Time to play Catch-up!

Hello dear Friends & Readers! I am so very sorry for being absent for so long. Wish I could say that it was something groovy like writers block but honestly... the fall funk held on longer than normal and I have simply been lazy about communicating. Please forgive me. I have heard from many of you who are missing the antics of the class and the laughs that the knucklehead brigade can provide. Let me try to bring you up to speed!



Foundations III ended just before Holiday break. The class focused on proteins and plate presentation. Our chef was a character and very knowledgeable about meat and butchering techniques. We learned the complete structure of each of the main animals, Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork. Additionally, we fabricated chicken (fancy term for "cut-up") and also had the opportunity to reduce the primal cuts of the other animals into secondary cuts such as steaks, tenderloins, chops, etc. We also learned how to make sausage and other charcuterie techniques.



Charcuterie (sar ku teri): French from chair 'flesh' and cuit 'cooked'. Is the branch of cooking devoted to the prepared meats such as sausages, bacon, ham, pates, terrines & confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manager chef's repertoire. Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration. Prepared today for their flavors. .... Thank you Wikipedia!





A new character introduction.....an individual called "Mittens". Now, I have spoken of Mittens in the past, he just didn't have a name. He sat next to me in the first class and had difficulty understanding the concept of pushing in his chair & or moving it to the side of the room for knife skills practice. Why "Mittens" you might ask? I can't take credit for coming up with this name... Chef did. See, this young man is afraid of burning his hands or cutting himself (both known hazards of this profession!). So, he wore this large mittens (think hot pad mitten with fingers) to in class one day. Chef nearly came unglued! Coined the name and told him to take the damn things off! And Mittens was born! Now, Mittens has a difficult time being on time to class. He also eats as if the food we prepare is his only meal of the day (who knows, it might be?). And it seems he needed to have more sleep one day during class. Buckhead Beef, located here in Atlanta, is part of Sysco Food company and one of the largest purveyors of meat in North America. The week before Thanksgiving we viewed a video by them on Meat Fabrication. Chef turned down the lights so that the TV Screens were easier to view. The movie is unfolding and Manny the Butcher is skillfully fabricating a side of beef into the main primal cuts and smaller secondary cuts. He is able to do this in an amazing 45 minutes! All of the sudden.... a ruckus comes from the back right-hand corner of the room. The metal legs of chairs are banging together, the sound of the plastic trash can hits the floor, quickly followed by a large THUD. It seems Mittens fell asleep! He slid off the chair into the trash can and onto the floor. The fun never stops!





Toward the middle of Foundations III, chef stopped forcing us into groups. We were able to find our own "team" and it remained that way through the balance of the class. Army Guy, Bride2B, Chick-fil-A & I grabbed our bench and created our little foursome. (Now, I must insert a slight wrinkle here.... Army Guy requested a name change. So, to honor that request I am now calling him "Sarge"). The four of us rotated into groups of two and for the most part worked very well together. We are all perfectionists and work hard for the grade. Three of us are "pleasers" and respectful of each others ideas. One of us is used to being in charge.... that dynamic created some stressful moments in our little group. Toward the end of the rotation the team began to crumble and we were all ready for the Holiday break. The old saying there is no "me" in team didn't always hold true.... there certainly was an "I". Sarge has made amends and has asked the three of us to work on a project with him this rotation. He purchased a fresh ham and we are working together to cure it. This is an extension of the ham-butt rather than the olive branch.... I must say that it is rather appropriate choice! :)





Bride2B and Chick-fil-A continue to give me such a boost! They are both so positive and genuine. I pray that the three of us will keep in touch and follow-up with each other when this process is complete. They are both twenty years younger than I and have a much longer career in this industry to look forward to. I'll be eager to watch how they progress. Bride2B has changed her program to the Certificate in Culinary Arts rather than the Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from a distinguished University & like me decided that the Certificate would deliver her what she needs to build this career. Actually, several other students have come over to my side since the program began in August. I was the only one and now there is a small band of 6 fellow certificate folks in this rotation. Just think if the VP of Admissions would have had to come up with 5 other cut guides and complete tool kits at the beginning?? At least I don't feel like such a step child these days!! Ha!





The final for Foundations III had four parts. A Mystery Basket, Knife cuts, Chicken Fabrication & a written final. Because there were so many students and so few ranges to cook with, chef divided the class into groups and we rotated days for the Mystery Basket & Knife/Chicken portion of the final. I cooked on Wednesday & cut on Thursday. My Mystery.... pork tenderloin! Unlike in Foundations II we were able to decide our own starch and vegetable to complete the plate. My creation.... Mustard encrusted Roast Pork tenderloin with a sherry mustard sauce, Risotto with spinach & sauteed asparagus with red peppers. We were to incorporate 3 cut techniques.... mine were chiffonade spinach, brunois & julienne peppers. I began my test at 7:10AM and was to present my plate to Chef at 9:10AM. My pork was a little over done but still moist and the sauce was DEELISH! All in all I earned the grade I was working toward and left that morning feeling pretty good.







