Beckam's Cauliflower Curry

"Do you know the movie Bend it Like Beckam?" my chef asked in lecture last night. "Yes," a couple of us responded. It was strange for her to be asking us about movies... "Well, there's a scene in the movie where they show the recipe for Cauliflower Curry-- that's where I got the recipe for today!" She beamed.

As it turns out the recipe is delicious :)

Tandoori Ovens

... bake some of the most delicious bread in the world. Yes, I am speaking of Nann. We made the most lovely, moist, chewy, buttery, flavorful bread in the Tandoori Oven tonight. Whether it was the oven, the dough, or the people making the bread, I can't decide but all I know is that the bread was beyond comforting and the oven was so cool.

A tandoori oven is shaped sort of like a giant bowl-- kind of. It gets between 800-1,000°F and is traditionally made of clay. There are no racks inside like a traditional oven and you load things down into the tremendous heat, rather than horizontally, front loading items into an oven. To make nann, one stretches out hunks of soft, silky dough and then presses them against the sides of the wicked hot oven with a towel ball. The dough bakes and rises into a crispy, golden shell housing steaming, chewy dough in about 3-5 minutes. It is then brushed with melted butter.

If you get just a little bit lucky, 1 piece of bread will not properly adhere to the side of the oven, and OH NO! it drops to the bottom of oven meaning there is absolutely no way you could serve it to a customer, and in order to quickly solve the problem, you just have to eat it. This might happen to you, if you get the tiniest bit of luck.

chopstick test

In order to ensure our proficiency in the skill of chopsticking, my chef set out two plates today-- the first with 7 pieces of oddly cut carrots, 7 dry pinto beans, and 1 tiny bean, the second plate was for moving all the objects on the first plate to with a pair of chopsticks. Each person got up in front of the class and was timed. Our times ranged from 21 seconds to 2:59 min. The fastest person received a pair of beautiful blue chopsticks and made an acceptance/thank you speech to the class.

I had one of those goofy smiles on my face that is summoned only when one is allowed to indulge in the kind of fun that is so simple and pure we could never plan for it.

Red Curry Paste + Caroling

Tonight I made a red curry paste (coriander, cumin, white pepper, Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic, shallots, New Mexico Red Chilies, Thai Bird Chili peppers, and salt) that was added to onions, coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, Thai Basil, peas, tomatoes, and deep fried tofu. It is considered Thai cuisine and demonstrates strong Indian influences due to Thailand's proximity to India.

After class, I heard singing outside my room only to find carolers in front of my dorm. What a lovely way to get in the holiday spirit!

CIA Snow Tour

I keep talking about the beautiful campus and here it is with a little snow.

grilled beef in shiso leaves

Chopped lemongrass, garlic, black pepper, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, eggs, cornstarch, Vietnamese chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil seasoned ground beef to make a delicious filling that was rolled inside perilla or shiso leaves and served as Vietnamese street food. The beef mixture was flavorful and delicious-- it could also be used to make meat balls, hamburgers, Vietnamese "taco" filling, etc.

I heart sushi

When I was younger, I hated sushi. I thought raw fish, rice, and seaweed were gross individually, but together they were like a powerhouse for disaster. Bleh. But now, I love sushi! I even crave that chewy seaweed and sticky rice, the smoothness of raw fish and the creaminess of avocado. These are the textures that made me suffer from a heavy case of food envy last year at lunch, as my friend, Tiffany, ate a bright tray of sushi and enjoyed every bite.

I was lucky enough to create my own little sushi heaven tonight in class. My group made over 200 pieces of sushi, and every single one was beautiful. (I still think its cool that I got to roll sushi for my education today.) Sushi isn't easy but its simpler than I expected. I'm reminded again of Julia Child, "you've just got to have the courage of your convictions!" As I made inside out sushi, I respectfully patted the rice onto a half sheet of nori, spread bright orange caviar down the center of the rice and flipped the whole thing over onto a bamboo rolling mat. It was risky each time because the nori was thin and the rice was heavy.

I think the key to successful sushi is sticky rice. And "hand vinegar", which is a combination of icy cold water and a generous splash of lemon juice/vinegar. Before you pick up a handful of rice, dunk your hands in the "hand vinegar" to get them really cold and then the rice doesn't stick to your fingers. It's pretty darn cool.

sushi 101

Sushi: seasoned rice, sea vegetables, possibly with vegetables and/or seafood (raw or cooked)

maki: "roll", referring to what I think of as traditional sushi

nigiri: "finger shaped", pressed rice with a piece of fish laid over top, fastened with a piece of seaweed

sashimi: raw seafood, always

nori: roasted seaweed that has been pressed into sheets

***first snow***

That's right folks! It snowed here in the Hudson Valley tonight, and it was magical.

kimchi

Fermented vegetables eaten often in Korean cuisine. Kimchi is not just cabbage, as many may think. Kimchi can be cucumber, daikon, radish, or mustard greens. Our kimchi was cabbage soaked in a salt water solution to draw out moisture. Tomorrow we will marinate it in a flavorful combination of Korean Chili powder, garlic, ginger, scallion, fish sauce, and sugar.

Dim Sum

My chef keeps telling us to read the Chinese written on the boxes, bottles, and bags of ingredients, which makes me laugh every time. In addition, she is having us practice writing Chinese, which I love.

Dim Sum is any combination of small bites of food. It can be dumplings, potstickers, spring rolls, steam buns, chicken feet, Chinese BBQ ribs, etc. We served our dim sum with a ginger soy dipping sauce and a crunchy cabbage salad.

For the cabbage salad: Mix some shredded cabbage with a generous amount of salt to draw out the moisture. Let the cabbage sit for 15 minutes, then squeeze it out. Mix rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, green onions, and a sprinkle of sesame oil to the drained cabbage to make a deliciously wonderful side dish.

jasmine tea and grapes

My Chef gave us Jasmine tea and grapes tonight after class as we sat and reviewed the day. She taught us how to enjoy the tea, putting the cup beneath her nose, she breathed deeply. "Smell..." she smiled. "Appreciate, the tea, and thank the person who made it for you." At this point everyone turned to me and thanked me because I had made the tea. It felt corny at the time but it also made me happy because I'm glad manners are still being taught, even in college. Then she slowly put the cup to her lips and took a sip. "Oh, this tea is hot. Don't burn yourself!" She smiled as she brought her hand to her chest. She also strictly instructed us not to put sugar in our tea. "No milk, no cream--nothing! Just tea!" she said.

It was such a pleasant way to end the day. The warmth of the liquid just settled right into my belly in the most perfect of ways. She said that in China, they don't eat dessert every night, just some fruit-- "apples, tangerines, or something". As a child I would have been beyond disappointed if I had received fruit as my dessert. Tonight, I was beyond satisfied.

Why would a Chef share tea and grapes with you after a class? Because this is the Hospitality Industry, welcome.

sweet, salty, spicy

Today was Day 1 of Cuisines of Asia with one of the most endearing, yet stern, ladies I know. Before we start cooking she lectures for the first hour of class about our food for the day. She goes over 4 areas for each dish: cooking method, tastes, special ingredients, and method. The tastes are crucial to our understanding of the dish. We are working our way through the continent of Asia, starting with China. Tonight we made Crispy Tangerine Chicken which was described as being sweet, salty, and spicy. "Now think about what that means," she coached later in the evening, "Sweet-- sugar. Salty--" "Soy Sauce!" a student called out. "And hot," she finished, "Hot bean paste, chilies. So now you can make this dish even without a recipe. Just think of the flavors, right?"

