Parmentier

[ziggy]

Does anyone recognize this as a knife cut? I've always thought Parmentier referred to a potatoes in a dish.

The competition I'm preparing for includes a knife skills exam. Looking at last year's competencies, participants were asked to demonstrate about 8 different cuts...all of which I recognize except Parmentier. I've looked high and low and can't find this. The chefs at school confess to being stumped as well...

anybody have any idea?

[cape chef]

Hi Ziggy,

I may be wrong here, but I have to agree with you about parmentier being dishes prepared with potatoes,
I mean, it was Antione Parmentier whom wrote many things about food (not the least potatoes) in France, and made potatoes popular in France, so these dishes carry his name.

In my years in classic french kitchens, parmentier was always associated with a particular dish containing potatoes, and not a knife cut.

I don't know if this helps, or confuses you more
If this cut is included in your practicum, please share with us what it is
cc

[ziggy]

Yes, cape chef, you're thinking just like we've been....which is why we're all completely stumped. None of my chefs have heard of this in any kitchen or training they've been in or had - here or in Europe.

For sure, if I figure this out, I"ll let you know...

In the meantime maybe someone out there knows this seemingly obscure tidbit??

[ShawtyCat]

I have to agree with CC. Parmentier from what I gather is a dish made or garnished with potatoes.

I went through my list of basic knife cuts and the only cut that starts with a "P" is Paysanne. Ive never heard of a knife cut named Parmentier. Maybe they were kidding??

Jodi

[cape chef]

Dear Shawntycat,

It seems that to agree with me made you sad.
This gives me pause,

Regardless, perhapes the teachers have quoted the wrong knife skill

[ShawtyCat]

I'm shaking my head over here.

Im not sad to agree with you CC. Im sad that I couldn't offer more help to Ziggy about this. I think it might be a typo or a mistake on the part of whomever is giving the knife skills exam.

Jodi

[ziggy]

hmmm....well....what i'm looking at is last year's exam. This competition is national with each state sending an entrant....i suppose it's possible there was an error but that would have come out at some point last year i think during the competition itself and the scoring....(paysanne was also called for so i don't think there was confusion with that)

i dunno....hopefully there's nothing this obscure this year....

[marmalady]

Could it possibly be the cut of potato that is used in the dish? Is there anything special about how the potatoes are cut/prepared for a parmentier?

[marmalady]

LOOKIE, LOOKIE!!!


http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/...ot_recipe.html

Tried to copy the picture, but it didn't work - the cut looks like a cube; there's a page with all of the potato cuts on it. Neat website.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[ziggy]

TOO COOL! Marmalady, You're AWESOME!

Thanks for finding that(where ever did you find it??) If one of those other more obscure cuts shows up on this year's competencies I'll be so grateful to you! Haven't heard of most of them on that page...

So whad'ya think looking at hthat pic? Parmentier is medium dice??

Thanks again, SO MUCH!

[ShawtyCat]

Well, I guess you learn something new everyday! Thank you Marm & Ziggy!

Jodi

[cape chef]

Dear Marmalady,

This is a very interesting site you found on the internet, but it can be a bit decieving. I will try to explain without being to confusing or anal

Take for example these potatoes they highlight.

Pont-neuf
Fondant
Chateau
Boiled.

These are not "cuts" They are methods of preparation, the cut is borrowed from "tourne"

Rissole, Maxim, parmentier again, are not classic cuts, Example "Rissole" potatoes really refere to potatoes that have been fried, and parmentier is used with many potato dishes because of Antione-augustine-parmentier.

These cuts on the web site are variations on dices and bruinoise.

Also the Mignonette cut on the page has nothing to do with what a mignonette is, it is a type of Medallion from beef, veal what have you. and cocotte of course is a casserole.

These cuts on this site you may see associated with particular potato dishes, but they are not true classic cuts.

even Paysanne, which was mentioned before me by shawnycat in not a true cut (although almost always a dice) is really "peasant style" and usaully has bacon, carrots and potatoes.

I'm not trying to delate anyone here at all, I just think it is very important if you are not sure of something to totally trust an internet site.

I really enjoyed reading the Tallyrand page, but it could be a touch misleading.
So know, have I totally confused you?
cc

[marmalady]

Thanks for the clear up, CC - I didn't think it was a classical cut, but knowing what sly little devils examiners can be, started thinking along the lines of, okay, it's a potato dish - can it be a certain way the potatoes are prepared for this dish? So I just did a search, first on 'Parmentier', and got a lot of people with that name, then narrowed the search to "parmentier potatoes" and the site opened right up.

Could it be one of those obscure references, where the meaning of the word has changed to become the cut of the potato rather than the dish? I do seem to remember a French banquet chef I worked for, who used that word to describe the cut he wanted.

Zig, I haven't a clue as to how big the cuts are - I am most definitely going to defer to CC here!!!

[Kimmie]

Argh! This had been puzzling me all day and thanks for solving this, Marm! Here's the pic you wanted to display:



Although they sure look like a homefry cut to me, it certainly isn't the name of a "knife cut" !

[Greg]

Thought I'd add to the confusion here. I just looked up potato and vegetable cuts in my Johnson & Wales textbook (1992 edition); I found parmentier listed there as it appears on the web page marmalady provided. One caveat: even the chef-instructors at J&W will tell you there are mistakes in the textbook. So, if CC didn't confuse everyone enough, hopefully I've finished the job and further un-clarified the matter