Thursday, I get up, get ready, am feeling calm and prepared for the knife cut / chicken portion of the exam & head out the door. I arrive as school at 6:50AM WITHOUT my knife kit or my jacket! WTF??? I have NEVER done such a thing and it's pretty hard to cut up a chicken without a knife!! Now, I knew from the previous day that Chef did not begin that exam until 7:30AM. If I could get back to my apartment, grab my gear and get back to school by 7:30 I would be OK. It's a twenty minute drive one way..... I had JUST enough time. I got back home, ran in, got my stuff and returned. I walked into class at 7:32AM. They had just begun. Chef scowled at me and sent me to the back of the room. After several deep breaths and a settling of my nerves (so not to cut off a finger) I began. The exam.... cut 10 each of Julienne, Fine Julienne, Battonet, Brunois, Fine Brunois, Small dice, Medium dice, Paysanne, Lozenge & 4 tournes. Then, fabricate 1/2 a chicken into a boneless airline breast, tenderloin, bone in leg & thigh, wishbone, wing. Pulled out an "A" even with all the self induced stress. Upon completion I apologized to chef for my tardiness and he just shook his head and said... You? You are never late? What happened? He got a good giggle out of my bubble brunette behavior!

The class finished and off we all went for Christmas break. It was a much needed separation for me. I worked a little part time job during between Thanksgiving & Christmas so my holiday was a bit different. Was able to spend time with friends for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day here in Atlanta and that made the events special and the missing of family more bearable. On December 27th George, Olive & I hit I75 North and drove home to Indiana for a surprise visit to see Mom. Had to come clean about my surprise arrival as the weather was full on BLIZZARD mode by the time I got nearer to Northwest Indiana. In fact... the snow began as I crossed the Ohio river out of Louisville, KY. Welcome home!




I have started my new rotation.... Baking & Pastry. More to come!

Did you honestly just eat that?

November is in full swing and I am suffering from my annual case of the "November Blues". There is something very interesting and strange about the eleventh month of the year (which originally was the ninth month of the year in Roman days ~ novem means nine). For years I have struggled with it. My mood is dark and I am generally more sleepy than any other time of the year. Perhaps it is the time change, maybe the realization of winter looming and then again, maybe it's just November! What ever it is, it's in full swing here and the funk in on!

Already eight days have passed in my new class, Foundations III. We will focus mainly on proteins in the class and will be graded on plating techniques with the protein, a starch & vegetable. The chefs are allowing a good deal more creativity regarding what & how we prepare the side dishes. We have only 2 written exams and 1-2 weekly graded presentations. The graded plate presentations are a hefty portion of our grade. We must be aware of color, height, simplicity & flow of the plate. We work in groups of two this rotation. This is SO MUCH better than the larger groups. Our plate for the day is to be ready to present at a set time to Chef.

So here is a picture, I wish I could say it was a plate I prepared but it's not.... It is however a great photo of something called an Airline Chicken Breast. You must remove the breast from the chicken and then take off the lower part of the wing. Remove the meat and skin from the "upper" part of the chicken wing. From that point you can cook the breast anyway you wish. Sear & bake, broil, grill.... You can also stuff the breast! Take a paring knife and insert it in the upper edge of the meat. You are basically creating a pocket in the breast. Make up a stuffing and use a pastry bag to insert that stuffing mixture into the "pocket" of the breast.

In class this week I stuffed my airline breast with the following. It was delicious!!!

Spinach

Tomatoes (Sun dried & some roasted with thyme & garlic~ then diced)

Cream Cheese

Shallots & garlic

I sauteed the shallots, added the garlic. Tossed in the spinach and wilted it. Then added the tomatoes. Finally I added the cream cheese and mixed it together until smooth. Placed that in the pastry bag and filled the chicken breasts. Then I seared the breast skin side down. Flipped it over and finished it in an oven at 350F until the internal temperature was 165F. Enjoy!!!

Army Guy and I presented our plate. We received 30/30 for our efforts.

Below is a chart of an Angus Steer. This chart shows you the main "Primal Cuts" of meat. These primal cuts can then be cut down farther into the Chuck-roast or Ribeye we are more familiar with. For a bit of terminology clarification... a Butcher is the individual who kills & dresses the meat of the animal. The Fabricator is the individual who cuts the raw meat into smaller pieces. I can see why the dude at the store would rather be called a Butcher than a Fabricator... Butcher just sounds better! But technically, he is the Fabricator. To Carve the meat refers to cutting the meat after it has been cooked. Now, when I finish this class I won't be qualified to be a Fabricator but I will be prepared & have the knowledge needed to fabricate primal cuts of meat for my own personal use.

