BETH V

Do you know BETH V? Let me introduce you!! She is the acronym for the 5 Mother Sauces!

Bechamel

Espagnole

Tomato

Hollandaise

Veloute

In my last post (over a week ago... SORRY!) I gave you the run down on Espagnole. Well, from these five wonderful sauces you can make DOZENS of small sauces. The possibilities are endless. Preparing for the quiz was a bit challenging as one never knows how deep into the list the Chefs will go. I am such a better student as an adult. Amazing!!

This week we began our Product Identification classes. Unfortunately for me I have a cold and my sense of smell and taste is just a little OFF! For the past 3 days we have had 35 - 50 items a day to identify by sight, smell &/or taste. Items include fresh herbs, dried herbs, ground spices, whole spices, vinegars & oils. I can HIGHLY recommend that you don't EVER taste Orange Oil or Mace!!! OMG! While my sinuses were suddenly cleared by both of these items there has to be a better way! During the test we must also be very specific in our descriptions...

• Whole Peppercorns Not just Peppercorns
• White Sesame Seeds Not just Sesame Seeds
• Fresh Rosemary Not just Rosemary
• Ground Cumin or Cumin Seed Not just Cumin

My biggest challenges seem to be in the ground arena. Everything begins to smell the same after awhile and there are some spices that simply smell similar! I am trying to jot down things about the smells to help me learn them. For example, it smells like dirt. Or this reminds me of my Grandma (Pickling Spice Blend). This is NOT an easy part of class!! So, I challenge you readers!! Go to your spice rack, get some small plastic 2 oz cups or a sheet of wax paper . Pour out various spices and have your friends guess. This would be a great game for date "game night"!! I have been cooking for a long time and some of the most frequently used items have stumped me. The test is two weeks away.... I have some sniffing to do!!

I have had some inquiries regarding what my class room looks like. Here are some photos that will give you an idea of the "chair" challenge I mentioned a few posts back. We also are on display everyday as our class room is one of two that if full of windows toward the lobby area. This way folks who come to visit the school can see what is happening. Not that there are many visitors at 7 AM!!

Along with the product identification this week we have begun to discuss cooking methods & the techniques that go along with each.

• Moist-Heat Methods: Poach, Simmer, Boil, Steam & Braise
• Dry-Heat Methods: Roast & Bake, Broil, Grill, Griddle & Pan-Broil
• Dry-Heat Methods Using Fat: Saute, Pan-Fry & Deep-Dry

Chef's demonstrated by Roasting and Braising Chickens this week. Then today they fed us lunch!! How wonderful! Included Mashed potatoes (all those Tourne's we have been practicing) Pasta & Tomato sauce (demonstrated Tuesday) and the chickens. What a treat!! Now... I think I mentioned the piling of food that occurred at the breakfast event a while back. Chef M. informed everyone in the line for chow that there was to be NONE of that behavior as there was plenty of food. He planned to go through the line last and if there was anything gone by the time he was passing through there was going to be some problems! So I was not the only one flabbergasted by the gluttonous displays of plate overload!! It seems some folks "ain't got no fetchin!"

I can now also admit that I have learned how to fabricate a chicken!!! While I recall trying to do this in the past I did not have much luck and the bird looked rather sad. Success is eminent and even the very sexy French Breast (or Airline Breast) with just the drummette bone left standing upright simply for presentation ... will be conquered!!

Only two weeks remain in this first class rotation! It's crazy how quickly all this is going already. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!