Task 110: Holding and Serving

Estimated Time: 5 mins

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Most vegetable purées can be held in a bain-marie over barely simmering water to keep them warm prior to serving. Keep in mind that if their natural pigment is green, they can tend to lose their color. It’s is always best to serve them immediately after preparation.

A puréed vegetable can be used as a side to compose any type of dish. If it has a good, starchy texture, it can be quenelled or spooned down onto a plate first as a base for another component, much like mashed potatoes are used as a base for elegantly plated dishes.

Many chefs use purées as a sauce base for an array of dishes while adding some playfulness on a plate. If thinned out even further, vegetable purées can be used as the major sauce of any dish.

Vegetable purées can also be used as a dip, especially when finished with sour cream, cream cheese or goat cheese.

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Troubleshooting Tips

  • It’s best to hold most purées for 30-60 minutes at most. If you need more, simply heat up the purée in a saucepan (do not add it directly to the bain-marie).

  • Stir the purée regularly – some thinner purées can separate over time leaving a thick layer at the bottom of the hot holding container.

  • Taste and re-season as needed – sometimes with extended hot holding the flavor profile can shift (it concentrates or loses some aromatics). You may want to adjust with additional seasoning or acid balance.