Since the protein is the star of the plate, it is critical that we learn to prepare it properly! What is the best way to cook that roast, steak, loin, etc. Would it be best to use dry or moist cooking? For example, areas of the steer that have been worked a lot like the Chuck (shoulder), Brisket, Plate and the Round (back-end) generate cuts of meat that will require moist cooking methods to get those meats tender. They have a good deal of connective tissue and therefore are not naturally tender. Here ends your meat lesson for today!

I have shared plenty of stories with you regarding some of the knuckleheads in class. 5th Wheel made it to Foundations III but I have to share that Dr. Do-little did not. He is either taking the last class over or decided that this is not the route for him. I guess I'll just have to wonder.....

Not everyone in the class is a challenge. I have met and gotten to know a few really great young ladies! Bride-2-B is newly engaged. I think the question was popped within the first few weeks of class in August. She can only wear the ring when she is home and early on developed some sort of skin irritation on her finger. We had to tease her about the dime-store product she received from her honey & that gave us all a good laugh. At 22 she has a bachelor's degree from Univ. of Virginia and is now pursuing her passion for cooking. She is a personal chef and cooks for an elderly couple. We get some great stories about the meals she has prepared for them and from time to time we even participate in menu creation ideas. Additionally, she has her own catering business. I get the feeling it is just starting and she is picking up jobs here and there. I admire her spirit and her spunk! Every morning she arrives with a smile and warm "good morning". We have had the chance to work together a few times. This class is a bit more fluid with partner paring and I hope that B2B and I will get to work together more before we finish class. For such a young women she has an amazing pallet and can pull flavors and tastes together really well.

Then there is Chick-fil-A.... she is also young, very young. When discussing an opportunity for the three of us to get together, I mentioned meeting for a glass of wine. Well, we would have to go to a family friendly location and sit on the restaurant side because she isn't even 20! Who knew? Anyway, she is very funny and also has a keen understanding of food and flavors. She works the late shift at her job some days and the 7AM start time can be a challenge. She generally rolls in just as Chef is closing the door and jumps into line tying her apron. Just like B2B, with a smile and a great attitude she begins the day!

Thus far in class we have fabricated fish, chicken, turkey breast & duck. Because the antics of the knucklehead brigade are too good to not share.... Yesterday we fabricated duck. You basically cut the duck up just like a chicken. Ducks don't generally come WOG (without giblets) so this fine quack had all the goodies inside. Duck livers are rather tasty (so I am told!) and while this is not foie gras (fwa-gra) or specialty fattened livers, these can be prepared as pate or simply sauteed. So while Chef did the demonstration there was some banter regarding duck liver and how tasty they are. So, Motor Mouth (this dude does NOT have an off switch!) says "I'll eat one"! Another student dares him to do so ... raw. I am not 100% sure how it all happened but before we all knew it, Chef had given him a raw liver. AND this kid put it in his mouth! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Well, he turned about six shades of green and purple and finally spit it out. I simply don't get it....

Tomorrow is Friday and week two will come to a close. The whole process is going so quickly and by the end of this class I'll be half way through the program. The stress of "what's next" is beginning. I have to try really hard to put those thoughts on the back burner and LIVE IN THE MOMENT! I don't want to miss any of this by looking at the next step. Those old habits are REALLY hard to break!

Till next time!

Chicken Fricasse & Mystery's Solved!

The last two weeks have been really busy! I am SO sorry for missing the opportunity to update you last week! I'll do my best to fill you in on the last 8 days of class!


5th Wheel and I parted ways and I was on to a new group of 4. This time I joined up with "Dr. Do-little" (or is that Dr. Do-nothing?) and two others. Could it possibly be that I am the one with the issues?? NO! Don't believe it! DDL was in a group with Army Guy two weeks ago and he is actually the one who came up with this nick-name! We began the week preparing Coc au Vin, Chicken Fricassee & Beef Bourguignon. The big challenge with Chicken Fricassee is to sear the meat WITHOUT applying any color. WHAT? That is nearly impossible because your pan needs to be really hot to sear and generally color just happens. Anyway... we managed. Moving forward from here when we cook we must also prepare a starch and a vegetable to complete the plate. We are also being judged on that plate for balance, color & contrast, height, etc. Considering that rice, risotto & potatoes all have a similar blah color like the chicken fricassee, it was a challenge. We decide on glazed carrots.... DDL jumped on that so not to have to work on any of the meat production. 2 hours to cut and glaze carrots... hum? Tuesday we roll into roasted chicken with a pan gravy, roasted rack of lamb with a port wine reduction and roasted pork loin with ginger.

