Garde Manger - Salads

How refreshing to learn some new and different salads. Or at least new to me.
Either way, they were all delicious. Watching the Chef demo these recipes I became so excited: my Easter Brunch menu dilemma was being solved before my eyes. I knew my family wanted a ham, but I wasn't sure which sides I wanted to prepare - until this morning! By the time school was over, I had practiced three new salads and finished my shopping list for Easter.
The school had another chef visiting today. We had to be done by 11:oo so we could sit in the special class by Chef Raimund Hofmeister, CMC/AAC, a master chef (one of some sixty in the world who has cooked across the globe-including a job as head chef for the Regan's while they were in the White House...Google him-he's amazing!)
So quickly, we made three salads. First was a watermelon and red onion salad with watercress. The simple and refreshing mix was a nice combination of sweet and sharp. The next salad was a roasted beet salad, dressed in simple wine vinaigrette and served over some bib lettuce. The last salad was composed of warm haricots vert with prosciutto and gruyere. The vinaigrette was light: lemon juice and white wine with shallots. A perfect combination. Just before I plated my salad chef told me to hold off. They were preparing lunch for the visiting chef and needed some sides of salad to serve him after the demo. My salad for this Master Chef?? Talk about nervous.
I cleaned up my station and headed out to the demo kitchen where I became lost in the story and cooking of this Master Chef. What interesting and different cooking experiences he had had.
He made us three different versions of Gazpacho: a thousand-year old White Gazpacho, "Ajo Blanco de Malaga" (before tomatoes were introduced to Europe), a five-hundred year old "Salmorejo," and a Gazpacho Rojo de Sevilla - a modern recipe. All three were unbelievable.
Next he made fresh seafood sausage that he poached then sautéed and served over a lobster sauce. Incredible is all I can say. I can't wait to try to make these at home.
This demo began at 11:00 and by now it was after 2:00. He said who's staying for the lamb?
I knew I didn't want to miss a thing I'd stay as long as he cooked. He made a beautiful rack of lamb served over a ratatouille that was surrounded by alternating scallops of white potatoes and Sweet potatoes.
It was a picture. (His recipe came with a diagrammed plating method!)
Before I left, I plated up the trio of salads and set them out where there was a lunch set up for him and left feeling so lucky to have experienced this class and this chef.
His passion and love for food was contagious.
Goodnight.