I'm a bad blogger. Granted I haven't had two seconds to sit down and pull myself together let alone do laundry, pay bills, and attend to the things that make a person feel like they have some sort of a grip on life. But it looks like the day has finally arrived where I can take a breath...and gear up for the next wave of madness. Seeing that it's already almost April (how did that happen?!), I may as well bring you up to speed via 30 Things. This edition is somewhat momentous because as I write, I only have 4 classes between me and graduation and accomplishing something I still can't believe I am actually doing. With that, here is the March Madness edition of 30 Things I've been up to.
Editor's Note: Since I am such a bad blogger and started this entry in March and it is now April, I am posting this with 20 things because I fear I may never get to 30!!!
1. I haven't spent any amount of quality time with my dear husband in exactly 3 weeks. That changes tonight with date night. As well as Thursday, Friday (no school!), Saturday & Sunday date nights! I miss him.
2. I made a quick trip out to Salt Lake City a few weeks ago for the funeral of my dear cousin's 21 year old, who was killed in a car accident. I was totally blown away by her family and their ability to celebrate his life with such love and joy in the wake of such a senseless tragedy. It was touching.
3. Funerals are never fun, but I did get to see some of my favorite cousins, aunts & uncles, and my parents. It was brief, but there is something comforting about being with family that reminds you how important they are.
4. I also got to see a few old college friends, including my partner in crime during my Idaho days. She's this amazingly talented and creative woman who runs a successful business and I am in no way surprised, but when you become friends with someone freshman year of college because they hatch a plan to rent a U-Haul because you don't have a car and you only need to be 18 to rent a moving truck instead of 25 and then drive around town picking up cute boys and storing them in the back...it's nice to know our decision making skills developed over the years.
5. Also, she introduced me to the Kouing-aman at Les Madeleines Patisserie, a ridiculously buttery, salty-sweet, flaky, crunchy, chewy pastry that originated in Brittany, France. I am determined to find a New York equivalent. Kudos, Salt Lake City.
6. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and I volunteered at superstar chef competition called Cochon 555 a few weekends ago. It features 5 heritage breeds of pork, 5 top chefs and 5 family owned wineries. We spent about 9 hours doing everything to folding tee-shirts to pouring wines to passing out cheese samples. It was a great pork-filled networking event.
11. I've completed my rotation on the Possoinier Station (fish) for Level 6 and it was my favorite so far. Our fish dishes include Pan-Seared Bass with Artichoke and Buckwheat Crepes and a Pan-Seared Cod with Chorizo, Clams, Kale & Saffron Potatoes. I like both dishes, but the bass has a definite edge. The artichokes are in really lovely curry sauce that doesn't overwhelm the flavor of what is probably one of my favorite veggies.
12. We had Chef Marc for 2 nights on this rotation because Chef Jason had some other obligations. Don't get me wrong, I like learning from other chefs because you learn variations in technique and process. What I don't like is inconsistency and being told that the other chef's way is incorrect. Grrr.
13. Poissonier was great because it involved a lot of care in handling the fish, especially the cod, which is super delicate, and timing was tricky with all the elements that go on the plate. I definitely enjoy the more challenging stations. There's a sense of accomplishment when you have to fire 6 bass on one burner at the same time. And usually several burns and cuts.
14. After Poissonier was Saucier (the meat station), which sort of dragged by, partly because Chef Jason was only with us one night because he had to attend to some family business and we had two different chefs fill in. Again, nice to learn from someone different, frustrating at times as well. One thing I do like to see is the chefs different styles of teaching and communicating. Chef Marc is pretty arrogant, obviously good at what he does, but not necessarily endearing himself to anyone. Chef Justin finds a teaching opportunity in every communication so you really understand the why, not just the how. Chef Herve is very direct, quietly encouraging, and nearly impossible to understand with his thick French accent.
15. Our saucier dishes were a Braised Beef Short Rib with a Sweet Potato Puree and Celery Root Foam and a Sauteed Duck Breast & Braised Duck Leg in a Spiced Broth. Short Rib = yum, Duck = meh.
16. Monday we start on our final station of the entire program - four nights on Garde Manger, which is the appetizer station. I am so excited because we get to work with Chef Janet, who was with us in Levels 3 & 4 again! She is this tiny platinum blonde dynamo that can slaughter and break down a whole pig singlehandedly, while wearing red lipstick nonetheless. Love her.
17. In other news, A La Grecque and I entered a competition called the Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we competed with 19 other cheftestants to prepare 300 brunch themed bites for a crowd of people as well as a panel of judges. The judges included: Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetit magazine and Iron Chef judging fame, Sean Rembold, Executive Chef of Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn, and Emille Castillo, Executive Chef of Norma's at Le Parker Meridien.
18. Our team name was Wanna Spoon? and we prepared (after much trial and error), a Savory Cornbread Cupcake with a Bacon Buttercream Frosting. Because it was brunch themed, we also included a Bloody Mary Shooter with Candied Bacon. We were really happy with the results.
19. It turns out that the judges were also happy because we won first prize, which was a Cuisinart Stand Mixer and Le Crueset grill pan. These items will be sold on Craigslist for cash that we'd like to put toward a Wanna Spoon? foodie adventure in San Francisco.
20. You can read more about our adventures together on our website Wanna Spoon? or on Linda's blog, The Cheeky Chef. Pictures from the competition are at Wanna Spoon as well!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A Belated 30: The Spring Forward Edition
Oh dear! Here we are approaching the Ides of March and I totally neglected to do the latest edition of 30 Things. I don't know where my head is at. Better late than never? Here goes. Following are the things that I have learned, experienced, discovered I like, made plans to do, and in some cases slept through or avoided in our most recent 30 days as New Yorkers.
1. The winter blahs should be listed in the DSM-IV. Not to be confused with the winter blues, known clinically as Seasonal Affect Disorder or SAD. The winter blahs are a mood disorder that presents in the form of grumpiness, irritation, and sudden fits of snippyness.