One of our team of four was absent that day so each of us needed to take hold of the proteins and complete the task. All the while being aware of the others so that we knew what was happening. And we needed to make the sides to complete the plates for presentation. I prepare the pork loin with green beans bascaise & roasted garlic mashed potatoes. The Dr. prepares the roasted chicken & the other guy (can't come up with a good name for him...) roasts the rack of lamb. During clean up there was a bit of a scuffle between the Dr. & I as he attempted to clean up our table and nearly put the grated Parmesan cheese back into the panko bread crumb container. WHAT? I stopped him and he obviously didn't like that and told me to kiss a certain part of his anatomy. At which point I responded with the childish well you can kiss mine! And tossed in that if he would use his head (and nose) if he was unsure of something I would not have had to correct him. Now... know that this altercation has been brewing for two days. He is poky and lacks initiative. UGH! Wednesday when we arrived to prepare Poeler Duck with caramelized apples & Boeuf a la Mode he apologized for his behaviour and we forged a new working relationship.....




I was nearly doing cartwheels on Thursday when Chef said we could choose our own groups of two for the Mousse & Forcemeat preparation that day and Friday. Army Guy and I partner-up and begin to prepare our Chicken Ballentine. So, here's what you do. You debone the chicken. Each of us were to use half the bird. Remove the breast & wings. Take the wing bones out and remove the skin. Set the breast aside. Working the the thigh & leg, carefully scrape the meat from the bones. You are basically turning the thigh & leg inside out as you remove those bones from the meat. Cut off the bone just below the ankle knuckle leaving that knuckle attached to the end of the chicken leg. Now you have a boneless chicken thigh & leg. Separately you take the breast meat, egg whites, heavy cream, salt & cayenne pepper & mix all that up in the food processor. This makes a chicken breast paste. You then force (Forcemeat ... get it?) the meat mixture through a sieve and create a very creamy, mousse like consistency meat paste. Add some freshly chopped sage & mix that in completely. Once you have that done you put that mousse into a pastry bag and squeeze it into the thigh & leg. Filling the space that once used to contain the bone with a creamy meat treat! Sear that thigh & leg portion to give it nice color then pop it into a 350F oven for 30-40 minutes. When you slice into it there is a wonderful surprise inside! Serve it with a chicken supreme sauce and it is DELICIOUS!!! Now, the reality is that in a restaurant setting you would need to charge a hefty price for that chicken.... it takes a great deal of time to prepare. But what a wonderful technique and a labor of love for those special people in your life!!! If you get this at my house, you'll know how you rank!! :)




So, week five was complete! The next three final days of Foundations II would consist of two practical exams and a final written exam.



I had come up with a spreadsheet to prepare for these exams. To help focus my efforts and create the plan. Monday's practical would be a little easier in that they were set menus we were to know and prepare. For example, Veal Marsala, pommes anna & carrot vichy. We would be given the menu upon arrival, have five minutes to review the recipes & then be ready to present our plates to the chefs in 1 hr. 45 minutes. My menu.... Grilled Oriental chicken breast, pommes puree (the sexy way to say mashed potatoes) & tourned roasted winter vegetables. UGH! You read that right, tourned. That means that my veggies needed to be turned out into those little football shaped seven sided treasures! I have NOT been good at practicing those little buggers the last 5 weeks. While my plate was not perfect it did earn a fair grade and I was pleased when I left class Monday.



Now for the Mystery Basket on Tuesday. Here is where my spreadsheet came in handy. The chefs will give us a protein, a starch & a vegetable.... we are to create a plate. They had shared the seven possible proteins & five possible starches. Needing to have a game plan, I laid my spreadsheet out by categories. If I get pork for example, it would be pounded, sauteed medallions with marchand de vin (red wine) sauce. If I got arborio rice, it would be risotto Parmesan. They are not testing us on how creative we can be... they are testing us on the techniques we have just spent 5 weeks learning. Basic risotto, basic pilaf, basic saute, roasting, etc. Use the recipes we have worked in class, don't get crazy!!! The whole test is complete in 2 hours. When we are given our three items we have 15 minutes to check the coolers, dry storage & spice area and prepare our menus. We must turn those menus in and that better be what you present. NO changes! My items.... rack of lamb, potato, green beans. Lamb was the ONLY meat I had not touched in class!!! Nor have I ever prepared it before in my life! Thank goodness for my spreadsheet!!! My menu.... Roasted rack of lamb with a port wine reduction, pommes puree & green bean bascaise. While my beans needed a bit more salt and my lamb a bit over done I was pleased with the results and thankful the test was over!



We take these practical tests in groups that begin in 10 minute intervals. There are five folks in my group and that is TOO BIG for the space we have to work in. This is not a new bitch and one that will likely continue as we move through this program. The only way it will improve is if 10 or so students fail to move on or quit. I work to keep focused and carve out my space. My goal is to learn all I can and get my hands on as much product as possible throughout the process. The 5th Wheels & Dr. Do-Little's need to move out of the way!!