It's a neat way of thinking about a dish. Just pick out the tastes and then personalize the flavors. What is it that we love about Crispy Tangerine Chicken? Its sweet, salty, and spicy. That winning combination could easily be transferred to a beef, pork, noodle, veggie, or tofu dish. Instead of sugar, you could use honey, molasses, agave, brown sugar, maple syrup, or fruit. For salty you could use kosher salt, smoked sea salt, worcestershire sauce, or anchovies. For spicy you could use peppers, chilies, hot sauce, black pepper, or pepper flakes. We can take the combinations of tastes we know and love and create an endless possibility of dishes.

stop

I thought of this video today in homage to my 12th grade English teacher from one of my classmates. It is illustrating my friend's vocab word of the week. The video reminded me of what I wanted to say to time today. It is the last day of Cuisines of the Americas and I just wanted time to stop. I love this kitchen, I am fascinated by my chef, and I've fallen in love with American food. I was also overwhelmed by the amount of work that needed to be done and the amount of time I had to do it. The combination of appreciation and feeling overwhelmed made me want to press stop for just a minute today. Sometimes you just need a minute to breathe, reorganize, and recover. In the kitchen, you don't have that luxury. While the quick pace of the kitchen makes some people crazy, its also one of the reasons some of us are here. So time, go right ahead and zoom along because I know that's what you're going to do anyway, but just know that on rare occasions I do wish you would stop, if only for a moment.

don't worry there will be days like this

Today was frustrating because my partner and I were not effective in our planning. I take comfort in knowing that days like today can be prevented because when working in a kitchen, it is vital to strategize. I know I have said that before, but every time I experience the complications and challenges of poor planning I need to reassure myself, so much stress in the kitchen can be eliminated with proper and effective planning. Set time limits and goals for each element of a dish. The beef must be in the oven by 3:00 p.m. and if its not, everyone needs to get on board to get that done. If the tortillas were supposed to be fried by 2:15 and its 2:45, do them now or re-organize and fit them in later. Deadlines give me a sense of urgency and understanding for the importance of a task. Time is spent more efficiently and energy is not wasted. I understand you must also be flexible and be able to adjust to unforseen challenges, but I can't help but crave the harmony of proper planning.

food news

Late tonight I checked out Slash Food (per a suggestion of my class mate) and was so excited that food news is actually available and there are entire web sites devoted to any news that is food related. Its really well put together and very easy to navigate.

pozole

When lime (the mineral) is added to whole corn kernals it creates a product called hominy in the U.S. or pozole in Mexico. The chemical process makes the corn kernals look identical to candy corn and also softens the outer skin and makes the niacin, which is naturally occurring in corn, now available to the human body. It is quite a cool little process, one that was included in the soup I made tonight, fancifully named pozole. It was a delicious combination of chicken broth, tomatillos, onions, serrano peppers, lime juice, epazote (an herb commonly used to aid in the digestion of beans= less gas), Mexican oregano, lard, hominy/pozole, chicken meat, pork meat, avocado, red onion, sunflower seeds, and tortilla strips for garnish.

According to Chef, it was Mexico in a bowl. "If you eat this, you don't even need to go to Mexico!" He was kidding of course because if everything in Mexico is this delicious, we should all definitely go.

staircases

Like a stair case the curriculum here builds upon itself. It is so cool to look back and see where I was 9 weeks ago, just 63 short days ago I was freaking out about getting one dish right, one plate, one shot, just me and my food. Now, I'm part of a team, a half to a whole, putting out 10-12 plates of more complex food. Its purely exciting. And just like a staircase, you keep moving upward but its nice to look behind you, every once in a while, and see how far you've come.

Chili Rellenos

Note to self: quinoa needs to rapidly boil during the entire cooking time in order to cook properly. Its not like rice where it simmers and then burns. Do it nice or do twice. Today, I did it twice.

The quinoa was added to cooked black beans (simmered with carrot, onion, garlic, and sun dried tomato), swiss cheese, Chihuahua cheese, marjoram, and cilantro to make a delicious stuffing for Poblano peppers. The peppers were served with Salsa Amarillo, squash salsa, guacamole, and blue corn tortilla chips.

Salsa Amarillo was yellow bell pepper, onions, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, coriander and water cooked down until soft. The mixture is then blended with lime juice, tomatillos, and salt to make a wonderfully sweet puree.

Squash salsa was made of blanched yellow summer squash, zucchini, and carrots. Then we added chopped chipotle in Adobo sauce, lime juice, cilantro, red onion, and sugar.

Finally, the trick to a good guacamole is to salt it, salt it, and keep salting it. Extra salt is needed to cut the fattiness of the avocado and make all the other flavors shine.

tongue, cheek, eyeball, and brain

What do all these body parts have in common? I ate them all today. We made a whole curry braised goat for dinner tonight. My chef broke down the head into the above parts for us all to taste. Naturally, I ate everything he put in front of me. When will you get to eat stringy goat cheek? Sand paper like tongue? Foie gras like brain? Or crunchy/mushy eyeball (yes, including the pupil and cornea)? Only at the CIA.

pan smoke

Pan smoking is a technique when wood chips/shavings are put in the bottom of a dry pan, a rack with food on it is placed over the wood chips so they're not touching, and the pan is heated on the stove top until they woods starts smoking, the heat source is removed and the food is covered shortly to impart a smoky flavor. We made a smoked sweet potato puree to go with pan seared wild stripe bass, black beans, coconut rice, and grapefruit salsa. Beautiful colors, beautiful food.

saturday class

Because we are going to have two days off for Thanksgiving, we didn't have a 3 day weekend this past week at the beginning of the block (like we usually do) and we had class today. I'm tired and I miss getting two whole days to just relax and regroup, but other than that, I love these classes and that's why I'm here, so if Saturday class is what's needed then so be it.

We make the same menu for two days in a row in rotating teams of two. Each team is responsible for one of the dishes below, we also have a sous chef, tournant (expeditor), and soup/salad. We featured Southern American cuisine these last two days... I love regional cooking, it has such rich history and significance.

Set up for Family Meal... and our beautiful, GIGANTIC kitchen

Fried Chicken, Braised greens, Mashed potatoes, and Country Gravy

Pane Quail, Saute Spinach with bacon, Red beans with Tasso ham, and rice

Pulled Pork (Western Carolina Style-- vinegar, chili flakes, sugar, and ketchup), Cole Slaw, and Assorted Pickled Veg

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya with fried Mirliton (squash family)--my dish

Apple cakes for dessert.. <3>
Happy Saturday everybody! Tomorrow's going to be a lovely day of rest.

the baker

There is a most unfortunate prejudice on campus between the Baking Students and the Culinary Students. CIA offers two majors: Culinary Arts (cooking-- meat, vegetable, starch, savory cookery) and Baking and Pastry Arts (baking--cookies, breads, tarts, pies, chocolates, sugar sculptures). It is one of the first questions you ask when you meet someone new on campus: "Culinary or Baking?" Sometimes Culinary students will tease Bakers for not working as hard, or taking too many breaks, and sometimes the Bakers will tease Culinary for not knowing anything about baking while they know how to cook steak. Of course when I say tease, I really mean use offensive language and get quite nasty, but tease is really more appropriate because its about as immature as teasing. The thing is we both need each other and neither is inferior.

As a Culinary student, I especially appreciate the Bakers when one lives in my room and gives me treats like the Maple Pecan ice cream above. De-licious.

baby vegetables and the library

While 15 minutes may not seem like a long time it equates to about 1/8 the amount of time I have for cooking in class, and today I spent 15 minutes peeling, trimming, and cleaning baby carrots. I had not anticipated that this particular task would be so consuming but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself bent over each carrot gently peeling off their delicate outer layer exposing beautiful, clean vegetable, all the while being careful not to break off their bright stems. Real baby carrots (carrots that are picked young-- not the "Baby Carrots" we buy in grocery stores in plastic bags for school lunches that are actually big carrots, trimmed down into nice little 3 bite pieces.. shocking, right?) are a sight to behold. I wished I had my camera with me today because the view of the contrastrasting light green stems and the rich orange flesh, is one that needs to be shared. Baby carrots are also cool because they are so time consuming. It is impossible to rush through the process of preparing them because doing so would cause permanent damage, i.e. break them. In a strange way they reminded me of baby humans and their reminder to us of how careful we have to be sometimes and that some things just can't be rushed.

As I mentioned before, I have started a new class this week and my chef is downright inspiring. Every single blog post I have written in the past has been on my laptop from my dorm room, but tonight I find myself in the library computer lab studying his powerpoints, researching things we talked about in class, and pouring over books that he suggested. I am not just here for him either, I'm here looking at books that I've been meaning to read but hadn't quite gotten around to and now that I'm in his class basking in his knowledge, I'm inspired to be more knowledgable myself. It's an exciting attitude shift towards openess. Once I get a taste of facts and stories during his lectures, I only want more. And that's why I find myself tonight, here in the library.