2. Sunshine is an instant cure for the winter blahs. It helped soften the hard edge I've had lately about this city.
3. I love New York when the weather is great. I would even broaden that statement to include good, decent, not half bad, it's not even that cold, it could be worse, and at least it's not bitter/windy/raining/snowing.
4. When the weather warms up, the city has a life to it that is missing in the winter months. Happy people sit outside and sip their coffee and watch the other happy people strolling along. Even though we only had a short spell of warm, sunny days, it was a glorious preview to the coming months and a nice reminder that the dark times are almost over.
5. Mike and I have been trying to get out more on the weeknights instead of holing up in our apartment and watching TV, which has become our usual routine this winter. Let me tell you, we were not doing ourselves any favors. Who knew that being a lazy shut-in wouldn't make me feel like my best self? (As I write this, I am being buzzed by the delivery guy with my Chinese takeout since I didn't feel like leaving my apartment...hey, I never said I was perfect.) Here's where I've been lately:
6. Bourgeois Pig for fantastic fondue and French wine. Dark, cozy, candlelit and very Parisian.
7. Perilla for killer duck meatballs, the perfect Manhattan, and great service. The space is clean, but not stark or simple, and invitingly warm.
8. Death & Co. for a mixology lesson with A La Grecque. Rockstar bartenders Alex Day and Thomas Waugh gave a great class on cocktails that was made of equal parts history, technique, and tasting. Stirred, not shaken. I'll definitely be back.
9. Gottino for an intriguing selection of Italian wines and bowls of walnuts you can crack yourself at the bar.
10. Casellula for peppadew peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in speck, a fantastic cheese selection, and a well-edited wine list.
11. I just wrapped up my latest rotation in the L'Ecole kitchen: Canape (Can-Uh-Pay). We prepare the amuse bouche (uh-moos-boosh), the welcoming bite given to each patron compliments of the chef. I have a love hate relationship with the canape station. On one hand, it's not stressful, there is plenty of time to chat with my teammates, load up a plate from family meal, and watch the rest of the kitchen buzz with orders. On the other hand, it's boring and there is too much time to eat. (Loosens belt a notch).
12. Our first canape was a tuna crudo: raw tuna loin chopped in a small dice, tossed with lemon juice & zest, olive oil, finely chopped arugula, parsley, chive, capers and grated parmesan. Delish.
12. Canape number 2 was supposed to have been pate a choux filled with a foie gras mousse (pate a choux is the dough that makes the shells of cream puffs and eclairs), but the order for foie gras somehow got lost, so we ended up making agnolotti (a tiny half moon ravioli). We made the pasta dough, filled it with ricotta that had been seasoned with lemon and basil, served it over a classic Sauce Tomate (a cooked tomato puree with smoky bacon) and a roasted cippolini onion puree and then topped it with a dot of bright green olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil chiffonade (chiffonade is when you take the leaves of any green or herb stack them, roll them up like a cigar and then finely slice them into strips). All of our canapes are served in a white porcelain spoon meant to be taken in one bite.
13. Our third night on canape, I ended up filling in on Saucier (Saucy-Yay)since that team was short a couple people and they get a lot busier than Canape. But my team did delicious things to oysters. Coated in cornmeal, then deep fried and served with something pickled and some kind of tartar like dressing...I can't remember, but it was a yummy little bite.
14. Our final night on Canape was our triumph. It's not like it's difficult to make pork belly taste delicious, but this was just sooooo good. If you've never had pork belly, you should stop wasting any more precious moments not knowing this delicious pig part. As the name implies, it comes from the belly of an oinker and it's what bacon is typically made from. We coated ours in all sorts of spices and slow roasted it in a tangy barbecue sauce glaze. We cut the belly into bite size cubes (picture the layers of meat and fat like you would see in bacon), served it over a bed of brunoise (broon-wah, which means a very fine dice) purple cabbage, carrot, asian pear, red onion, and red bell pepper, with a sweet cole-slaw like dressing, topped the belly bite with a dot of barbecue sauce and a tiny pommes gaufrette (a waffle cut potato chip) and a single sprig of arugula microgreens. All the little elements were time consuming but the end result was hog magic.
15. I start on Poissonier (Pwah-Sun-Yay) tomorrow night and Chef Jason will be out so we have a substitute chef filling in: Chef Marc Pavlovic who was just featured on the Food Network's Chopped. Spoiler: He wins. If I've learned one thing, every chef has a different style and technique and I have something to learn from each of them, so it should be fun to get his perspective.
16. Knowing I only have 12 more classes between me and the end of my time at FCI is enough to make me misty, but I'm getting more and more excited about my post school plans. I am going to miss seeing my classmates three nights a week (most of them, anyway) and learning from our fabulous chef instructors, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I'd like to find whoever coined that expression and throttle them. I mean, really must all good things come to an end? The more I think about it, the less I want to get out of bed in the morning. If good things don't last, what's the point?! (Angry and confused, deep breath).
17. I do have some exciting things in store for me that take the sting out of finishing this chapter of my life. A la Grecque and I are competing in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we will prepare 300 brunch themed bites for guests who will vote and a panel of judges that includes the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit magazine. It should be a lot of fun and who knows, maybe we come home with a prize?
18. We are calling our team Wanna Spoon?, look for a new culinary adventure blog from us to be unveiled very soon.
19. I'm interning with a really fun wine website called Wine Flirt, which takes a fun, fresh approach to understanding and enjoying wine. I'll be working with wine retailers and wine bars to set up Wine Flirt tastings and events.
20. I'm starting to test my hand at the private chef/catering thing with a few wedding gigs this summer for good friends. Very excited about the possibility of doing more things like this!
21. I'll be volunteering next weekend at Cochon 555, a competition featuring 5 rockstar chefs, 5 heritage breeds of pork and 5 local, family owned wineries. It's a pricey event so volunteering is a great way to experience it without the wallet hit, and network at the same time. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and one of my favorite instructors from school, Chef Janet, will also be there.
22. I'm looking at the next year in New York as a time to further my education, hone my skills, and narrow the focus of my career path. I've got a list of things I want to do and at the top of that list is wine.