Wednesday was our written final, 75 questions. Multiple choice & fill in the blank. I was heading into the written test with an A and wanted to keep it that way!! I am pleased to report I did in fact earn the grade I set out to. I guess this older dog can be taught a few new tricks!!! I do sometimes think I cooked better before I started school..... now I am very aware and almost paranoid that I am doing something wrong! Seems silly and likely will smooth out. I hope anyway!


We have had a mini break for the last few days and Monday begin the final Foundations class. This new round focuses on proteins, butchery & fabrication of meat. We will learn a great deal more about plating foods and portion balance. I have checked out the syllabus and see that we have a test already on Monday. We'll be tested on what we have learned in the first two classes. This will be a written test on vocabulary, techniques & equipment. No way to know how to study.... better hope I really am retaining what I have learned the last 12 weeks!


I am finding that Atlanta is a beautiful place to be in the fall!! The crisp mornings and warm afternoons remind me a great deal of the years I spent in Fort Worth, TX. My little nest receives a good cross-breeze and beautiful sunshine. George & Olive are enjoying the open windows while relaxing on the recently acquired window perches. They have squirrels, birds & lizards to see from those windows and it keeps them busy for hours! I am missing my friends and family a great deal but I can sense the love and support you are sending my way! It's strange to be without the football hoopla of Notre Dame this fall but the good news is that those Fighting Irish are on my TV here every Saturday! I have even been able to watch my Purdue Boilermakers a few times. The joys of cable TV... this is certainly a new thing from my years in Texas. NEVER did those Boilers make the TV in those days!!!


Thanks for taking the time to keep up with my adventure!! Til next time....

Wahoo!!! Week four is complete and all the pieces are coming together as we prepare for full plate creation and presentation next week.

As we do every Monday we break into new groups to begin the week. As luck would have it and likely because I struggled so in week three... 5th wheel and I got to play in the same sand box one more time. UGH!!!! How can there be 38 people in my class and again I am SO lucky!!?

Monday we completed our potato production. Gratin Dauphinois, hashed browns, duchess potatoes, rosti & cocotte potatoes and gnocchi!!! Baked potatoes work best for this delicious treat. You mash the potatoes, add eggs, flour, salt & pepper then form them into long rolls. You cut the rolls into the little gnocchi dumpling shaped treats and boil them as you would pasta. Then we sauteed in butter and served with grated Parmesan cheese. Ummm!!

Tuesday was pasta day! We made the fresh pasta dough and then cut them into Fettuccine & rolled out the balance for ravioli's. Made Alfredo sauce and Pesto; the filling for the ravioli's was a ricotta cheese & herb filling. Delicious!!!! The challenge for the day was that we had limited pasta rollers available for use. We'll come back to this...

Wednesday was an extra special day!!! We had a group reprieve and were able to choose our own groups of two for the day!! It was egg day and we were to prepare the following items:

Sunnyside up

Over easy

Poached

French Omelet

American Omelet

Hollandaise Sauce

We were on our own for everything but the hollandaise sauce. My pal, ArmyGuy, and I were able to work together. Who knew that egg preparation could be so challenging?! Here is the key... no brown edges, flip withOUT a spatula. You are to flip IN THE PAN!!! Nearly certain that I would not be able to accomplish the "over easy" egg I continued to try to master the technique. I was ready... I began the back and forth arm movement and flip! I did it!! All along I had the encouragement of ArmyGuy and Chef D!! But... Chef D was not certain I had it down... he suggested another. I believe he stated that the expression on my face was so fun to watch that he had to see it one more time!! So... I crack another egg (I think A.G. and I went through 24 eggs that morning!!)and it begins to cook; it is a beautiful sunnyside up example & ready to flip. So, I am moving the egg back and forth in the pan, I push my arm forward and quickly back to flip that egg over. Beautiful! Then it's time to do it one more time to get the presentation side back up and again.... I take form, my arm comes back toward me and the egg flies upward in the air .... the skillet comes forward under the egg as it flies through the air. Suddenly... the egg is NOT in my skillet rather in the middle of the burner and flame! I shriek!! And laugh out loud! That full face giggle and belly roll kind of laugh. How wonderful it felt!!! I passed egg day!

Thursday I was back with 5th wheel and we were full blown into meat production!! We grilled and Saute Veal, Chicken, Pork Chops, Salmon & London Broil. Young 5th Wheel resisted when asked to take our team London Broil to the grill to sear it before we were to finish it in the oven. Her reason... I don't know how to do that!.... Hummmm... is that not why we are here? Then, when the London Broil came out of the oven she was more interested in hacking off a hunk to put in her bag for the afternoon snack than slicing it on the bias and plating it to show chef. UGH!!! The maddness of it all!! Friday we completed the week by poaching shrimp, deep frying chicken (sliced in "fingers") and pan frying veal.

