Seth Arnold, Banquet Sous Chef of Bear Creek Mountain Resort (Macungie, Pa.) describes his favorite way to cook and create dishes by taking a classic concept and reinventing it in a seasonal and modern manner. His lyonnaise summer salad does just that.
Taking advantage of the bright and flavor seasonal produce, Arnold gives the classic dish a twist of fun flavors and vibrant colors.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What was the inspiration behind this dish?
Seth Arnold (SA): I wanted to keep a nice light dish, suitable for a salad course on a tasting menu. In conceptualizing the dish, I started with the concept of a Lyonnaise salad. This is typically comprised of frisée, bacon, an egg, and a Dijon vinaigrette. I was inspired by summer produce to create a colorful, seasonal dish.
C+RC: How would you describe the flavors and presentation of this dish?
SA: I would describe the flavors as being very balanced. Fatty, unctuous egg yolk, with a vinaigrette that has plenty of acid. That combined with the natural flavors of the zucchini and squash and peak summer tomatoes. I chose to present the dish in a manner that truly highlighted the colors and shapes of the produce.
C+RC: What makes this a successful dish? What makes you most proud?
SA: I would say this dish was successful, because the six-minute egg in the squash blossom wasn’t an easy task to prep, but it created an interesting method to gently cook the blossom, while cooking the egg correctly.
Also, I’m proud of the way the summer produce met the traditional lyonnaise salad. This is how I like to cook, by taking a classic concept and reinventing it in a seasonal and modern manner.
C+RC: What was the member response like to this dish?
SA: Positive remarks were made about the plating and flavor combination.
C+RC: Anything else about the dish you’d like to add?
SA: The bacon vinaigrette was used in many applications rather than just designing the frisee. I used it to brush the shaved zucchini and squash at the bottom, which almost (bound) the vegetables together. Also, it was used to secure the squash blossom to the egg. I feel it’s notable because it created a layering of bacon flavor mixed with the other ingredients.