23. I'm strongly considering furthering my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust at the International Wine Center here in New York. Now if I could just figure out how to turn water into money to turn that into a wine diploma...
24. I want to work in a wine shop. It may sound like a silly, unimportant job, but it's a great place to learn and potentially a place to work my way into wine education and events.
25. I want to learn a lot more about cheese.
26. I want to learn how to make bread and really good pizza...this may have to wait a while, at least until I figure out the formula for turning water into cash.
27. I want a bigger apartment, a bigger bank account, a book deal, and free clothes for life from Anthropolgie. Oh wait, that's from my wildest dreams list, not my plans for the next year list.
28. On a more serious note, a tragic accident this week reminded me how important it is to make the most of the time we have here because you just never know when it's up. For me, that means not being afraid to pursue my dreams even if I am scared sometimes. It means taking care of the people that are important to me. It means taking care of myself. It means leaving a positive mark on the world when I do go.
29. The weeks events also been a reminder that life is fragile, we're not invincible, and a split second decision can have very real, lasting implications that aren't easy to make sense of. The only way I know how to make senseless loss have meaning is to honor the lost by appreciating the life I have.
30. In times like these, the only things that matter are family and friends. There is so much to be said for having people in your life that you know you can lean on. I am so lucky to have friends like this and their support, love and kindness is appreciated and inspires me to be that person to more people. So in that spirit, carpe diem friends!
1. The winter blahs should be listed in the DSM-IV. Not to be confused with the winter blues, known clinically as Seasonal Affect Disorder or SAD. The winter blahs are a mood disorder that presents in the form of grumpiness, irritation, and sudden fits of snippyness.
2. Sunshine is an instant cure for the winter blahs. It helped soften the hard edge I've had lately about this city.
3. I love New York when the weather is great. I would even broaden that statement to include good, decent, not half bad, it's not even that cold, it could be worse, and at least it's not bitter/windy/raining/snowing.
4. When the weather warms up, the city has a life to it that is missing in the winter months. Happy people sit outside and sip their coffee and watch the other happy people strolling along. Even though we only had a short spell of warm, sunny days, it was a glorious preview to the coming months and a nice reminder that the dark times are almost over.
5. Mike and I have been trying to get out more on the weeknights instead of holing up in our apartment and watching TV, which has become our usual routine this winter. Let me tell you, we were not doing ourselves any favors. Who knew that being a lazy shut-in wouldn't make me feel like my best self? (As I write this, I am being buzzed by the delivery guy with my Chinese takeout since I didn't feel like leaving my apartment...hey, I never said I was perfect.) Here's where I've been lately:
6. Bourgeois Pig for fantastic fondue and French wine. Dark, cozy, candlelit and very Parisian.
7. Perilla for killer duck meatballs, the perfect Manhattan, and great service. The space is clean, but not stark or simple, and invitingly warm.
8. Death & Co. for a mixology lesson with A La Grecque. Rockstar bartenders Alex Day and Thomas Waugh gave a great class on cocktails that was made of equal parts history, technique, and tasting. Stirred, not shaken. I'll definitely be back.
9. Gottino for an intriguing selection of Italian wines and bowls of walnuts you can crack yourself at the bar.
10. Casellula for peppadew peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in speck, a fantastic cheese selection, and a well-edited wine list.
11. I just wrapped up my latest rotation in the L'Ecole kitchen: Canape (Can-Uh-Pay). We prepare the amuse bouche (uh-moos-boosh), the welcoming bite given to each patron compliments of the chef. I have a love hate relationship with the canape station. On one hand, it's not stressful, there is plenty of time to chat with my teammates, load up a plate from family meal, and watch the rest of the kitchen buzz with orders. On the other hand, it's boring and there is too much time to eat. (Loosens belt a notch).
12. Our first canape was a tuna crudo: raw tuna loin chopped in a small dice, tossed with lemon juice & zest, olive oil, finely chopped arugula, parsley, chive, capers and grated parmesan. Delish.
12. Canape number 2 was supposed to have been pate a choux filled with a foie gras mousse (pate a choux is the dough that makes the shells of cream puffs and eclairs), but the order for foie gras somehow got lost, so we ended up making agnolotti (a tiny half moon ravioli). We made the pasta dough, filled it with ricotta that had been seasoned with lemon and basil, served it over a classic Sauce Tomate (a cooked tomato puree with smoky bacon) and a roasted cippolini onion puree and then topped it with a dot of bright green olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil chiffonade (chiffonade is when you take the leaves of any green or herb stack them, roll them up like a cigar and then finely slice them into strips). All of our canapes are served in a white porcelain spoon meant to be taken in one bite.
13. Our third night on canape, I ended up filling in on Saucier (Saucy-Yay)since that team was short a couple people and they get a lot busier than Canape. But my team did delicious things to oysters. Coated in cornmeal, then deep fried and served with something pickled and some kind of tartar like dressing...I can't remember, but it was a yummy little bite.
14. Our final night on Canape was our triumph. It's not like it's difficult to make pork belly taste delicious, but this was just sooooo good. If you've never had pork belly, you should stop wasting any more precious moments not knowing this delicious pig part. As the name implies, it comes from the belly of an oinker and it's what bacon is typically made from. We coated ours in all sorts of spices and slow roasted it in a tangy barbecue sauce glaze. We cut the belly into bite size cubes (picture the layers of meat and fat like you would see in bacon), served it over a bed of brunoise (broon-wah, which means a very fine dice) purple cabbage, carrot, asian pear, red onion, and red bell pepper, with a sweet cole-slaw like dressing, topped the belly bite with a dot of barbecue sauce and a tiny pommes gaufrette (a waffle cut potato chip) and a single sprig of arugula microgreens. All the little elements were time consuming but the end result was hog magic.
15. I start on Poissonier (Pwah-Sun-Yay) tomorrow night and Chef Jason will be out so we have a substitute chef filling in: Chef Marc Pavlovic who was just featured on the Food Network's Chopped. Spoiler: He wins. If I've learned one thing, every chef has a different style and technique and I have something to learn from each of them, so it should be fun to get his perspective.