3 weeks

That's the amount of time we have in each class. For most college students a class lasts 4 months, but here they last 14 days. Those 3 week increments allowed me to start classes here 3 days after I graduated high school at the end of June. There are a couple advantages to starting at such a weird time. The first is that my incoming group is pretty small, we have smaller classes (9-12 students) allowing for everyone to cook more and stand around less. I hear about these classes of 18-21 and I wonder what the students do. Second, there is a very diverse group of people in my class not just high school graduates like the majorities of the incoming August classes. It is so helpful to have 24, 28, and 31 year olds giving you perspective about the Food Industry and life. Lastly, we are learning about American cuisine at Thanksgiving time which I think is just awesome.

I am also glad that the classes last 3 weeks allowing us to have a very wide range of Chefs as instructors. There are days when its frustrating to let go of a skill you learned last week with one Chef in exchange for your current Chef's instructions. However, the Chefs here each have something very different and unique to offer that being exposed to so many different personalities provides a very rich education.

prime time

I forgot to mention that yesterday started a new block-- 3 week set of class that just so happens to be Cuisines of the Americas! I say it just so happens because next Thursday is arguably North America's most historical meal and tonight in lecture we talked all about the pilgrims! Its such cool timing I couldn't help but smile.

Yesterday's and today's menu was:

New England Style Clam Chowder
Amish Corn and Chicken Soup
Apple Cider Vinaigrette on mixed greens
Old Fashioned Salt Cod Cakes with bacon, cole slaw, and remoulade sauce
Yankee Pot Roast, root vegetables, peas, and pearl onions
Turkey Breast with Chestnut Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
Johnnycakes with Mushrooms, White Cheddar, Roasted Acorn Squash, Corn, and Beans

I also couldn't have anticipated how exciting it would be to learn about American food (North and South America). I have always felt a strong connection to home and where I came from and so its really not a surprise that I love learning about American food, but I guess I'm surprised at how rich our food history is. There is historical meaning behind every single item on our menu today and that's what my chef keeps highlighting, the importance of the ingredients. My class is really like a history class through food. Here are some of the interesting facts:

• Salt Cod Cakes are a mixture of cod and potatoes, pan-fried and eaten warm. Salt Cod was popular among settlers because cod was abundant off the coasts of New England and salting it was a method of preserving it. Combining the fish with pureed potatoes extended the use of the fish thus creating a fish version of meat loaf.
  
• Yankee pot roast is a more refined version of New England Boiled Dinner... settlers would take animals' hides, fill them with water, put bits of meat and vegetables in the water, and add a glowing hot stone that would instantly boil the water creating a flavorful liquid--broth. The thickened roux based, gravy-like, fortified-with-wine sauce we now associate with pot roast is the French influence. Traditional American Pot Roast though, is just boiled meat. Root vegetables are also native to the Americas and many settlers ate wild root vegetables before they developed a taste for carrots (originally from Afghanistan), squash (Peru), and corn (Mexico).
  
• Johnnycakes were originally a Native American staple food called "Ash Cakes" because they would take ground corn meal and cook it in hot ashes. Settlers saw this and revised the recipe by frying the ground meal in pans. After a demonstration in class yesterday, it was confirmed these cakes are durable and can withstand frisbee like conditions. They were carried by soldiers like "Johnny" during the Revolutionary War because of their durability. As the cakes made their way south, they were eaten by field hands who would hold their shovels or hoes over a fire in the fields and cook the cakes on the ends. In the South they are still referred to by many as hoecakes.
  

I love class and I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

johnnycakes, mushrooms and white cheddar sauce, succotash

There is something so lovely about heavy cream, butter, and cheese all melted together and cooked down to form a wonderous sauce. Throw in some mushrooms, shallots, Madeira, brandy, white wine, and you've got the sauce I made in class today. Delicious.

The sauce was layered between Johnnycakes-- which are cornmeal pancakes but firmer, more savory, and smaller than breakfast pancakes. The hearty corn and delicate mushrooms played very nicely together as their contrasting textures heightened eachother's crunchy and silky characteristics, respectively.

Acorn squash was quartered, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with maple sugar, then baked at 350° for about 45 minutes. 1/2 inch green bean pieces and corn kernals were tossed in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and spooned over the sqauash. Toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped parsley, and chopped chive were the final garnish.

Vegetarianarianism

I went running along the Hudson River today... how was your day?

After my little jaunt along the water, I headed to the kitchen for Day 14 of Skills III which is focused on Vegetarian cookery-- no bacon on the vegetables, no chicken stock in the rice, and no beef stock in the sauce. My team made Pierogies with caramelized onions, sage brown butter, butter braised cabbage, and sour cream. Making the pierogies was so fun because standing around a counter rolling pasta with other people creates almost a magnetic field that pulls people in and allows them to share stories.

I also ate a most wonderful combination today. As I sat in the dining hall eyeing the tray of peanut butter cookies and wondering what they would be like dipped in Chocolate Milk, I got a little smile on my face. I had already eaten a Chocolate Chip Peanut cookie dipped in milk and I figured one was enough for today. I couldn't shake the idea, so I eventually just gave in and could not be happier that I did. It was the best thing I ate today. The Chocolate Milk at our school is supplied by Hudson Valley Fresh and they produce one heck of a Chocolate Milk.

Peanut butter cookie+ chocolate milk= happiness

Cooking Practical

There is a wonderful little trick called beurre manie. It is when flour (50%) and butter (50%) are kneaded together and small amounts are added to a sauce, soup, or stew to thicken it at the last minute.

Our final practical examination for Skills III consisted of making Beef Stew, mashed potatoes, cut vegetables, and broccoli cream soup. Everything was going swimmingly until our Beef Stew was still thin right before service. What did we do? Knead some butter and flour together, throw small amounts into the stew, stir, and bring to a simmer. What did we end up with? Beautifully, rich, thick beef stew. Yum.

disappointing

Late for service. We got slammed tonight even though it was deep and shallow poach fish (which are commonly unpopular). My menu was: one fillet of shallow poach trout stuffed with salmon mousse, one fillet of pan friend trout, vin blanc sauce, spaghetti squash, thyme roasted tomatoes, and broccoli.

Each day we come into the kitchens, set up our stations, check in our food order (meat, produce, dairy, etc. all the food needed for the day's menu), and start cooking for dinner. When service comes around, we have most items cooked. During service students and faculty come to the kitchen, tell Chef what they want, he calls it out, we plate the food to order, and then we send the plate to the front of the kitchen where Chef hands the plate to our customer.

Tonight, there was a misunderstanding about who was going to be doing what stations during service. We break down the different components of the plate into different jobs, so for instance someone will be in charge of heating the broccoli and getting it on the plate. The broccoli is cooked earlier in class, cooled, held in the "lowboy" (refrigerator below our station), dropped in hot water, drained, tossed in butter, and put on the plate. Somehow, I ended up plating everything and taking care of all the vegetables. It was awesome because I got a system going and I was in the groove, hammering out beautiful plates. The only problem was I should have been working with more people (my team mates) and we should have been even faster. When I started to get backed up, my team mates realized and wanted to help but I didn't know what to tell them to do because it was easier to just keep plugging ahead than stop and reorganize to incorporate more people. If you ever find yourself in this situation as the person who wants to help, come up with a solution to be more efficient and then approach the person who needs help because they don't have time to stop and think of a solution themselves. Overall, it was a frustrating day because while I am here to be my best, I am also part of a team and the team struggled tonight.

Career Fair

So many cool employers were at the Career Fair-- Chipotle, Whole Foods, the Little Nell, Marriott, Tribeca Ovens, Wegman's, and the Taco Truck are just a few. Career Fair was awesome today and it felt so good to have my resume ready to hand out and I really enjoyed talking with employers about their companies. One of the employers asked me what the best thing I ate recently was and I had to think-- Wild Mushroom Risotto and a Balsamic Dressed Mixed Green Salad. I came up with the answer pretty quickly but he caught me off guard and it was a good reminder to be prepared.

:)

We made Chicken Fricasse again today and I loved it the second time too. The neat thing about the food here is that its all homemade and I like knowing that. We make all our stocks here (Chicken, Brown Veal, Fish, White beef) and every dish starts from the ground up. I think that's what makes Chicken Fricasse so good, the ingredients are honest and the flavors are pure. Its a very simple dish and the chicken gets a chance to shine honestly.

Also, I was in the community kitchen in my dorm tonight and a friend of mine brought his guitar and started playing songs while I washed dishes. As I sat at the table and pretended to do homework, I felt so incredibly happy. Good music, good food, good people-- good day.

beef stew beef stew, whatcya gonna do?

