation of the dessert made it look far more delicious than it would have without the strwberries and marshmellows. The only smell that came from our dessert was the tasty aroma of melted chocolate. We only needed to touch the fondue when we were dipping the strawberries and marshmellows in it. The fondue was boiling when it came off the stove and we kept it warm in the bowl by pouring a little amount of how water into the bottom of it. There wasn't really any sound that came for our dessert. I really enjoyed making our chocolate fondue and can't wait to make more.
2. Our fondue was delicious, but the main critisism would be that it was a bit too thick than what it should have been. I really liked our presentaion of the fondue, having the strawberries and marshmellows aroud the edges of the plate. I thought it made the end result more colourful and lively. The recipe was very simple and easy to follow. There weren't many steps in making the fondue but I thought it was still very fun to make.
3. Again, the only change I would make to our fondue would be making it less thick and more light and runny, otherwise I wouldn't change anything else.
2/3/11 Product Evaluation - Zaatar Straws
1. Even though our Zaatar Straws didn’t actually contain any Zaatar in them, they still tasted amazing. The crunchy pastry was cooked to a perfect golden-brown and tasted delicious mixed with the creamy feeling of the cheese and spices wrapped around on the inside. We had to improvise with spices, and used seasonings such as Cajun. The flavour was very unique in my mouth, but still tasted delectable. The straws didn’t exactly turn out the way they looked on the recipe picture, but they looked similar. The pastry was nicely twisted and with the spices sprinkled on top, I think the end product looked very yummy. You could strongly smell the Cajun on the Zaatar Straws, and they felt quite rough on the outside. When we took them out of the oven, they were scolding. Though I thought they tasted much better hot, than cold. The only sound that we heard when we bit into them was a big crunch sound from the pastry. I thought they tasted delicious, and wish that we could have made much more of them!
2. I was actually really happy with how or Zaatar Straws turned out. I knew they wouldn’t be the most beautiful dish, as they were very, very fiddly to prepare, especially when we were setting them out on the oven trays. But when we took them out of the oven, the pastry was cooked perfectly, and we couldn’t stop eating them after we tried our first one, so I thought they were a huge success.
3. I think next time I cook these, I will prepare more time so that I won’t have to rush, and make sure I understand everything that the recipe says. I remember Monique and I were quite unsure about a few of the instructions on the recipe, so I think we will be more organized next time. We were also rushing abit at the end, trying to get the Zaatar Straws in the oven, but we eventually got them in, and they tasted great when they came out.
Like very much!
27/4/11
Product Evaluation – Gnocchi Bolognese
1. I thought our gnocchi bolognese was one of the most successful dishes Monique and I have completed. Though very basic, it still tasted delicious and looked as though it was from an Italian resturant. The beef mince was cooked perfectly and once mixed with the juicy Napoletana pasta sauce, it tasted delightful even without the potato gnocchi. Once all the flavours were mixed together, it didn't just taste like normal bolognese, but something totally different and scrumptious. I thought our bolobnese looked very professional, especially once we added the herbs and parmesan cheese. The mince mixed togather with the pasta sauce was bright red in colour and with the potato gnocchi looked really tasty. The whole dish smelt amazing, but I could strongly smell the tomato flavoured pasta sauce the most. We didn't really need to touch the bolognese, because it was in the pan the whole time, but I guess the mince and pasta sauce would feel mushy while the gnocchi would feel hard. Once the bolognese was out of the pan and in our bowls it was scorching, but we let it cool down before we ate it, and I don't think that it would taste as nice as it is hot. There wasn't really any sound from our bolognese, execpt a sizzling sound from when we were cooking it. I really enjoyed our gnocchi bolognese and was really proud that we made something so delicious.2. I thought our dish turned out to be a huge success in the end. It wasn't a very difficult meal to make but it was still fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the end presentation looked incredible and the fact that it did turn out how it was supposed to made me really happy. Monique and I understood everything on the recipe which I think is why we found it easy to follow and not complicated at all.