Our Chefs are more than willing to allow us to stay after class and work on additional items. I have taken advantage of that opportunity and it has paid off in various ways. It's one on one time with the chefs, more hands on with the food and practice time on all the techniques. I was not happy with my grilled chicken dish this week. So, Thursday I stayed after for a re-do! Because I was there I was able to assist Chef D. in preparing the meat portions for the next class. I cut veal & pork and skinned the salmon and sliced the portions on the bias. Skinning that darned fish was not so easy!! I know now why I have purchased them clean before!! That slippery skin & those scales get all over the place and my hands smelt like fish for days. The poor salmon took a beating from me and it required some extra effort to correct my mess. But, I managed to get it done and was happy with the tips shared by Chef. He certainly is a kind and patient instructor. He is a huge Notre Dame fan ... so we had football to discuss as well as tips on fish fabrication!

The after class event on Thursday gave me a chance to observe another class of students. I left that afternoon feeling grateful of the knuklehead brigade that I am part of!! One student actually whistled at the Chef as if she were a dog because he needed her attention. I thought she was going to come unglued! All I am sure of is that had I been the instructing Chef that insolent young man would have been gone for the day! I continue to be amazed at the reasons for behavior such as this. Culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu is an elective education opportunity. It's not a required Home Economics class in the public school system! WHAT would make a person choose to learn this craft unless they really wanted to? Could it simply be that they like to eat more than cook? Is everyone like 5th Wheel ... more worried about feverishly confiscating lunch? The studies here are not horribly hard, nor are they overly easy! You have to read, you have to study, you have to practice. You have to use your brain, think things through. Take initiative, make a plan and follow it. Sort of like life..... Humm?

Til next time....

Anthocyanin & Fifth Wheels...

Anthocyanin, the Pigment that makes red vegetables red! Red beets, Red cabbage, but NOT tomatoes! The pigment is determined by the inside color of the vegetable not simply the exterior. Tomato's are actually in the yellow/orange category and that pigment is Caroteniod! Acids and Alkali's effect each vegetable pigment differently so it is important to understand what happens to the product when you add either. Acids make red vegetables more red, while adding alkali's will turn them blue. That is your science lesson for today!





It has been a VERY busy week! We have been working with Grains, Vegetables & Potatoes. All total we were to complete 22 different recipes throughout our class time this week. There were a few I didn't get to so this weekend will be reviews of those here at home.



Monday we were broken into new groups, 4 people per team. The good thing with Monday ...there were 9 people absent from class and we actually have ample room to move and work. Our class is extremely large and therefore space is tight. My frustration is that these conditions were not discussed during my application/interview process. In fact, just the opposite! I was assured that class sizes were held to a 25-30 person limit. Not sure how 38 students in my class add up to that ... fuzzy math perhaps?! When Tuesday arrived and 8 of those 9 missing students returned the mayhem began! Our 4 person "working" group became 5. This student completely fits the definition of 5th wheel! "Any thing superfluous or unnecessary" according to Webster.





On Monday the four of us divided up the mise en place and prepared all the items needed to create our various grain recipes. Chopping onions, carrots, celery, and other items. Everything was ready and then we each just grabbed what we needed to prepare each assignment. Since that had worked SO well we decided to try it again for Tuesday. The challenge with Tuesday's vegetable items were that some things needed to be cut a certain way. Batonnet or small dice or bias cut carrots for example. We gave the task of the bias cut carrots to "fifth wheel" and she did NOT know what that meant!! WHAT? You can't understand what it means to cut a carrot on the bias? Did you not just complete Foundations I? UGH! So after a demonstration she was off and "walking". The other 4 of us were attempting to complete all the tasks so we could each have a stab at roasting, grilling, sauteing, & blanching our vegetables. I came home thoroughly pissed off. Too many of us to get to each technique. And some dead weight in our group that took up space we needed to work.


Wednesday I arrived with a new attitude and decided it was each person for themselves. I'll work on what I want to work on. These are my burners, this is my space, I came here to learn damn it and that is what I am going to do!! The group also thought this was a good idea and we were moving! I prepared my roasted beets, vegetables "jardiniere", artichoke gribiche, & "spinaci alla romana" (spinach roman style). Whew! The beets were not a huge success... I was told by "fifth wheel" that Chef tasted one and spit it out. Perhaps she was simply emulating Tom Colicchio (Top Chef Las Vegas) because I can tell you they did not warrant that! While a bit lacking in salt they were fine... and I don't even like beets! Oh, and "fifth wheel"... she managed to prepare one artichoke in 2 hours!