So it's always been a mystery to me how to cook different pieces of meat. I've wondered why you fry some, roast some, cook some in a pan, and others you cook for a long period of time with lots of liquid. It was always this last category that fascinated me because that meat seemed to undego the greatest transformation from tough, stretchy, grey meat to melty chunks of deliciousness. As it turns out that type of cooking is called stewing or braising (the main difference being that stewing refers to bite size pieces of meat, and braising is done on large cuts that are later portioned into individual servings). When it comes to trying to decide what type of meat is best for what method of cooking, it is important to look at the animals muscles and classify them as high activity or low activity muscles. Shoulders, necks, and legs are high activity muscles because of their intensive use and extended periods of engagement i.e. all the time. Low activity muscles include muscles surrounding the belly, back, or rib cage because on most four legged animals those muscle groups are not used strenuously. High activity muscles are tough when cooked and posses high amounts of collagen connective tissue, while low activity muscles are often very tender and have little to no collagen. This collagen is important to consider when cooking a high activity piece of beef because in its raw form the collagen is stretchy and incredibly tough to cut through, however over low heat for a long period of time, it melts and becomes wonderfully rich. Activity level also correlates to flavor, and that is true for fish as well. Because tenderloins are virtually useless in an animal (they are surrounded by much, much larger muscles that instead do any work required) they also have virtually no flavor when compared to say a beef shank (pictured above, from the leg) that is just so full of beefy flavor, its awesome. Stewing and braising are best for high activity (tough) cuts of meat while sauteeing, roasting, grilling, and poaching are best for low activity (tender) cuts of meat.

So today we made beef stew which turned out okay due to the fact that our meat did not simmer long enough and was still chewy. Other than that, its Friday. What more could you ask for?

IIPC

Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

I started taking this class last week and since then I have learned my emotional intelligence, Myers-Briggs personality type, and top 3 personality traits. I love stuff like this because it helps us communicate and understand in so many awesome ways.

fireside chats and steak

As I was walking out of my room today my room mate was bubbly with excitement about what she was watching on her computer, curious I leaned in and waited with her for the president to address the nation. I am so thankful that there are such diverse people in this world because I had totally lost sight that yesterday was Election Day and yet my room mate was closely following the election. Standing there huddled around the computer watching our president speak, we reminded myself of a modern day version of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" and their incredible impact on our nation. I was excited as I walked to class by how lucky I am to live in such a cool country and on a much smaller scale how lucky I am to live in a room with such a cool girl.

The excitement continued as I fried potatoes for French Fries and grilled steak for our dinner service. I love deep fried food. Do I want to eat it everyday? No. Do I love whole grains and tofu? Yes. I'm not on one end of the spectrum or the other, I love deep fried food and I love healthy food. There is just something wonderful about the satisfyingly crisp, golden texture that develops on fried foods and the wonderful rich flavor.... mmmm. And who doesn't love a good steak? The plate was completed with a mushroom stuffed tomato and buttered broccoli.

Nothing.

That's we got... nothing. We were both on time for service and lecture tonight. No paper, just another day in paradise.

When I was assigned to make the glazed beets tonight, I knew it was going to be good because when you feel a special connection to an ingredient, it makes you want to work that much harder to make it beautiful and let it shine. I wish I could say I felt that way about every single ingredient that has ever passed in front of me in a kitchen but the truth is I haven't, some will always remain special and I will always feel a special drive to do them justice. Fresh squeezed orange juice is one such ingredient. As I watched my friend squeeze the oranges for their liquid gold I just smiled because there is nothing in this world like fresh squeezed orange juice. Nothing.

I gathered the sugar, water, butter, salt, and fresh squeezed orange juice for my glazed beets. I heated up a pan until it was really hot (but not smoking), so that when I poured in the orange juice (6 oz) it would steam instantly and sizzle up into a million bubbles. I stirred in the sugar (8 oz) until it was dissolved and then added some water (maybe 6 oz), and simmered the glaze until it rendered thick, glossy bubbles. I added a good pinch of salt and about 2 oz of butter. The end result was a stunning gold glaze. I tossed cut, cooked, and peeled beets in the glaze and served them with braised kale, spatzle, and a breaded veal cutlet.

When cooking beets they should be left whole and brought to boil in cold, salted, acidulated (1 oz lemon juice or vinegar/ 1 Gallon water) water. Don't peel them because all their betalaine (purple vegetable pigment) will seep out into the water.

CAUTION: eating large amounts of beets will stain your teeth pink. While this may be endearing to some dinner guests, I can also see it being embarassing in some dinner situations. Not that it's not worth it, or that pink teeth aren't cool because they are, but just be aware that its a side effect.

wish you were here

The view here today was spectacular. It has been annoyingly warm here for the past week and yesterday Mother Nature finally decided to realize it was almost November and it should be cold. So today on the first day of November, it was wonderfully chilly and awesomely sunny.

The kitchen today was not chilly or sunny, it was however late. We were making Breaded Pork Cutlets, glazed beets, braised kale, and spatzle, one of my favorite meals here. Then we also made Filet Mignon, Cauliflower, green beens, and potato gratin. As I mentioned before, we were late for service and for every minute we're late, we have 1 page to write. And then for each minute we are late to lecture (8 p.m.) we get 1 page. Tonight was 7 minutes late for service and 18 minutes late for lecture. That's 25 pages... Chef gave us the option to gamble Double or nothing... so we're either going to have a 50 page paper due Wednesday or nothing at all. We can be on time tomorrow, I have faith.

Happy Halloween!

I love the smell of a bag of Halloween candy. You know, Halloween candy really is the best.

As my friends and I dumped out our candy treasure tonight on the lounge floor we traded and made candy pictures out of our sorted candy. The candy pictures was new but the trading was good old fashion fun. We reminisced about our days of convincing our friends that by sheer volume our lesser candy was worth their better candy, e.g. 10 smarties for your king size Snickers. Somehow, we always got away with it.

I also remembered the days when I was only allowed to eat a certain amount of Halloween candy per day. My mom used to hide our candy on the years we were really out of control with our candy intake and as I sit here on my dorm floor, this is one instance when I'm glad she's not here. I could eat all this candy tonight if I wanted. I won't but the thought that I could is thrilling.

I hate reaching into my bag of Halloween candy and finding old wrappers in there, because first it tricks you into thinking you still have a watermelon Airhead when really you were drooling so much you just ate it right away and second it reminds you that your gargantuan candy stash is in fact diminishing. And that's a very depressing thought because unlike fruit cakes at Christmas, Halloween Candy should really last all year long. As I said before, its just the best.

In true Halloween fashion, candy was the first thing I ate this morning and the last thing I'll eat tonight.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Should I get out of bed today?

Yes. I know that out of all the decisions we make in a day, getting out of bed is often overlooked but I think its an important decision because nothing else would happen if you didn't say yes to that first question. Today was one of those days where I was particularly glad I said yes. I was feeling especially tired after a week of working at the CMC exam in the morning and going to class in the afternoons.

What made me particularly glad that I got out bed was that I got the opportunity to work with Chef Dan Dumont as his apprentice. This meant gathering his ingredients, measuring ingredients, cleaning, and any other task he assigned me. It was such an honor. Not only was it amazing to be trusted with the responsibility of measuring ingredients for the Certified Master Chef exam, but it was an honor to work with Dan Dumont. I was excited by his attention to detail, organization, and good sense. As he made a green apple mousse, he took two spoons to taste, one for himself and one for me. He didn't ask for my opinion or need anything from me, he was just sharing. Not only can Chef Dumont cook delicious food but he takes delight in sharing it with other people and I love that.

Sharing food continued as my class served Trout Almandine with sauteed squash and tomatoes, green beans, and tourne potatoes as one option. We also had Chicken Fines Herbs (tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives), fresh noodles, green beans, and baby carrots. There was also a delicious Lentil Soup and Red Wine Soaked Cherry Salad... mmmmm those cherries were yummy.