16. Knowing I only have 12 more classes between me and the end of my time at FCI is enough to make me misty, but I'm getting more and more excited about my post school plans. I am going to miss seeing my classmates three nights a week (most of them, anyway) and learning from our fabulous chef instructors, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I'd like to find whoever coined that expression and throttle them. I mean, really must all good things come to an end? The more I think about it, the less I want to get out of bed in the morning. If good things don't last, what's the point?! (Angry and confused, deep breath).
17. I do have some exciting things in store for me that take the sting out of finishing this chapter of my life. A la Grecque and I are competing in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we will prepare 300 brunch themed bites for guests who will vote and a panel of judges that includes the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit magazine. It should be a lot of fun and who knows, maybe we come home with a prize?
18. We are calling our team Wanna Spoon?, look for a new culinary adventure blog from us to be unveiled very soon.
19. I'm interning with a really fun wine website called Wine Flirt, which takes a fun, fresh approach to understanding and enjoying wine. I'll be working with wine retailers and wine bars to set up Wine Flirt tastings and events.
20. I'm starting to test my hand at the private chef/catering thing with a few wedding gigs this summer for good friends. Very excited about the possibility of doing more things like this!
21. I'll be volunteering next weekend at Cochon 555, a competition featuring 5 rockstar chefs, 5 heritage breeds of pork and 5 local, family owned wineries. It's a pricey event so volunteering is a great way to experience it without the wallet hit, and network at the same time. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and one of my favorite instructors from school, Chef Janet, will also be there.
22. I'm looking at the next year in New York as a time to further my education, hone my skills, and narrow the focus of my career path. I've got a list of things I want to do and at the top of that list is wine.
23. I'm strongly considering furthering my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust at the International Wine Center here in New York. Now if I could just figure out how to turn water into money to turn that into a wine diploma...
24. I want to work in a wine shop. It may sound like a silly, unimportant job, but it's a great place to learn and potentially a place to work my way into wine education and events.
25. I want to learn a lot more about cheese.
26. I want to learn how to make bread and really good pizza...this may have to wait a while, at least until I figure out the formula for turning water into cash.
27. I want a bigger apartment, a bigger bank account, a book deal, and free clothes for life from Anthropolgie. Oh wait, that's from my wildest dreams list, not my plans for the next year list.
28. On a more serious note, a tragic accident this week reminded me how important it is to make the most of the time we have here because you just never know when it's up. For me, that means not being afraid to pursue my dreams even if I am scared sometimes. It means taking care of the people that are important to me. It means taking care of myself. It means leaving a positive mark on the world when I do go.
29. The weeks events also been a reminder that life is fragile, we're not invincible, and a split second decision can have very real, lasting implications that aren't easy to make sense of. The only way I know how to make senseless loss have meaning is to honor the lost by appreciating the life I have.
30. In times like these, the only things that matter are family and friends. There is so much to be said for having people in your life that you know you can lean on. I am so lucky to have friends like this and their support, love and kindness is appreciated and inspires me to be that person to more people. So in that spirit, carpe diem friends!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Is That a Smile or Just a Crack in Your Scowl?
15 more classes stand between me and my chef's toque. Yikes. I just completed my pastry rotation for Level 6 and it turns out the grumpy chef wasn't as grumpy as I expected. Either that or my expectations were so low considering Vegas set the over-under on total number of smiles cracked by Chef at .25, which I imagine is like one smile for a normal person since I've only seen one small corner of her mouth turn up in what I presume is her happy face. Or maybe she just had powdered sugar in her eye, there is no way of knowing because I am too afraid to ask. I may be exaggerating a tad (am I?) because she did seem to warm up to me and some (not all) of my teammates. Consider that a segueway into my Level 6 team introduction. For the 4th level in a row Evil Cheese is on my team. Thankfully he is super considerate and has not seemed to tire of me yet. Also making a repeat appearance from Level 5 is Farmer Chef. In pastry we had a tendency to follow each other around verifying if we were doing things right while Chef Frosty had her back turned to us. She's a great ally. It may have been mainly me following her around now that I think about it. Another repeat appearance is...drumroll...Korean Spiccoli! So happy to have him back on my team although last night I thought he was going to start throwing tart shells at one of the Level 5 students we are sharing the kitchen with who apparently dribbles a trail of uncooked custard around the room in case she gets lost. Or she is messy. I can't tell yet. Finally, I have the honor of working with the loud-mouthed Israeli who I referenced in this post from August. He is pretty amusing in an evil cartoon character sort of way. Pop Quiz: When I said that chef has warmed up to some of my teammates, guess who is not included in the word "some"? (Hint: the usage of the word "some" in this situation should be taken to mean most or nearly all.) Post your best guess in the comments section.
Our pastry dishes this time around are a pumpkin sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse served surrounded by a spiced apple reduction with tiny diced apple bits floating in the reduction, the cake itself is topped with a perfect quenelle (more on this in a moment) of cream cheese frosting and a perfectly thin crisp apple chip. It's delicious! The other dish is an individual tart filled with lemon curd, topped with a candied pineapple ring and a quenelle (there's that word again) of gingered whipped cream and a shard of macadamia nut brittle, accompanied by a blueberry compote dusted with brittle crumble. Next stop: Yummytown. (Yeah, I know that was terrible, but I have been eating a lot of sugar lately). So a quenelle is a shaped dollop of cream or ice cream or really any condiment that can hold a shape. We were taught in earlier levels to make a quenelle using two spoons, but Chef Quarter Smile does it with just one. To get a better idea of what the hell I am talking about, you can watch this 30 second clip on you tube. Don't be fooled by the fluid motion with which that berry sorbet becomes a perfectly smooth oval. It's not that easy and I think we frustrated chef to no end with our, at first, sloppy quenelles that she told us looked "as if someone already ate it". The key to a perfect quenelle is steaming hot water. Or two spoons...but using two felt like failure under chef's watchful eye, so I'm happy to say that with some determination and an ever boiling pot of water, my quenelles were pretty darn good.