Thursday we moved into the Legumes section of our studies. I prepared the white beans bretonne style, lentils in cream and falafels! Each of my attempts were given a thumbs up by the chefs and I left class feeling very pretty good (and questioning if the "spit out beet" incident actually happened!). Friday it was potatoes! Pommes puree (mashed potatoes), pommes Anna, pommes Daufine & pommes frittes (french fries). My best dish of the day... Pommes Daufine! These things ROCK!! Here's what you do.... cut up and boil your potatoes, drain them, dry them a bit in a warm oven, mash them. Season with butter, salt, pepper & nutmeg. They will be sort of stiff because you are not adding a lot of butter. Once the flavor is what you want you add egg yolks. Mix all that together and hold in a bowl. The next step is to prepare the Pate a choux. You boil water & butter, then add flower and mix until you form one stiff solid ball. The ingredients must be weighed and scaled perfectly to create the right consistency. Once you have the ball you move it all to a stand mixer, let it cool slightly and add one egg at a time until it is a medium consistency batter. Add 1/3 lb of the Pate a choux to 1 lb of potato mixture and mix well. Fill a pastry bag with a 3/4" opening with this mixture and squeeze & drop 3 inch sections of this potato mixture into hot fat & fry them. Remove when they are golden brown, lightly salt & enjoy! They are this light-fluffy-delectable treat!! Both Chefs just grinned ear to ear when they tried my offering. I left feeling totally vindicated after a challenging week!! Oh, and "fifth wheel" ... mashed potatoes & an Anna. All with the help of her friends from 2 other groups....





Now, all the stress of there being too many students in my class & not enough space did cause me to request a meeting with the school's big wigs. I was encouraged to do this by one of my current chef instructors; they too feel the same frustration but realize that the paying student has a bit more power to affect change. So, Thursday morning after class I met with the Executive Chef and shared my concerns & challenges regarding the overcrowding of the class. He was open to hearing what I had to say and it seems that there are plans in the works to reconfigure the space to accommodate more teaching kitchen space. Friday during class the Schools President paid a visit ... I wonder if my meeting did gain some attention? While none of the changes to the schools structure will come soon enough to fix my situation I did feel better for having voiced my frustrations. At least my dollars are at work.... humm?



My mom had been visiting from Indiana and departed this week too. Over the weekend we had a chance to see some sights. We cooked and ate & spent some good visiting time. I am missing the little elf that would prepare my uniform for me each day and keep up on the laundry, square away the house and scoop the litter box!! Oh the joys of mom's visits! We share birthday's in October so our week-long visit was our gift to each other. She was able to see first hand how lovely I look in my uniform (costume) and the mess I can make out of all those white clothes in a 3 hour period! George, Olive & I are settling back into our routine. I know that they miss having her here too. George is back to licking his tail due to separation anxiety. And Olive... well, she's just Olive.


Recipes of the week....


Barley with Wild Mushrooms & Ham


1/2 oz dried Porcini mushrooms
2 oz hot water
1/2 oz oil
2 oz onion, small dice
2 oz. celery, small dice
5 oz. barley
1 pt. brown stock
2 oz. cooked ham, small dice (could use bacon!)
salt, to taste



1) Soak the dried Porcini mushrooms in the hot water until soft. Drain & squeeze them out. Reserve the soaking liquid. Strain or decant the liquid to remove any sand or grit. Chop the mushrooms.
2) Heat the oil in a heavy pot, add the onion & celery. Saute briefly.
3) Add the barley and saute briefly ... enough to coat them with oil (similar to rice pilaf method).
4) Add the stock and mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and the ham. Salt to taste.
5) Cover tightly. Cook on top of the stove until the barley is tender & liquid is absorbed, 30-45 minutes.





Spinaci alla Romana





3 lbs Spinach
3/4 oz olive oil
3/4 oz prosciutto
3/4 oz pine nuts
3/4 oz raisins
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste


1) Trim the spinach, cook in a small amount of boiling water until wilted. Drain, run under cool water & press out excess water.
2) Heat the oil in a pan. Add the prosciutto & render the fat.
3) Add the spinach, pine nuts, raisins & saute until hot.
4) Season with Salt & Pepper. Serve immediately.

I enjoyed nibbing on both of these recipes during class this week and hope you'll enjoy them too! Next week we finish potatoes, move to pasta & then eggs. We'll finish up the week starting to work on meats. Only 3 weeks of class left for this rotation. That means the "mystery basket" final is only 15 learning days away.... It's moving very quickly!!

The Saucier (So-see-ay)

The Saucier (So-see-ay) prepares the stews, sauces, hot hor d'oeuvres & sautes food to order... usually considered the highest of all positions in the classic kitchen brigade. While I am very far from that title I have managed to pass my Sauce Practical with flying colors this week!! Wahoo!!!