Also, thank you Danny for stopping by my kitchen earlier this week. Your moral support is greatly appreciated :)

cooking and lyrics

My past two chefs have said "Clean your counter, you wouldn't play on a dirty piano right?!? CLEAN YOU KEYS!!!" when they wanted us to clean the area right in front of the stove top where food drops, grease builds up, and liquid spills. But the connection between cooking and music doesn't end there. Last night there was an Open Mic Night to raise money for Breast Cancer Research and it was a fabulous display of talent. I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear live music and that's such a good feeling when you are submersed in the music and it just fills your body. I hadn't felt that way in a while and its similar to the fullness I get when I'm around food but it fills a different part of me. Tonight, Chef was playing the Alma Mater over the kitchen speakers, which he likes to do while we tourne. A tourne is a 6-7 sided shape, 1 inch wide by 2 inches long, carved down and very, VERY classical French. Its actually pretty outdated in the restaurant world but tournes are alive and well here at the CIA. So when we tourne, we also listen to the Alma Mater. Its a lovely combination. Seriously :)

adaptation's the name of the game

That's what I've figured out so far. My classmates and I have been frustrated by our lack of understanding these past two days as we adjust to a new class, new chef, and new kitchen. You have to remember, we are the people that use the term mise en place ("everything in its place", traditionally referring to the set up of a station in the kitchen with all ingredients, equipment, recipes, order, and methods all organized and displayed) for any situation in life that would be made easier, faster, and more efficient by the presence of preparation. We like organization and we like preparation. Our Chef seems to purposefully give us a lack of both which is infuriating at first. He is supposed to lead us, guide us, help us out, hold our hand! But no. That's not what he's doing and I think we're better for it. We have to learn about how the kitchen works on our own, we have to pay attention, be aware, think on our feet, prioritize, organize, and prepare on our own. He's not holding our hands but he is taking away the clocks and turning them forward 30 minutes so we think we are severely behind schedule. This really freaked us out tonight because we had previously broken down our entire prep time into a 7 page game plan... 1 page for each minute we were late opening for service last night. Yeah you could get mad about it, stomp your foot and complain, but that isn't going to get the green beans trimmed or the beef seared. Take a deep breath and think. You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggonit people like you.

dirty whites and side towels

I realized pretty soon after I started wearing whites that you could tell what kind of day it was depending on how clean your whites were... not sure if I've mentioned that before, but if I have today was another testament to that notion. A chef told my class that you can tell how a person cooks if you look at their side towels. If they are dirty then they are going to have dirty food, but if they are clean and fresh, you can expect the same from the plates they put out. My food was not dirty tonight, I don't care what the circumstances are I refuse to serve dirty food, but my side towels did pick up their fair share of grease. They look so grungy mostly because of the black residue on the exterior of most pans not because of any food I was handling, but they did look pretty gnarly by the end of the night and I felt they were also a good indicator of the mess I was feeling in my head as I cooked.

I entered my first production kitchen today producing 40 dinner plates for students and faculty. The menu tonight was Roasted Chicken, Pommes Puree (mashed potatoes), glazed carrots, broccoli, pan gravy, and Caramelized Onion Soup. While the food tasted pretty good, we were terribly unorganized in the kitchen. I guess that's Day 1 for ya! I have a feeling I'm going to see many a day like today in my future. But these struggles are part of the job/industry/experience and I have to roll with them. They are painful, as all growing pains are, but I know I will be better for them and that gives me hope. As my friend likes to say, "just another day in paradise".

these hands

I have a terrible case of what I call Ugly Hands-- the skin on my fingers is so dry that it has cracked and now the cracks are dark because I'm pretty sure there's dirt in there, even if I wash them 100,000 times. Its really gross. Now why do I tell you this? Because today I was washing dishes all day, thus perpetuating my case of Ugly Hands. Who's dishes was I washing you ask? The candidates' for this year's Certified Master Chef test. What an incredible honor it was to scrape their dishes and I'm not even kidding because I got to witness history taking place from two feet away and if exhibiting the worst signs of Ugly Hands is the price I have to pay, I'll do it gladly. These men are among the most talented in the industry right now. I'm not even going to compare them to their Hollywood, Bollywood, MTV, Food Network, Cartoon Network, Disney Chanel, CNN counterparts. Just imagine the best, and that's who's dishes I got to wash today. The test is a grueling 8 day test with a 90% fail rate. There are 61 CMC's in the world, many of them judging the test. I will be volunteering throughout this week and will do my best to report the amazing things I see.

The Hudson Valley and my Practical

As you can see the Hudson Valley is a lovely place. I rode my bike up to the post office in town today and saw so many wonderful things, these photos don't really do them justice. Now, I know everyone who takes pictures of places they love says that but I have put off posting pictures up to this point because I felt none of them were truly capturing the essence of the Hudson Valley's beauty. These photos don't either but I had to push my perfectionist aside and just share what I could gather with a point and shoot camera.

I have always lived in the same town, so when I moved to Hyde Park, NY this summer I was uncomfortable. I didn't know these people, I hadn't shopped in these grocery stores, I didn't meet my friends at these Starbucks, or go to these churches, everything was new and at first I didn't like it. I of course, loved my school and my campus, but as soon as I got off campus, things felt foreign. However, after seeing a movie at the Hyde Park Drive-In (pictured above) this summer, running at Vanderbilt Estate with the changing fall leaves, eating at the neighborhood Applebee's, shopping at the grocery store, and getting gas from the Sunoco, I am starting to feel more comfortable. As I passed by F.D.R.'s home on my bike ride, I read a familiar sign out front with the quote on it, "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River", and for the first time I really understood why. Hyde Park is becoming home, and I really like that.

I'm really glad the CIA is located in such a good place, not only for living but also for food. There are farms galore, independent restaurants, and artisans passionate about particular foods. Local wheat, cheese, milk (especially Chocolate Milk in the dining hall), rhubarb, foie gras, grapes, pumpkins, and apples can all be found here. And that's just right now, but during the summer farmer's markets are full of beautiful fresh tomatoes, sweet berries, crispy lettuces, sweet corn, herbs and so much more. The Hudson Valley is an incredible place for food.

Now the final picture you see above is my plate for my final exam for Skills II, it is known as a practical exam, or practical for short. The plate consisted of:

Beef Tournedos (rounded filet mignon) with Sauce Chausseur
Broccoli Rabe
Onion Rings
Potato Gratin

Sauce Chausseur is referred to as a derivative sauce because it is a Mother Sauce with added ingredients: Espagnole, brandy, tomatoes, mushrooms, and tarragon. My filets were overcooked and my onion rings were too brown but my sauce, broccoli rabe, and potatoes fell into the "excellent" category, which made me happy. It would have been even better if everything had fallen into the "excellent" category, but that's why I'm here--to learn how to be better.

My sister's favorite word is Meliora, which in Latin tranlates to "always better". I didn't like that at first because I think we should appreciate small successes when we have them and not overlook accomplishments because we are so focused on always wanting to be better. But with the appreciation of what I've done so far, I still remember "always better".

its the end of the first semester :)

I literally feel like I just got here. I was walking through the Admissions building today and as I passed by the woman who answers the phone when you call 1-800-CULINARY I remembered all the times I had called her hoping she could help me get one step closer to my future. It's so neat to remember those phone calls and my sense of urgency and unsureness that I would ever actually go here because I am here now and this is my life. As I walked to my room and unlocked my door I remembered the first couple times I ever did that, and then the trip down memory lane got sweeter as I looked out my window and saw a view that resembled the photo that is famously reproduced to depict CIA. I kept a copy of this view in my backpack every day of my senior year to remind me where I hoped to be this year. It literally looks like that here.

I'm so glad I'm here.

this little piggy

I got tears in my eyes for the first time during a demo tonight. Chef was frying pork cutlets and it just seemed so perfect. The crispy, golden coating on the pork somehow called out to the deepest parts of my soul, I just wanted to eat it. My mouth was watering, my eyes were welling up, and my lips turned upwards into a smile. Breaded pork cutlets are like food nirvana. They are an enlightenment of the most simple kind. It is crazy that pork, salt, pepper, flour, egg, freshly ground up white bread, and chicken fat can make something so magnificent. There are no fancy ingredients and no special tricks, just pan fry the pork and eat it. It's pure bliss.

"You must have the courage of your convictions!!!"

She sang it out in only the way her sing-songy voice would carry such a phrase and encouraged Americans at home to get off the couch and into the kitchen. The courage of your convictions.

I think that is a most beautiful phrase because it is a stronger, deeper way of saying believe in what you believe in. Be convicted about things and form opinions.