Pastry is still not my favorite thing to do in the kitchen, but I've warmed up to it. I even took some of the leftover pumpkin sponge home and proceeded to make a layered dessert with carmelized bananas, whipped cream, and a rich caramel sauce. It turned out great except for the part when I brushed my hand over the spatula I had just used to stir the boiling hot sugar syrup and it glommed onto my palm like a flaming hot leech. I enjoyed the sweet treat with one hand in an ice bath and now have a blister on my palm the size of a horse tranquilizer. Mike named it Doug. Chef looked horrified when she saw it and I thought she was going to offer me some sympathy, but I should have known better. What I got instead was "That is disgusting! Cover that thing up I cannot work and look at that thing. Wear a glove! What if it explodes in the food! Oh that is so disgusting!". (Me: Slinks away toward box of gloves).
And with that my first rotation of Level 6 is over. It's on to canape where we will prepare a one bite amuse bouche to serve each restaurant patron upon being seated. We will get slammed with orders early in service and then stand around for a few hours watching everyone else work. At least we get to be creative and come up with ideas for the food. Our first canape will be a tuna carpaccio: very thinly sliced raw tuna with arugula, parmesan, lemon, capers, olive oil, salt and pepper all rolled up into a neat, little bite of flavor designed to wake up your mouth and ready it for the procession of courses to come. I could make a weak analogy about school being the amuse bouche for the procession of greatness that is to come but Doug keeps getting in the way and hitting extra keys so I will leave you with the image of my blistered, cut, and scarred hands and forearms so you will think I am hardcore.
Our pastry dishes this time around are a pumpkin sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse served surrounded by a spiced apple reduction with tiny diced apple bits floating in the reduction, the cake itself is topped with a perfect quenelle (more on this in a moment) of cream cheese frosting and a perfectly thin crisp apple chip. It's delicious! The other dish is an individual tart filled with lemon curd, topped with a candied pineapple ring and a quenelle (there's that word again) of gingered whipped cream and a shard of macadamia nut brittle, accompanied by a blueberry compote dusted with brittle crumble. Next stop: Yummytown. (Yeah, I know that was terrible, but I have been eating a lot of sugar lately). So a quenelle is a shaped dollop of cream or ice cream or really any condiment that can hold a shape. We were taught in earlier levels to make a quenelle using two spoons, but Chef Quarter Smile does it with just one. To get a better idea of what the hell I am talking about, you can watch this 30 second clip on you tube. Don't be fooled by the fluid motion with which that berry sorbet becomes a perfectly smooth oval. It's not that easy and I think we frustrated chef to no end with our, at first, sloppy quenelles that she told us looked "as if someone already ate it". The key to a perfect quenelle is steaming hot water. Or two spoons...but using two felt like failure under chef's watchful eye, so I'm happy to say that with some determination and an ever boiling pot of water, my quenelles were pretty darn good.
Pastry is still not my favorite thing to do in the kitchen, but I've warmed up to it. I even took some of the leftover pumpkin sponge home and proceeded to make a layered dessert with carmelized bananas, whipped cream, and a rich caramel sauce. It turned out great except for the part when I brushed my hand over the spatula I had just used to stir the boiling hot sugar syrup and it glommed onto my palm like a flaming hot leech. I enjoyed the sweet treat with one hand in an ice bath and now have a blister on my palm the size of a horse tranquilizer. Mike named it Doug. Chef looked horrified when she saw it and I thought she was going to offer me some sympathy, but I should have known better. What I got instead was "That is disgusting! Cover that thing up I cannot work and look at that thing. Wear a glove! What if it explodes in the food! Oh that is so disgusting!". (Me: Slinks away toward box of gloves).
And with that my first rotation of Level 6 is over. It's on to canape where we will prepare a one bite amuse bouche to serve each restaurant patron upon being seated. We will get slammed with orders early in service and then stand around for a few hours watching everyone else work. At least we get to be creative and come up with ideas for the food. Our first canape will be a tuna carpaccio: very thinly sliced raw tuna with arugula, parmesan, lemon, capers, olive oil, salt and pepper all rolled up into a neat, little bite of flavor designed to wake up your mouth and ready it for the procession of courses to come. I could make a weak analogy about school being the amuse bouche for the procession of greatness that is to come but Doug keeps getting in the way and hitting extra keys so I will leave you with the image of my blistered, cut, and scarred hands and forearms so you will think I am hardcore.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Side Effects May Include Awesomeness
I'm back! And I don't just mean on my blog. I am mentally back to the me I know and love. California (or as I like to call it, Utopia) gave me a new attitude and completely revitalized my mind, body, and Vitamin D levels. When I returned to class last Friday, my classmates kept telling me how refreshed I looked, which maybe isn't that big of a feat considering my previous look was somewhere between downtrodden and inconsolable. So get ready for a great big dose of sunshine because I'm practically tap dancing around my apartment...not that there is room to tap dance in this place, yep, just stubbed a toe. Not even the fact that someone seems to be chiseling their way into my bathroom from the apartment next door can get me down. Not even now when my shower caddy just gave way from all the hammering.
Anyway, I spent 5 days basking in 75 degree, blue skied sunshine and the joy of unadulterated girlfriend time. I rode beach cruisers with my Bestie along the Hermosa Beach strand. I sat out on decks, patios, and sidewalk cafes sipping on whatever beverage seemed appropriate for the moment and remembering how lovely a gentle breeze feels as opposed to how a smack you in the face wind stings. I enjoyed sitting face to face with my friends and catching up and laughing and then missing them again before I was even gone. There were moments when I was sitting with my dearest friends in the sun taking in the palm trees that I was so happy I literally thought I might cry. (I could be a commercial for the side effects of winter). The best part was that it brought things for me in to such sharp focus. Well, maybe not sharp, but a clearer focus, which again, not a huge feat considering my outlook before was like someone had rubbed mud on a pair of scratched up ski goggles. That were tinted orange. And it's nighttime. So my trip helped me turn on the lights, wash off the mud, and just throw away those old goggles. I may still have astigmatism in my right eye, but the view is much better. Wow, I really should lay off these ridiculous analogies and get to the point.
