91´«Ã½

At this year American Culinary Federation conference and competition, held on campus last week, 91´«Ã½ dining services earned the sole gold medal, besting the staffs from 10 other northeastern colleges and universities. 

The four-person teams used identical baskets of ingredients along with a shared table of staples and spices. They faced tight time limits. Without using broilers or fryers, they had to produce a salad or appetizer, a soup or dessert, an entrée, and also a buffet platter. The dishes were to be stylish but practical, nutritionally balanced, with complementary flavors and textures and good eye appeal. Oh, and don™t forget sanitary and efficient techniques. The judges”highly credentialed and experienced”were watching closely and then tasting with extreme discrimination. No team didn™t break a sweat. []

In the end, 91´«Ã½ racked up the most points, starting with its corn-dusted skate, napa slaw, and lentil salad with tropical fruits and mango vinaigrette. Next came pheasant roulade with a bacon, pistachio, and pear farce, alongside creamy herbed bulgur and herb-buttered cauliflower and marble potatoes, sauced with a lager and pear reduction. For the buffet platter: bison flank steak with an avocado-lime emulsion and a stir-fry of rice noodles, napa and bok choy, and toasted macadamia nuts. Dessert was lemon-curd tarts with pistachio and walnut crust, pomegranate-berry sauce, and lime whipped cream.

Such gold-medal fare typifies 91´«Ã½ majored catered events and has even appeared on the student food-service line. Maybe not pheasant and macadamias, but lentil salad is a staple at the Emily Garden vegetarian station, and odds are that some new stir-fries, slaws, and herb butters will show up at other stations soon.