Tonight, we made Trout Meuniere which can only conjure up images of one person: Julia Child. She credits this dish as being one of the most influential in her life. While she shared this meal with her husband Paul in France, she realized just how much she loved food. And I love her. Julia Child brought cooking to Americans in a way that was approachable, honest, and fun; everything I believe cooking should be. I smiled tonight as I cooked a dish I know Julia has eaten before and mused over the way food connects us through time and space.

remember when

I was thinking today about why I started this whole blog in the first place. I started it so that I could shed some light on the often confusing new ways a student has to learn when they first start classes here. Since I have started this blog, I have become immensely more comfortable with campus. I am by no means a campus guru or even a moderate expert, I just feel more comfortable in my skin here. However, I remember when I didn't feel this way and I want to honor that and include 10 knowledgeable pieces of information I have gained since being here.

1. For breakfast in the morning at k-16, if you go in the exit door anything from the second counter is free or no swipe, including the fancy fruit trays, muffins, scones, biscuits, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit salad, and fruit basket
2. There is a downstairs dining room and it's open to everyone (this may sound really silly but my friend confirmed the same fear I had when I first arrived here that the downstairs dining room was somehow exclusive, like for upperclassmen or something... good news: it's not.)
3. You can start getting food for breakfast as early as 4:45 a.m and as late 9 a.m. (I've never tried eating before 4:45 although it is very likely there's food, and 9 a.m. is the official breakfast ending time, although somedays the food lingers past then)
4. Desserts for lunch are brought into Farq Hall right around 11 a.m. and that is the best chance to get one... there are sooooo many
5. If you get to dinner in the downstairs dining room after 6 p.m. it is unlikely you will find dessert
6. You can take a piece of fruit from a fruit basket in any kitchen, just walk right in and grab it
7. The library does have non-food related books, they are located on the second floor on the opposite side of the book shelf immediately to your left when you walk through the door from the stairwell
   
8. The phone numbers of all the departments (Bursar, Registrar, Student Rec Center, etc.) and hours of several (Library, Rec Center, Mail Room, etc.) are located in the front of your Student Handbook Planner
9. You can always sharpen your knives in the Meat Room
10. You can cash personal checks at the Bursar's office

literally a lovely opportunity

This was how my Saturday started. I was riding my wonderful bike, Blue Thunder, over the Mid Hudson Bridge with the Chefs Sustaining Agriculture group and we were on our way to a farm.

The Hudson Valley is just a spectacular place this time of year. I repeatedly caught my breath in chest because I couldn't believe how beautiful the trees were, how nicely the sun was shining, and how blue the sky was. It was just a gorgeous day.

The CIA, like so many colleges, has oodles and oodles of opportunities, clubs, trips, and events to participate in. Saturday's agenda was as follows:

1. Meet at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday
   
2. Ride bikes to Liberty View Farm- pick apples, talk to farmer, farm tour
   
3. Ride bikes to the Village Tea Room for lunch- eat
   
4. Return on bikes to campus

The whole trip was such an awesome idea and a great way to spend a beautiful October Saturday. I also met really cool people, slept really well Saturday night, and ate superb apples.

frickin fricasse

I love Chicken Fricasse. Now what the heck is that? Creamy chicken stew. Chicken thigh meat was white seared (hot enough heat to seal the meat but low enough to make sure the meat doesn't turn golden brown), onions and garlic are added, white wine is used to deglaze the pan, veloute (chicken stock+roux) is added, and bay leaf & thyme are added for flavor. The stew was then simmered until the chicken was cooked through and then cream, peas, carrots, and leeks were added right before serving. It was delicious.

Braised Short Ribs, Braised Endive, Polenta, Green Beens, Roasted Root Vegetable

To the ordinary person this just looks like a dinner plate. There's meat, starch, and vegetables. But to me, it's 5 recipes, 7 pots, and an accomplishment. I bring this up because when I look at the picture above I immediately imagine all the steps, equipment, and effort that went into making this plate. It's amazing the appreciation we gain for something once we've actually done it ourselves.

Braised Short Ribs
We heated a pan really hot with some butter then added the ribs, fat side down. We browned all sides and then removed the meat from the pan setting it aside while we browned the mirepoix (50% onions, 25% carrots, and 25% celery) in the fat left in the pan. The meat was returned to the pan and Sherry, wine, and a super rich beef stock were added. The mixture was covered and braised in the oven for 1-1 1/2 hours until the meat was fork tender.

Braised Endive
The endive was cut in half and placed on a bed of mirepoix and then covered 1/2 way up the sides with chicken stock, covered and braised. After the endive was tender, the cooking liquid was reduced to make a lovely sauce.

Polenta
The polenta was poured into a pot of boiling water while stirring constantly, trying to avoid lumps.

Green Beans
The green beans were cooked in boiling salted water until they were tender. They were immediately removed to a bowl and tossed with a small amount of whole butter.

Roasted Root Vegetables
I saved the best for last. Heat a small amount of butter really hot in a saute pan, add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, then roast at 350°. Roast until tender and browned on all sides. These vegetables were so sweet and rich in flavor, it was hard to believe there was no meat on them, and I'm not referring to the ones swimming in sauce in the picture. We had a mixture of turnip, rutabega, and carrot that was just delicious.

letters from home

I received a letter from home today that just made my day. Not only is it great to know that someone is thinking about you and cares about you even when you're not with them, but it is even greater to know that they care enough to send you a letter. So if you have a college student or know a college student, send them a letter, it just might make their day.

Rosemary and Sage also made my day because they are so wonderfully delicious on potatoes. Today we made roasted chicken, pan gravy, broccoli rabe, ratatouille, and roasted potatoes. For the potatoes, we sliced them a little thicker than a 1/4 inch, and tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then we heated olive oil in a pan until it was really hot and took the potato slices and laid them into the hot pan that was immediately put in a 35o° oven and cooked until the potatoes browned on the bottom, then they were flipped over. Once the potatoes were fully cooked, we tossed them in chopped sage, rosemary, and 3 slices of garlic. The potatoes were returned to the oven for a few minutes just to warm up some more but not really cook much further. Then they were eaten. Every single last one.

Flouder Delice, vin blanc, saffron rice pilaf, glazed carrots, and sauteed spinach

Tonight we each received one fish (identical to the flounder on the right) and we made 4 fillets, it threw me right back into fish class 6 weeks ago and made me smile that the curriculum here so obviously builds upon itself. We took the 4 fillets and tri-folded (delice) them, then we set them atop a little bed of minced shallots in a pot and added a combination of fish fumet and white wine. The fish was then covered with a loose parchment paper tent and baked in a 300° oven. The cooking liquid was then reduced and combined with fish veloute and cream to make a vin blanc sauce. The Saffron Rice Pilaf was made exactly like how we made pilaf last week, except we added saffron threads. Carrots were cut in uniform little shapes, called obliques, then cooked in a saute pan with water, sugar, and salt until they were tender. The spinach was tossed in hot butter with a little bit of shallots until the stems were tender and the leaves were wilted.

Oh, Extern

"It's never too early to start thinking about your extern." I've been hearing that for a long time, but now I fully believe it because there is a whole heck of a lot of work that goes into this thing.

After your first 30-33 weeks here each student leaves to gain experience in a food service industry establishment. The sites range from cruise ships to farms and vary in locations all around the world. Guess who gets to pick where you go? You! That is both a blessing and a curse because you have the freedom to go wherever you want (Italy, Maine, Florida, Colorado...) but also the tremendous pressure of making the right decision. The good news: 18 weeks. That's the length of your externship. If you end up somewhere you don't like, you are only there for 18 weeks. So in reality, its not that much pressure because its really only for a short period of time. Right before I rode my first ever roller coaster, my sister told me that even if I hated it, which she was convinced I wouldn't, it would be over in 30 seconds. I realized that was really only a short amount of time... and 18 weeks isn't really that long either.

The CIA has thousands of contacts and connections around the country and even a fair share internationally that I am having fun exploring while trying to choose my own externship site. In order to go to a site it must be approved, which is a process that can be implemented by the student but there are already over 1,400 sites approved around the world. I am currently looking at several restaurants around the country that have an emphasis on farm to table eating because I love farming. I want to go somewhere cool and suggestions are welcome!

"You're not taking any prisoners, huh?"

I looked up. "You're not taking any prisoners," Chef repeated with a bit of a grin. I gave him a quizzical look. "You're eating it all," he supplied. Oh. He was talking about the fact that I was sopping up every last bit of egg yolk from the Eggs Benedict on the plate in front of me. He was darn right I wasn't taking any prisoners, there was no discrimination here, everything on the plate was getting eaten.

