Leslie Bartosh, CEC, AAC, FMP

  The year ending photo was not an easy one for me to pick.   I felt there were many nice dishes/photographs from the last part of this year. I chose this photo of steel head trout on a bed of orzo with a puttanesca style sauce to end the year.   I liked the quality and lighting of the photo.   I recently had a Chef make some constructive criticisms regarding my photos and how they were composed.   This photo is one of the more recent photos to utilize some of the techniques that were suggested.  I think the food looked very nice against the plate. From a food perspective; the fish was nicely seasoned and saut é ed.   It was not overdone and draped nicely on the bed of orzo.   The puttanesca style sauce is nice to look at with the various textures.   The brininess of the sauce was countered by the orzo and fish nicely. Overall, I like the dish and the photo.   I hope you do too.   As always, your comments are welcome. Until next time, Bon Appetit Y’all Leslie Bartosh  

  This fried tofu bánh mì made the year end short list for a few reasons.  1st:  It is all about the food!  The flavors and textures in this "vegetarian fusion" dish are simply amazing.  It starts with the crusty bread.  The bread is dressed with gochujang mayonnaise.  From there we add crispy fried, panko breaded, tofu.  The tofu is topped with crisp Japanese style quick pickled carrot, daikon and cucumber. Cilantro pluches round out the dish.   2nd: I like the photo.  It is one the few "overhead or flat" photos I have taken, that I like. You can see the textures in the dish from the bread to the crisp pickled vegetables, to the fried tofu all in one glance.  It just looks appetizing and inviting.  One more photo to go to end the year.  I will post it tomorrow. As always your comments are welcome. Until next time. Bon Appetit Y'all Leslie Bartosh   #LifeLongLearning #LifeLongTeaching #FamilyFood  

  As the countdown of my year in food photos continues, I have to post one of my all-time favorites.   In the interest of full disclosure, this dish was done in December of 2019.   I like this photo for a variety of reasons: 1.   I was able to cook the fish so it was not over done but still done enough for the filet to be self-supporting; 2. The flavors and textures were outstanding; 3.   The dish is visually stunning, 4. The quality of the photo. Baked steel head trout, with Thai style salad.   This dish could easily be produced in quantity. #LifeLongLearning #LIfeLongTeaching #FamilyFood   Until next time Bon Appetit Y'all Leslie Bartosh

  Looking at my year in food photos there are some that stand out more than others. They stand out for a variety of reason: The flavor of the dish, the photo itself or the memory of the textures in the dish. This is one of my favorites. It incorporates all of the attributes mentioned.  Pecan crusted steel head trout on a bed of Korean sweet potato glass noodles with kimchi. This one rang many bells! #LifeLongLearning #LifeLongTeaching #FamilyFood    Until nex time, Bon Appetit Y'all Leslie Bartosh

  I changed mixers a while back and since then have struggled to make some of the breads I usually make. Ciabatta bread is a good example. I have used this formula for some years.  But, I could not get it to turn out how I wished! This loaf is the best I have produced since I changed mixers. As it turned out, it was a function of the mixing speed.  Too bad I produced this loaf just so I could cut it up for an experiment.  Even though the experiment did not work out, knowledge was gained!  For reference the rack fits a full size hotel pan. #LifeTimeLearning #LIfeTimeTeaching   As always your question and/or comments are always welcome. Until next time, Bon Appetit Y'all Leslie Bartosh