Day 10 - Grains

I love rice - my mom has always made really good rice. It made the house smell wonderful before dinnertime. When I get to breads class, you'll see how much I love carbs - we are all like that in my family.

Anyway.

The food:

Riz au Pilaf

Sweat onions, then stir to coat medium or long grain rice in butter. Add water, and bring to boil. Then we placed it in the oven (covered). It can easily be done on the stovetop, but this gave us additional space to work. I kind of forgot about it, but luckily looked at my watch at just over 20 minutes, and it hadn't burned. This was the most perfect dish of rice I've ever had, even though Chef said it was just overdone. He said it was perfectly seasoned, and then I told him I had forgotten the thyme - whoops! But he hadn't noticed, so it's all okay... Don't forget to let the rice sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with fork.

Risotto

It's important to use arborio rice for this dish. I don't really like risotto - there are too many competing flavors, and I happen to like my rice just lightly flavored. Anyway, we flavored it with bacon, white wine, red pepper (from the night before), and mushrooms. Risotto requires a lot of attention - constant stirring to reduce the liquid - only adding one or two ladelfuls of chicken stock at a time until the rice is cooked. That might be parmesan on the top. This will also be on the practical.

Mixed Grain Salad

Chef cooked all the grains for us ahead of time (pearl barley, wild rice, and bulgur wheat). Then cook bacon, shallots, and mushrooms with 2-3 T of grains (each) and red wine vinegar. You can cut down on the bitterness of the vinegar by adding sugar. As I've said, I don't like the taste of vinegar, so I used this step. Chef said it was the perfect balance, and I ended up liking this.

We had an option to earn extra credit by making Tuscan Bean Soup, but I've made this before at home and I didn't really feel like cutting up the vegetables. It was Friday night - I wanted to relax a little bit.

Lessons learned:

Pay attention to your watch! We don't use timers, so we have to learn not to lose track of things while we're cooking other dishes.

And again with the excessive "ditched" dishes! This really bothers me. I know people are worried about getting their dishes done in time, but we always end up just standing around for at least 15 minutes before break, so it's not like they couldn't wash their pots instead of saying "hot pot hot pot" and just putting it on the counter next to the dishwashing station for some unsuspecting person to touch and burn their hand...That's just mean, people!

So, as an aside, I have developed an appreciation for the value of text messaging. I used to hate it. But lately I've been messaging with someone - a boy of course, is it ever not about a boy? And I totally get how fun it is. Unfortunately, I just realized today that the reason my box fills up is because I only pay for 200 messages a month - something I have never before reached. But...in the past week, I think I have managed to double that. At 10 cents a message...this is going to be an expensive cell phone bill! I think I'll call tomorrow and upgrade to unlimited. I'm hesitant to do this because that's $15 more a month and I don't even really know how long this boy is going to be around. But if I can maybe get them to apply it retroactively (which I'm pretty sure they won't, which is understandable), it would be nice. And if he's gone next month...well, that's just a phone call to downgrade. Oh dating - a heart attack waiting to happen in my life.

Day 9 - More Vegetable Goodness!

Due to the excessive heat, and the inconsistent air conditioning in the kitchens, Chef has been kind enough to move us between open kitchens for class so we aren't sweating more than necessary. Which is much appreciated, since being in front of the stoves, grills, and deep fryer is hot enough.

I also switched tables today - I decided I couldn't really handle some of the competitiveness at the other table I was at. I mean, they're all nice people but they rush rush rush and it gets to me - I feel very pressured, and I realized I was rushing when I did not need to. Plus one of the guys at that table is a little too loud for me - nice guy, but I don't feel like dealing with it. So I switched tables, which was easy to do since we were in a new kitchen and the tables were all different. Now I'm with a group that is more relaxed and more interested in sharing - we get each oils, salt, and vegetables to share rather a "to each his own" mentality I felt at the other table. One of the girls is just out of high school, and when she was asking what I do, she said she had thought the second she saw me, "why is the social worker here?" Ha. The other person there is a boy nicknamed "Nemo" by the high schooler, because his name is close to that. I convinced him to start parking on the same street as me so I have someone to walk down the alley with me after class. We don't get out until midnight, and the school butts up against a housing project that has not yet been completely torn down. I don't feel unsafe, but it is summer and hot out, so it's better to have someone with me.