Today was what some refer to as the "dreaded" Egg Day. I loved every single moment and dreaded none. Today is dreaded by some because there was a lot to do (11 different recipes to prepare, several that culminated into a single dish) and cooking an egg properly is not easy business (which I totally agree with). We prepared hard boiled, over easy, over medium, over hard, scrambled, and poached eggs. We made Hollandaise sauce for the Eggs Benedict, a royale (3 eggs: 1 c milk) which is just custard, and bread pudding. The royale was cooked to understand how protein cooks and what happens when it is overcooked. When protein is overcooked it undergoes a process called syneresis which is when the protein molecules seize up so tight they start squeezing out moisture and creating small air pockets in the protein product. This is why overcooked meat is dry because the protein has squeezed out all the moisture.

As I was walking my plate to the dish room tonight I realized that I can tell how I felt about a certain day depending on how much of my food I ate. We serve a portion of our food to Chef so he can grade us but he takes one bite (with a clean fork) and what's left on the plate we can eat, and often do. I was very disappointed with my knife cuts on Beef Vegetable Soup day, so I ate very little of that soup because it just didn't feel right. However, today was my best Hollandaise yet and my poached eggs came out beautifully, so I cleaned my plate. Food is meant to be celebrated and my food today felt worthy of celebration.

Mama would be proud

My first job in a restaurant was at an awesome Italian restaurant where some of our pastas were fresh. I distinctly remember the first bowl of home made pasta I had from our kitchen. It was pappardelle with chicken and pesto. Pappardelle are long, wide noodles with a crinkly edge. I made them tonight in class and thought of my boss's mom, Mama. She would have appreciated the 4 large platters of pasta with 4 different sauces (Spinach Pesto, Tomato, Garlic Cream Reduction, and Spicy Meat) we made tonight and then ate family style because she loved feeding people in the restaurant. Each team in the kitchen was assigned a different sauce and then we all made 1 lb of pasta dough. We presented two ravioli, with mushroom ricotta filling, and 2 oz of fettuccine to chef but the rest of the dough was our's for "playing"-- which meant we could shape it however we wanted. We made mezze luna, tortellini (2 ways: from a round piece of dough and a square piece of dough), farfalle, linguine, and papparedelle.

rice, rice, rice

Rice Pilaf, Boiled Rice, and Parmesan Risotto. Yum yum and yum.

I had another awesome lunch today. For meals, students can choose from any of the kitchens which include Cuisines of the Mediterranean, Cuisines of Asia, Cuisines of the Americas, Skills III, or K-16 which is large scale food production and in terms of cuisine, its a good mix of everything. The kitchens are all operated by students who are currently in that class. My favorite kitchen so far is the upstairs (each kitchen besides K-16 has an upstairs and downstairs equivalent) Mediterranean kitchen for lunch because the food there is always on point. There is this yogurt sauce that has appeared on lamb dumplings, pita sandwiches, and casseroles that just makes me melt. It is so good and I don't even know why. I don't want to know why because I like the sense of mystery. It is pure white but outrageously packed with flavor, garlic and fresh tangy herbs dance around in your mouth and then send their magic all the way down to your toes. I just don't know what it is besides pure deliciousness.

p.s. I drank Coffee Milk a couple weeks ago and loved it so much I have wanted to re-create it since. I'm not a coffee drinker but today I mixed a small amount of hot coffee with French Vanilla coffee creamer, ice, and a lot of whole milk, and it reminded me of Coffee Milk... yum :)

"good people of earth"

My chef addresses us as such occasionally and I just love hearing him say that. It makes me feel so good about myself. I am a good person of earth, I like it.

Today was Day 1 of Skills II which meant purple/red vegetables and potato day! Glazed beets, braised red cabbage, Duchesse Potatoes, and Cocotte Potatoes were prepared today in the wonderful world of Skills II. We are still in the same kitchen with the same chef that we had for Skills I.

The Cocotte potatoes were definitely my favorite because they reminded me of really good french fries. For the Cocotte potatoes, we shaped potatoes into 7 sided tournes and then pan fried them in butter. They developed a crunchy exterior and a decadently soft interior, just like the best french fries. The Duchesse potatoes are simply a mixture of pureed potatoes, egg yolks, butter, and nutmeg, seasoned with salt and pepper. The smooth mixture is then piped into a small mound and browned in the oven until it is golden in color. They're pretty nice but they get kind of dry in the oven and I don't really like that, but they are beautiful. The glazed beets were a delicious combination of boiled beets with a reduction of fresh orange juice, honey, and red wine vinegar. Right at the end butter was added, which is so Classic French. The braised cabbage was sweet and sour and wonderfully fragrant. It retained its beautiful purple color because we cooked it in a combination of red wine and red wine vinegar, giving it a very acidic environment which is good for the purple pigment, anthocyanin.

my best friend my knife kit

As I stirred the tomato sauce in class tonight I realized that this same wooden spoon would stir a lot of things over the course of my time here at CIA. This spoon would stir the vegetables in a pot of boiling (well salted!) water, it would scrape out the burnt food that will inevitably occur in one of my pans, and it will stir the food I will serve for a final exam. It was just a cool thought I had. Maybe its not really that cool, but it made me look at all the tools in my knife kit in a different, more loving, light. They were mine and they would see everything I saw over these next four years.

For our final day in Skills I, we made a vinaigrette (you could choose what vinegar and herbs), pasta, and tomato sauce. I chose to use a mixture of balsamic and a fruity pear vinegar with chervil, tarragon, and basil for my vinaigrette. It was very sweet and light. I don't usually like vinaigrette but I liked this. Then the tomato sauce was just onions, oregano, and garlic sweated out in a pan with olive oil. Canned tomatoes were added and then tomato paste to thicken the sauce. It was simmered for 25 minutes and then run through a food mill. It turned out lovely.

I have been really proud of myself since becoming a student here because I've been expanding my palate (trying things I decided to hate like foie gras, caviar, and beets) and refining my tastes without becoming a snob about things. I still eat Doritos, egg rolls at the all you can eat Oriental Buffet, loaded french fries at Applebee's, ice cream from Dairy Queen, a cheeseburger from McDonald's, or any fried/processed/preservative laden foods I feel like. But tonight and I took one bite of the dried pasta I had cooked and I didn't want anymore. It made me really sad because pasta is one of the things I love to cook at home. It's one of the reasons I started cooking. My little sister and I love Alfredo sauce, being the determined person I am, I realized when I was younger that if I wanted Alfredo pasta I was going to have to make it myself because I couldn't go to Olive Garden every night for dinner. Mushroom sauce, tomato sauce, cream sauce, cheese, whatever we put it on it, I loved dried pasta. But I don't like it anymore. Maybe this will change. I hope it does before I go home again.

another magical day in the kitchen

A friend of mine from high school asked me what my favorite thing was about cooking. I couldn't answer him at the time but after some thought I realized there was one thing I really loved: the transformation. The way onions go from snow white, firm, and bitter to golden brown, limp, and sweet never ceases to impress me. I love transformations.

Tonight was one of those nights where the transformations were just beautiful to behold. We made Espagnole sauce and Jus de Veau Lie. Espagnole sauce started by heating clarified butter and then browning carrots, onions, and celery. Once the mirepoix was browned, tomato paste was added and cooked so that it would turn from bright red to brick red. Then brown veal stock was added and the mixture was thickened with a brown roux. Now let me tell you something about this brown roux, it was just a combination of flour (60%) and clarified butter (40%) that had been cooked until it turned dark, dark brown and smelled like toffee. It smelled sooooooooooo good. It was just like my mom's toffee. I had another one of those crazy smiles on my face as I scooped out globs of this thick brown paste into a cup because it smelled like our annual Cousins' Christmas Cookie Baking Day when we get so lost in conversation that we forget about the cookies and let one tray go too long in the oven. Flour and butter make lovely smells together! So then the Espagnole sauce is simmered to let the roux come to its full potential. At the same time I was also making a Jus de Veau Lie which started with hot clarified butter and chunks of veal meat. The meat was browned in the pan and then removed. Carrots, onions, and celery were added to the pan and browned and then tomato paste was added just like with the Espagnole sauce. But then the pan was heated up really hot and red wine was poured in to deglaze the pan and get all the little pieces of meat/veg/tomato paste that were sticking to the bottom and sides off and into the liquid. Not only did the wine smell amazing-- like fresh picked berries-- but the messy brown pieces of food that were stuck all over the pan were now sliding effortlessly into a beautiful rich purple red sauce. Brown veal stock was then added and the sauce was simmered until the meat was tender (and delicious!) and then a slurry of cold water, arrowroot, and potato starch was added to thicken the sauce. Finally, the sauces were strained to remove the vegetables and meat.

baking brownies in chinese take out containers

So tonight when I got home I asked my room mate if I could have one of the brownies that had been sitting in a plastic container in the dark corner of her desk for the past week. When I pulled the container into the light I was surprised to find that she had actually baked the brownies IN the plastic container. I hadn't realized you could BAKE in plastic Chinese take-out containers! I remember eating Moo Shu Pork out this thing, and now it had been used to bake brownies. These little containers are AMAZING!