3. I actually don't think I would do anything different with this recipe. I thought it turned out looking and tasting amazing and we were much more organised than last time when we cooked our Zaatar Straws. We knew the recipe and were actually on time in finishing this week, which was a huge improvement seeing as we're always the last people to pack up and leave. Our gnocchi bolognese was a huge achievment!
29/5/11Product evaluation - Satay Chicken Skewers
1. The satay chicken skewers with rice were a huge success. Even though the acutual sticks were burnt, the chicken breast itself was cooked perfectly into a delicious for filling meal. They tasted absolutely superb, and the flavour combination was just right. I thought that the chicken sticks looked really appetizing, especially due to the bright orangey colour of them, which was how I expected them to look when they were complete anyway. The rice was also cooked perfectly which looked very tasty and blended quite well with the rest of the meal. The satay and coconut milk blended sauce which we also used looked very delectable, and once combined with the chicken skewers tasted incredible. With all the flavours mixed together it was hard to smell the individual ingredients in the chicken skewers but all together it smelt pretty amazingly delicious. The rice smelt like rice and the sauce strongly smelt like satay. The chicken felt firm but also squishy as well. When we took the chicken skewers from under the grill, they were scolding, though I thougt they tasted much better hot than they would have cold. There wasn't really any sound that came from any part of the meal when I was eating it, but when we were cooking the chicken you could hear a sizzling sound coming from under the grill. I really enjoyed making this meal, I always love having chicken satay skewers whenever I'm at a chinese or thai returant and am really proud and happy that I was finally able to make them.2. I was so happy with how our chicken skewers turned out. I thought they tasted really good seeing as I made them and they weren't cooked by a professional. I was really proud of how well they looked looked at the end of the lesson and can't wait to make more at home. I didn't think the recipe was too hard to follow. It was clear and simple instructions which made it easier to understand much more.3. There isn't many things I would change about the ingredients or proccess in making the meal, but next time I would make sure that the sticks don't go black because it looks terrible and doesn't make the chicken look as good as it should. I also would replace the bok choy with something else like salad with green lattuce and shaved carrot pieces because I don't think bok choy really enhances the meal.
1/6/11 Product Evaluation - Chocolate Fondue
1. Our chocolate fondue turned out great, though not exactly how we expected it too. Monique and I thought the chocolate would be light and runny, but it ended up being thick and hard. Despite this, it still tasted delicious. We added marshmellows and strawberries to our dessert, that were dipped in the fondue at the end of the lesson which tasted superb. The fondue contained very little ingredients, melted chocolate drops and cream. Though being very basic it was still quite challenging to make. The first time we added everything together and placed the saucepan and bowl on the stove, the fondue didn't melt like it should have but blended into icecreamy mush. We had no idea what happened so we started again from scratch. The second time around it did the same thing, but Chrissie saved it for us and turned it into fondue. It looked a bit black as though it was made from dark chocolate but was entirely made from milk chocolate. It was quite thick but still very apetizing. The garnishes around the bowl for the presentation of the dessert made it look far more delicious than it would have without the strwberries and marshmellows. The only smell that came from our dessert was the tasty aroma of melted chocolate. We only needed to touch the fondue when we were dipping the strawberries and marshmellows in it. The fondue was boiling when it came off the stove and we kept it warm in the bowl by pouring a little amount of how water into the bottom of it. There wasn't really any sound that came for our dessert. I really enjoyed making our chocolate fondue and can't wait to make more.
2. Our fondue was delicious, but the main critisism would be that it was a bit too thick than what it should have been. I really liked our presentaion of the fondue, having the strawberries and marshmellows aroud the edges of the plate. I thought it made the end result more colourful and lively. The recipe was very simple and easy to follow. There weren't many steps in making the fondue but I thought it was still very fun to make.
3. Again, the only change I would make to our fondue would be making it less thick and more light and runny, otherwise I wouldn't change anything else.