The week began with a written test on sauces. What mother sauce they come from, the key ingredients, etc. We were then divided into groups of 5 and given start times for the practical exam scheduled for Tuesday morning. Here was the drill.... We were given 1 hr 45 min to prepare two sauces. I was on at 7:15AM and needed to present my sauces to the Chefs at 9AM. At 7:15AM I was given my test sauces, Beurre Blanc (White wine butter sauce) & Espangnol (Brown Veal sauce) & 5 minutes to review the recipes... then ALL the PAPERS were put away and we were off to create our sauces from memory. The sauces were graded on 5 categories.

• Time & Sanitation
• Flavor
• Sauce Consistency
• Color
• Temperature

Very excited with my PERFECT score on the Espangnol!!! While I was unable to pull off two for two I still left with a solid "A" for the day. Keeping your nerves and your head during these practical exams will be part of the key to success for the future.

The balance of the week was intended to prepare us for the Friday soup practical. In two days we made shrimp stock, shrimp bisque, white bean soup, consomme, french onion soup & clam chowder. Each of the selections were really delicious EXCEPT the Shrimp Bisque. It tasted like DIRT! Seems the class collection of stock was not so good as nearly every groups bisque offering left something to be desired. Very disappointing because "bisque" is expensive a bit of a process. The definition of bisque ... cream soup made with shellfish. So, when you encounter Tomato Bisque, it's really just a sexy way to market Cream of Tomato! However, it is likely able to generate at least $2 more than simple cream of tomato on any menu!

Friday we had our soup Practical... Can you Consomme? Seems I can! My practice here at the house on Wednesday evening went pretty well and helped to prepare for the exam. My mom was able to observe the process as she is here from Indiana for a little fall visit. These photos are of my home practice... this is that crazy process of making the "clearmeat" meat-loaf thing and allowing it to coagulate to draw the fat out of the stock and create a clear, rich flavored, elegant soup. We were again given 1 hr & 45 minutes to complete our soup and present it to the chefs. I was scrambling at the last minute to get it served up and ensure it was hot. I pulled out another great score and was over the moon!

Next week we begin our vegetable lectures, rice & legumes discussions. There are 23 recipes on my list of production items this week. I feel a really busy week coming on! I continue to love the learning's and all of the new techniques.

Thanks for joining me on this journey! I'll check in with you soon!

Depouillage

Depouillage (Dep- oh-lahj) .... A really sexy word for "skimming fat"! This is what you do when you remove the fat that rises to the top of sauces, stocks, and such. I also think it is a verb for what will happen during this rotation of Foundation II!!

The new class rotation began on Monday & it's not going to be easy! We began Monday making brown veal stock. Tuesday we made chicken, white veal & fish stock. Wednesday it was Bechamel, Soubise, Mornay, Chicken & Veal Veloute, Allemande, Supreme & White Wine Fish sauces. Thursday it was Mayonnaise, Espangnol & Tomato sauce. Friday was Classical Demi-Glace, Robert, Chasseur, Marchand de Vin, & Aioli sauces. WOW!!!! Next Tuesday is our practical!

On stock days we were in groups of 9 people. It was absolutely like herding cats!! And as with any group there are those who know it all, those who do nothing, those who start cooking before they know what needs to be done, those who lead and those who follow instruction. The smaller groups we were adjusted to for the sauce days demonstrated similar personality tendencies. Human nature I suppose... In a conversation while washing dishes (again! with the 8 other folks that always end up doing this exciting job! Mostly because people don't understand the instruction of "wash as you go") a fellow "senior" student mentioned that he felt the classes should be broken up by age. It actually sounds like a rather good idea. And while the institution might push back saying that while working in the industry we will work with all ages, creeds, etc ...learning may be a different thing. I am a full believer that life experience brings you BACK to school with a different passion and perspective that the younger, less-life-lived kids have.

Mayonnaise.... my arm nearly fell off in class while I attempted to make it. It broke twice and finally I gave up. My Bechamel sauce was runny Wednesday & during my after class practice. So, I came home and attempted to make it again and that's time it was paste! BROTHER!! Thankfully Friday ... SUCCESS! Mayonnaise twice! In class and at home. My arm is killing me but the fact that it was not broken was well worth it. I did have a flashback of grade-school. I was excited about my Mayonnaise success and sharing the moment with a class mate. Issue... Chef was talking and I was scolded for talking... "Ms. Bilger seems to have something to share with the class"... Ooops! More frequently than I am sure my mom would like to remember is that I was ALWAYS given marks for talking when I was not supposed to be! I think that "disruptive to others" was the phrase used on my grade school report cards. Seems some thing NEVER change! :)

Hollandaise & Bearnaise were on the breakfast menu this morning.... very happy with the results but ate very little. I do believe that I need to invest in a chicken, I have gone through so many eggs attempting to master all these sauces!! I am hopeful that practice will make perfect as I roll through the process.

I'll keep you posted!