Another amazing thing happened today... I made mayonnaise! Now most things I prefer home made, except mayonnaise I like to leave up to Hellman's. But today, my mayonnaise was pretty good, I wanted to spread it right onto a toast sandwich. We also made hollandaise sauce (which might be my favorite sauce) and poured it over beautifully cooked broccoli. Both sauces start with egg yolk, water, and acid that is whipped like crazy with a whisk. Fat is slowly poured in while you continue to whip like its your job. Oil is added to the yolk mixture for mayonnaise and clarified butter for hollandaise. Its honestly pretty easy, just whip, whip, whip, whip! And FAST.

cauliflower, tomato, mushroom, and spinach

My two vegetarian sisters would have been pleased with today's class because it was the first day we did not use meat or any form of it (i.e. bones for stock). We made Bechamel sauce, Mornay sauce, creamed spinach, cauliflower gratin, and stuffed tomatoes. It was a bit of challenge after having days where we only made one dish, but it was fun as always.

The bechamel sauce is one of the Grand Sauces-- Espagnole, Veloute, Hollandaise, and Bechamel. We made veloute yesterday which is just white stock thickend with a pale roux. Bechamel sauce is milk thickened with a white roux. The creamed spinach was fresh baby spinach that was cooked in boiling, VERY salty water (imagine the ocean) and then tossed in a pan with butter and shallots, and then finished with heavy cream and bechamel sauce. The cauliflower gratin which means "brown on top" was cooked cauliflower (in salty acidic water...lemon juice was added to retain the whiteness of the cauliflower), Mornay Sauce (bechamel+Gruyere and Parmesan cheese), and grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and then browned in the oven, or salamander. The stuffed tomatoes were filled with Duxelle which is the name for really any variation of chopped mushrooms filling. We sauteed shallots in butter, added the mushrooms and white wine, and cooked it until all the liquid had evaporated and we were left with a dry Duxelle. We took halved, peeled and seeded tomatoes, stuffed them with Duxelle and topped them with Persillade. Persillade is fresh bread crumbs (white bread pulsed in the food processor), minced garlic, chopped parsley, and clarified butter. Everything was very delicious.

In total I ate: 1 tomato, 1 pint of spinach, and 8 mushrooms. I would have eaten a 1/4 head of cauliflower but I ran out of time because it was so darn hot I decided burning my tongue once was enough.

I just love it here

Here at the CIA, they teach you the methods. We are not learning how to make Lentil Soup or Cream of Broccoli soup so that we can make Lentil Soup and Cream of Broccoli soup for the rest of our lives, but so that we can make puree soup and cream soups the emphasis is on learning the technique. I love that. I like being given the tools and then letting me decide how I want to use them. Constantly, we are being told the sky is limit and you can do anything you want in the Food Industry because there are so many opportunities. Teach, farm, cook, write, photograph, travel, sell, etc. You can do anything you want, I like that attitude.

a good day for a bad day

I have never wished I was having a bad day but today when I was whacking fish skeletons into manageable pieces for fish stock, I knew this would be a great way to relieve the tension of a stressful/bad day. We received a big black bag full of fish skeletons with lots of smelly fish juice dripping off the sides from the Fish Room (where I was in class two weeks ago) that we turned into a wonderfully flavored liquid called fumet. The difference between fumet and fish stock is that you sweat the bones and mirepoix first in hot butter and then you add the water, whereas with fish stock you just add bones and mirepoix straight to cold water.

bacon and onion, mmmmmm.....

I knew the lentil soup was going to be good the instant the bacon hit the pan. Not even a second later, sweet smokiness filled my nose and I fell in love with bacon all over again. It happens to me every single time I fry bacon, without fail. Then I added the onions and let those release their incredible fragrance. I took a deep breath as I leaned over the pan, "mmmmmmmm," I sighed. I thought of my room mate tonight because one day she told me that she was "firmly convinced that the presence of God smells like that of fresh cut cilantro". However, I am firmly convinced that the presence of God smells like bacon and onions sizzling gently in a pan.

About a year ago I read an article by my favorite chef, Grant Achatz. He talked about how people taste food differently and the difficulty that poses to us as cooks. I thought it was a fascinating piece and one that I thought about for days after reading it, and still think about a year later. This particular article also made me really insecure because how was I ever supposed to be able to season food properly if everyone tasted it differently? So last week we did an exercise that has dispelled my fear of seasoning and made me a more confident cook. Chef took equal amounts of chicken stock, and lined them up with ascending amounts of salt (none, 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, etc.) and we tasted them all and told him what we thought was perfect. On the chart of saltiness I fell into the lower half (meaning I like less salt) but very close to the middle. However, Chef was above me on the salty scale. I now know that when I am seasoning my food in class, which he tastes and grades me on, I need to salt it to where I think is appropriate and then salt a little more in order to get to his preference. Tonight, I thought my lentil soup was perfectly seasoned and like clockwork, Chef thought it needed salt. I got so excited because it tasted wonderful to me that I forgot I should add that extra little pinch.

daddy's girl

My dad and I share several common loves: driving around on back country roads, my mom, sleeping, and potatoes. Fried, mashed, baked, or in chip form, my dad loves potatoes. So I was thinking about him today while I was cooking Potato and Leek soup and making mashed potatoes. We were also visiting my dad's family in California when I first had Potato and Leek soup and we made mashed potatoes the same way his mom did by using a food mill or ricer.

The Potato and Leek soup was simple and absolutely delicious. First, the onions and leeks were sweated (the moisture drawn out over a med/low heat) in clarified butter. Then diced potatoes, chicken stock, and a sachet d'epice ( "bag of spices":a little pocket of cloth with thyme, parsley stems, crushed black pepper, bay leaf, and a clove of garlic... all for flavor) were added to the pot and cooked until the potatoes were tender. I forgot to add my sachet d'epice when I added my stock and I didn't realize it until I was ready to puree my soup and remembered it was important to remove my sachet from the soup---when oops! I couldn't find it because I had never put it in. Luckily, I had 50 more minutes until my soup had to be ready, so I added the sachet and turned the heat way down to low and let the flavors infuse. After pureeing the soup in a blender, I added hot cream and chopped chives. It was smooth, full flavored, and so, so easy. The next time you are looking to make something wonderful, look no further than this soup. Here is the recipe:

1 oz clarified butter
6 oz leeks
1.5 oz onion
10 oz chef's potato
1 qt chicken stock
1 sachet d'epice (1 bay leaf, 5-6 crushed black peppercorns, 1 clove garlic, 2-3 parsley stems, and 1 good sprig of thyme)
6 oz cream (hot)
few chives chopped
salt and white pepper to taste

Heat the butter, then add the onions and leeks. Let the onions and leeks sweat for a few minutes, being careful not brown them, and keeping the heat about med/low. Add the potatoes, stock, and sachet. Simmer gently until the potatoes are tender. Blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer blended soup back to cooking pot, and add hot cream. Season. Stir in chives immediately before serving.

It is important that the cream is hot because when the hot starchy potato molecules are exposed to cold, they'll seize up and get very gluey. It is part of a process called gelation.

Also, when making mashed potatoes, we dried out the potatoes after cooking them to remove excess moisture. We did this by draining the potatoes from their cooking water and returning the potatoes back to their pot and then letting them sit a hot oven (400°F) until they get little white spots all over them and are very dry. Chef said this makes them fluffier.

p.s. Day 6 is a good day for food-- Banh Mi sandwich for lunch and fried pork cutlet with spaetzle for dinner.