Anyway, the food:

We made a lot today, but two went into the oven, so they really didn't need that much attention.

Les Epinards Sautes (Sauteed Spinach)

I love spinach. This was realy simple: olive oil, spinach on high heat for about 15 seconds, and salt. That's it! But so good. See, cooking is so easy - I don't know why people avoid it!

Ratatouille

Awesome movie. I need to buy it. Awesome dish - so colorful! Small dices of onion, green pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, tomato, and garlic. Cook the eggplant first (after onion of course) because it takes the longest. Chef described the winter version as mushier, and the spring version as tender. I went for the spring version, but since I forgot to add the peppers until I added the squash, it was a little too crispy. But still really good. This will be on our practical Monday.

Baked Acorn Squash

Cut an acorn squash in half, spoon out the seeds, and fill with butter, brown sugar, and salt. Then bake. It becomes really soft and sweet. This will become the filling for our ravioli on pasta day.

Legumes Grillees

This was just to practice grilling technique. I didn't enjoy this - the hottest part is at the back, and since I'm not tall, I felt like I was burning up my arm to turn the food. We were trying to get the criss-cross impression (quadrillage). I screwed up my first one, so I just threw it out without showing it to Chef, and tried again. That time I did better. I didn't eat these because we were then supposed to make a marinade using balsamic vinegar, but I don't really like how that tastes. It was only a couple pieces so I didn't feel bad throwing it out.

And no pictures on these:

Roasted Garlic

Cut off the top, pour on olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil. Stick in an oven until soft. When done, push out of the skin. This would go in a dish for the next night.

Roasted Red Pepper

Place the pepper directly on the stove, turn it on high. Burn every part to a crisp, making sure no ash develops - that means it is overdone. Then place in a plastic bag and tie; the steam will make the skin easy to come off. Any remaining black can be scraped off with the back of the knife. These went into the risotto on grain day.

Lessons Learned:

There's no need to rush - Chef gives plenty of time to complete the dishes. And grills are hot, so being really nice to guys who have longer arms is important because they will then turn your food for you. And allow the garlic to cool before trying to squeeze it out - you'll burn your fingers otherwise!

Day 8 - Vegetables Begin. Excellent.

I really liked what we learned today. My parents, whom I love, tend to overcook their vegetables. Which, growing up, I didn't know was overcooked and still loved vegetables. But once I started to cook on my own, I realized how truly amazing vegetables can be once they are cooked properly. So I was really looking forward to this day. It didn't disappoint.
Sauteed Mushrooms with Brandy
This was really really good. And involved fire! I had never done this before, and it's actually really easy. You just get one side of the pan really really hot and then pour the alcohol in. And then it just lights up! I always thought you had to tilt it into the flame, but that's not necessary. Chef said I did a nice job on browning the mushrooms - they had a nice golden color.

Carottes Glacees
This was too sugary for me, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I had to keep putting it back onto the flame to get the liquid to reduce - this has always been really difficult to me. It just never seems like the liquid reduces in the time it is supposed to. But he said my final product was the correct consistency.The glaze is just butter and honey.

Haricots Verts Provencals
These turned out the just right tenderness. Just blanch the beans, and create a simple dressing of tomatoes, shallot, garlic and olive oil. When I was just cooking for myself at home, I always skipped the blanching step (stopping cooking in ice water) - it seemed like a waste of water and adding another dish I had to wash. But now I totally get why it's important. Someday, when I have a real kitchen again, I will definitely use this step!

We also made Les Petits Pois a la Francaise - which was perfect because I love peas! It's pretty heavy on the butter though, it being a la Francaise (French-style = butter and pork). You swear pearl onions and bacon, add peas and water for about 3 minutes, take off the heat and add lettuce, parsley, tarragon, and salt. Then you 'monter aubeurre' to finish - which means add a pat of butter at the very end. To make it healthier, Chef said you can use vegetable oil (and much less) and turkey bacon - although I imagine it would not taste nearly as good.