California is home. And it's home in a way that I can't quite identify. My friends that love me, the familiarity, the weather, my favorite spots...they all play a role, but there is just something that feels like it's home for me. Even with all these silly sunlight induced emotional swells, I wasn't worried about getting back on the plane to Frostytown. Being THERE made me realize that I was in no way done with HERE. New York still has so much to offer me and going away made me realize that this experience is far from over. (Plus, the entire time I was in SoCal, I kept thinking about Mike shivering under a blanket waiting for me to return and how he should be with me. He was actually brewing his next batch of beer: a Belgian Wit flavored with orange, coriander, and honey...yummmers, and probably enjoying having the apartment to himself). Anyway, it renewed my excitement and my sense of purpose in being in this great city. Winter is slowly, painfully creaking towards Spring, but it's coming and there are more and more days where we being outdoors isn't an exercise in toughness.
All of this new found zeal comes at a perfect time because we begin the final level of our culinary school program tomorrow. Just six more weeks and this amazing experience will be behind me. (I can't even think about that right now because I can't believe it's almost over). We finished up our final station of the Level 5 rotations and I think Saucier (the meat station) might have been my favorite. It's challenging because you have to cook the meat to specific temperatures and orders to tend to fly in big batches. I love, love, love my team and am sad to have to part with them. We work well together and have had a ton of fun being on the hot line together. Last night as the final plates went out and the graduating Level 6 girls next to us realized that they had just fired their last order in the school kitchen, eyes started to well up. A la Grecque and I couldn't help but look at each other and exchange a "We are so going to be crying like babies 6 weeks from now" look.
So for the next 6 weeks, my plan is to kick ass. Even if it means putting on a happy face for Chef Pastry Grump as I start Level 6 with my new group tomorrow. I am going to squeeze as much as possible out of my final days in L'Ecole and I am going to enjoy every moment of it. No more inconsolable face. No more muttering under my breath. And no more worrying about what the future holds. I'm all in. (This message was brought to you by Vitamin D and the Sun).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Fake Blizzard and a Lazy 30
With the blizzard in DC last week and subsequent snow days they were blessed with, my irritation with winter reached new heights. I felt cheated. Here I am, suffering through frigid temperatures and bitter winds yet we never get enough snow to merit a snow day. Apparently someone heard my grumbling because Wednesday was our first SNOW DAY! By noon, we only had a few inches on the ground, but classes were canceled and Mike's office had closed, so I could care less about the accumulations. It was to be a day of Netflix, board games, and catching up on things like my sometimes neglected blog. Another 30 days has come and gone and although we're well into February (my least favorite month of the year), I have too much to share to forgo the latest edition of 30 things I have seen, experienced, learned, tried, and wished to never do again. Except in honor of the winter blahs, I am going to do a half ass job and only share 15. And that should tell you exactly how I am handling winter...with apathy.
1. I finished my pastry rotation in the restaurant kitchen and I say good riddance to you measuring and precision.
2. We had three chefs in pastry: 2 nights with Chef Anna, 1 with Chef Mimi, and 1 with Chef Mark. It is unbelievable how much teaching style and method of delivering feedback can impact your success in the kitchen. My confidence and feelings of competence swung wildly from night to night. The chef's styles ranged from direct instruction with questions for students designed to make us think about and understand the process, to less than constructive criticism accompanied by head shaking and eye rolling, to a more laissez-faire style with helpful tips on technique. (In no particular order). Let's just say that being told something looks disgusting accompanied by an eye roll does not exactly inspire me. What it does is make me question each and every decision I make all the while trying to block my mixing bowl from scrutinizing eyes lest I be called out for being a moron again. Like I said, good riddance.
3. On the flip side, most of our chefs have been encouraging and supportive and seem to truly enjoy the teaching process. Our lead chef, Chef Jason, clearly understands the impact of his instruction, praise, and constructive feedback. He gives simple, direct instruction and demonstration, gives praise as you work, and looks at mistakes as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster. Love him.
4. Having experienced a small dose of a less than kind chef, I do wonder how this all bodes for me if I choose to work in a restaurant kitchen. I have got to develop thicker skin and carefully vet potential employers.
5. Putting the personality of one dreadful chef behind, I did learn some useful things in pastry. We prepared two desserts from the menu each night: a chocolate walnut cake with eggnog mousse and caramel sauce and then a creme brulee baked apple with an orange and ginger florentine (a thin little cookie). We also came up with a dessert special each night and made plates of petit fours and cookies to send to VIP guests.
6. My favorite thing about pastry was the plating. We used sauces, berries, candied nuts, spun sugar, and cocoa powder stencils to decorate the plates and elevate the dish from simple to sublime. These are tricks I will be practicing at home until I get that squeeze bottle of sauce to make perfect swirls and lines.
7. Tonight would have been my last night on the Poissonier (fish) station had it not been for Blizzard 2010 that at this point appears to be a total bust. It's definitely my favorite station thus far because it's busier than most and requires more in terms of timing and communication.
8. We make a brioche crusted scallop dish with butternut squash hollandaise, which is easily the most popular dish on the menu and probably my favorite. We also do an Italian seafood stew that has more components that I can keep track of: octopus, mussels, clams, branzino, fennel, calamari, shrimp, croutons, basil, olive oil, and a rich tomatoey broth. It's tricky to get it plated quickly and in synch with the other plates.
9. Mike and I decided to call Blizzard 2010 "Diet Blizzard" because it didn't seem blizzardy at all. I know I am from California but recall that I did live in Buffalo for three winters, the first of which gave me 8 feet of snow over a two day period. They didn't call it a snow day until well into day 2. We couldn't see the house across the street and the snow was so high you couldn't tell where cars were parked save for the antennas poking out. Diet Blizzard produced about 8 inches of snow over 12 hours. I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (remind me to revisit that later), so I'll take the snow day, but a blizzard? Who is to blame for this misrepresentation of weather? And what exactly defines a blizzard. We were not impressed.