We start out class with about an hour-long lecture about the day's topic and then demonstration on how to cook each of the dishes. So by the time I finish my first one, I am starving! That's why at least one photo tends to be missing - I've gobbled up most of the dish by the time I remember my camera in my pocket...

Lessons learned:
I think this was the day I was kitchen manager - basically you assign the different tables duties (dishes, tabletops, and floors). Well, I assigned my group dishes because I prefer that job, but unfortunately did not see the four-foot stack awaiting me. Anyway, when I got back to my table, the tabletop people had not cleaned it, and my towel had disappeared. I know I sounded angry when I (loudly) asked why it had not been cleaned and had anyone seen my towel? But really, I wasn't - I was really tired and just wanted my towel back. And everyone else was just standing around doing absolutely nothing. They didn't do their jobs. Which will be a recurring theme in "Lessons Learned." And nobody fessed up to taking my towel. Oh well, I replaced it with a colorful one from Target that no one will be able to claim is theirs.

The Adventure Begins...

It's pretty simple, really. I love being a psychologist, but I needed something outside of work since I get out at 3 pm. So, naturally, I take on the totally insane idea of attending culinary school Monday through Friday nights, from 6-11:45. Awesome. Once work starts up again in August, I should be a barrel of fun to be around!
One week in, I am so far glad I made this decision. I'm in a state sanitation class, which seems to make some people terrified of food, but kind of like the documentary about McDonald's or the book Fast Food Nation, it just doesn't bother me. I will still leave the classroom hungry. I'm also taking Introduction to Culinary Skills, which is basically a knife skills class, and basic introduction to simple foods.
This week, we learned how to cook potatoes in many different ways. We had our first practical Friday - I didn't plan properly for the timing of the dishes, which had to be served hot - I was ready way too early.

Pommes Tournees au Vapeur - Boiled Potatoes with Parsley
Make little potato balls with a melon baller. Boil. Season. Really not that interesting, but apparently people will pay lots of money for small things!

Pommes Duchess - Duchesse Potatoes
These require piping, which I have never done before, and found really difficult to control. Luckily, Chef K. decided last-minute to not have them as part of the practical, because I would not have done well.





Pommes Croquettes
These I wish had included on the practical, because I did really well on them. They tasted fantastic. Imagine mozzarella sticks, only with potato instead. We used the same food-milled potatoes from the Puree.

Gratin Dauphinois - Potatoes au Gratin
I was pretty surprised with how much I liked these, considering they use heavy cream. The lesson here, I think, is both learning to layer evenly and how to brown and cook evenly without burning the bottom. Apparently, they looked so good that a tablemate accidentally ate mine instead of his...

Pommes Roties - Herb Roasted Potatoes

I thought these looked overdone, but Chef K liked them, and they did taste pretty good the next day for lunch after staying up until 7:30...but that's a story of another day. Take new potatoes (generally smaller) and quarter. Cover with olive oil, and stick in the oven.





Pommes Purees (aka Mashed Potatoes)

We also made these, and I really liked my final product - the seasoning was right on. But I forgot to take a photo because I was so hungry and I had been licking my plating spoon...

Pommes Rissolees
I had trouble with these. You have to cut the five even sides into each potato half. That is really hard. And then I couldn't get them to brown properly. And while I was trying to brown them, Chef K. discovered the 3-foot high stack of unwashed dishes (not mine - I swear! I follow the mantra of clean as you go) and made everyone go to the dish room and fix it. Which I was glad he did, becaue it really irritates me when people dump and run...it's unfair to everyone else.
Lessons learned:

They don't give cooking times in their recipes. "Until done." And the ovens don't come with windows since they're professional ranges, so it'll be a lot of guessing and checking until we get more practice.

Also, a Sharpie is your best friend - otherwise, people steal your food.