10. I tried to research the origin of the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and all I got was a bunch of gobbledygook about Henry the VI and horses having long protrusive teeth. No clear origin...
11. Gobbledygook on the other hand is attributed to US Representative Maury Maverick in 1944 in reference to his frustration with the convoluted language of bureaucrats.
12. And now back from that tangental interruption, winter sucks.
13. It is doubly sucky living in a glorified walk in closet in which you cannot control the heat. The closet warms up to sweat inducing levels which forces us to open windows and let in the sounds of jackhammers and the shrill old lady living below us. These sounds are typically accompanied by aromas of stale tempura and cigarette smoke.
14. Spending so much time in the apartment/closet has also alerted me to the shocking volume of dust in this city. I feel like I am living with a sneaky society of dust bunnies that leave trails all over everything as soon as I leave the room with my pledge multi-surface spray.
15. Luckily I will be escaping the blahs, the dust bunnies, the pretend blizzards, the jackhammers, and grouchy pastry chefs. I'm headed west for sunshine, friends, and hopefully a revitalized spirit. Even though I won't be sharing Valentine's Day with my Valentine, sometimes he knows when it's better to ship me off and hope I come back a happier, more pleasant Valentine. XOXOXOXO
1. I finished my pastry rotation in the restaurant kitchen and I say good riddance to you measuring and precision.
2. We had three chefs in pastry: 2 nights with Chef Anna, 1 with Chef Mimi, and 1 with Chef Mark. It is unbelievable how much teaching style and method of delivering feedback can impact your success in the kitchen. My confidence and feelings of competence swung wildly from night to night. The chef's styles ranged from direct instruction with questions for students designed to make us think about and understand the process, to less than constructive criticism accompanied by head shaking and eye rolling, to a more laissez-faire style with helpful tips on technique. (In no particular order). Let's just say that being told something looks disgusting accompanied by an eye roll does not exactly inspire me. What it does is make me question each and every decision I make all the while trying to block my mixing bowl from scrutinizing eyes lest I be called out for being a moron again. Like I said, good riddance.
3. On the flip side, most of our chefs have been encouraging and supportive and seem to truly enjoy the teaching process. Our lead chef, Chef Jason, clearly understands the impact of his instruction, praise, and constructive feedback. He gives simple, direct instruction and demonstration, gives praise as you work, and looks at mistakes as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster. Love him.
4. Having experienced a small dose of a less than kind chef, I do wonder how this all bodes for me if I choose to work in a restaurant kitchen. I have got to develop thicker skin and carefully vet potential employers.
5. Putting the personality of one dreadful chef behind, I did learn some useful things in pastry. We prepared two desserts from the menu each night: a chocolate walnut cake with eggnog mousse and caramel sauce and then a creme brulee baked apple with an orange and ginger florentine (a thin little cookie). We also came up with a dessert special each night and made plates of petit fours and cookies to send to VIP guests.
6. My favorite thing about pastry was the plating. We used sauces, berries, candied nuts, spun sugar, and cocoa powder stencils to decorate the plates and elevate the dish from simple to sublime. These are tricks I will be practicing at home until I get that squeeze bottle of sauce to make perfect swirls and lines.
7. Tonight would have been my last night on the Poissonier (fish) station had it not been for Blizzard 2010 that at this point appears to be a total bust. It's definitely my favorite station thus far because it's busier than most and requires more in terms of timing and communication.
8. We make a brioche crusted scallop dish with butternut squash hollandaise, which is easily the most popular dish on the menu and probably my favorite. We also do an Italian seafood stew that has more components that I can keep track of: octopus, mussels, clams, branzino, fennel, calamari, shrimp, croutons, basil, olive oil, and a rich tomatoey broth. It's tricky to get it plated quickly and in synch with the other plates.
9. Mike and I decided to call Blizzard 2010 "Diet Blizzard" because it didn't seem blizzardy at all. I know I am from California but recall that I did live in Buffalo for three winters, the first of which gave me 8 feet of snow over a two day period. They didn't call it a snow day until well into day 2. We couldn't see the house across the street and the snow was so high you couldn't tell where cars were parked save for the antennas poking out. Diet Blizzard produced about 8 inches of snow over 12 hours. I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (remind me to revisit that later), so I'll take the snow day, but a blizzard? Who is to blame for this misrepresentation of weather? And what exactly defines a blizzard. We were not impressed.
10. I tried to research the origin of the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and all I got was a bunch of gobbledygook about Henry the VI and horses having long protrusive teeth. No clear origin...
11. Gobbledygook on the other hand is attributed to US Representative Maury Maverick in 1944 in reference to his frustration with the convoluted language of bureaucrats.
12. And now back from that tangental interruption, winter sucks.
13. It is doubly sucky living in a glorified walk in closet in which you cannot control the heat. The closet warms up to sweat inducing levels which forces us to open windows and let in the sounds of jackhammers and the shrill old lady living below us. These sounds are typically accompanied by aromas of stale tempura and cigarette smoke.
14. Spending so much time in the apartment/closet has also alerted me to the shocking volume of dust in this city. I feel like I am living with a sneaky society of dust bunnies that leave trails all over everything as soon as I leave the room with my pledge multi-surface spray.
15. Luckily I will be escaping the blahs, the dust bunnies, the pretend blizzards, the jackhammers, and grouchy pastry chefs. I'm headed west for sunshine, friends, and hopefully a revitalized spirit. Even though I won't be sharing Valentine's Day with my Valentine, sometimes he knows when it's better to ship me off and hope I come back a happier, more pleasant Valentine. XOXOXOXO
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Level 5 Menu Project
In Level 5, a big part of our grade comes from a menu project in which we have to plan a 4 course menu for 8, choose a theme, write up the recipes, photograph the finished dishes, pair at least one course with wine, and write a brief essay on one main ingredient. I chose to do a seasonal menu because that is how I cook at home, but I added honey to each dish in honor of my late grandfather, who was a beekeeper. My uncle carries on the tradition of beekeeping today and I used his honey in each recipe. I'm really happy with each of the dishes, although I think the panna cotta is my favorite and it got rave reviews from the test kitchen team (which included Mike, and some random friends who stopped by).
Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Purple Haze Chevre, & Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Serves 8
5 oz. arugula
4 medium beets (about 1 pound)
1 4 oz. disc of Cypress Grove Purple Haze Chevre
2 blood oranges
1 small shallot, ciseler
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for roasting beets
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Salt & pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets well. Wrap individually in foil and place on a sheet pan. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour until a thin-bladed knife pierces each with little resistance. Remove from oven and cool. When cool, peel and cut into quarters, set aside.
2. Peler a vif & supreme 1 blood orange, reserving any extra juice. Zest and juice the other orange. Combine the reserved juice, zest, honey, shallot, and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Adjust the seasoning and add salt and pepper.
3. Divide the chevre into 8 pieces, forming a quenelle of each. Set aside.
4. Wash arugula and toss with the dressing, just to coat. Place a small pile of arugula in the center of each plate. Place on one side two beet sections, a quenelle, and 2 blood orange segments. Serve immediately.
Seared Sea Scallops with Honey Mustard Glaze, Brussels Sprouts, and Pancetta
Serves 8
2 pounds dry sea scallops (about 3 per person), tendons removed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup of honey
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
Butter for the pan
1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
8 oz. thick cut pancetta, cut into one inch jardinière
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the Brussels sprouts. Add sprouts and cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, just until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Cut in halves or quarters depending on size. Set aside.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of butter and continue to heat until melted. Add pancetta and cook until fat has rendered and pancetta is just crispy. Turn off heat and leave pan on range.
3. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and mustard in a small bowl. Brush the scallops lightly with the mixture. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add a tablespoon of butter to the hot pan. When the foaming subsides, as half the scallops to the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Turn scallops over and cook just until the all but the middle of the scallop is opaque. Transfer to a warm plate and cover. Repeat the process with the remaining scallops.
4. Heat pan with pancetta over medium heat. To the empty scallop pan, add the remaining honey & mustard mixture and cook over low heat for about a minute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add Brussels sprouts to pan with pancetta and cook over medium heat just until hot, about 3 minutes.
6. To serve, place 3 scallops on each plate. Divide the Brussels sprout mixture evenly among the plates, scattering around the scallops. Drizzle with pan juices. Serve immediately.
Honey Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree and Watercress
Serves 8
3 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper
1 ½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cream
White pepper
5 oz. watercress, cleaned and divided in half
Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling
1. Adjust oven rack close to heat source. Preheat broiler. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and balsamic and coat the pork evenly with the mixture.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch half of the watercress. Refresh in cold water and drain. Blend the watercress and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil together in a blender. Season with salt. Place oil in a squeeze bottle and set aside.
3. Place pork on a sheet pan and broil for about 15 minutes, turning to brown all sides, until the internal temperature is no higher than 145 degrees. Brush the meat with any additional glaze, once or twice while cooking.
4. Meanwhile, place a steamer basket over a pot filled with about 2 inches of salted water. Place the parsnips in the basket, cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until they can easily be pierced with a thin-bladed knife. Drain.
5. Toss the remaining watercress with olive oil and salt.
6. Remove the meat from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Puree the parsnips in a food processor along with the cream and butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Slice the pork in ½ inch thick slices on the bias.
7. To serve, divide the parsnip puree evenly and place a small amount in the center of the plate. Place 3 or 4 slices of the pork (depending on size) in a fan on top of the puree. Top with watercress and dot the plate with watercress oil and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.
Orange Blossom Scented Panna Cotta with Honey & Tangerine
Serves 8
1 cup whole milk
2 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1 piece vanilla bean, 2 inches long, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Honey for drizzling, about 8 tablespoons
2 tangerines, peler a vif and cut in supremes
1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan; sprinkle the surface evenly with the gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate the gelatin. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the vanilla seeds and pod, along with the orange blossom water into the cream, set aside. Set eight 4 ounce ramekins on a sheet pan.
2. Heat the milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 90 seconds. Off the heat, add the sugar and salt, stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.
3. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the cream with the vanilla into the saucepan of milk, then transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set the bowl over the ice-water bath. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens to the consistency of eggnog and registers 50 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or pitcher, then divide it evenly among the ramekins. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic does not mar the surface of the cream; refrigerate until just set (the mixture should wobble when shaken gently), about 4 hours.
4. To serve, pour 1 cup boiling water into a small, wide-mouthed bowl, dip a ramekin filled with panna cotta into the water, count to three, and lift the ramekin out of the water. With a moistened finger, lightly press the periphery of the panna cotta to loosen the edges. Dip the ramekin back into the hot water for another three count. Invert the ramekin over your palm and loosen the panna cotta by cupping your fingers between the panna cotta and the edge of the ramekin. Gently lower the panna cotta onto a serving plate. Drizzle with honey and top with two tangerine supremes. Serve immediately.
Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Purple Haze Chevre, & Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Serves 8
5 oz. arugula
4 medium beets (about 1 pound)
1 4 oz. disc of Cypress Grove Purple Haze Chevre
2 blood oranges
1 small shallot, ciseler
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for roasting beets
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Salt & pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets well. Wrap individually in foil and place on a sheet pan. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour until a thin-bladed knife pierces each with little resistance. Remove from oven and cool. When cool, peel and cut into quarters, set aside.
2. Peler a vif & supreme 1 blood orange, reserving any extra juice. Zest and juice the other orange. Combine the reserved juice, zest, honey, shallot, and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Adjust the seasoning and add salt and pepper.
3. Divide the chevre into 8 pieces, forming a quenelle of each. Set aside.
4. Wash arugula and toss with the dressing, just to coat. Place a small pile of arugula in the center of each plate. Place on one side two beet sections, a quenelle, and 2 blood orange segments. Serve immediately.
Seared Sea Scallops with Honey Mustard Glaze, Brussels Sprouts, and Pancetta
Serves 8
2 pounds dry sea scallops (about 3 per person), tendons removed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup of honey
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
Butter for the pan
1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
8 oz. thick cut pancetta, cut into one inch jardinière
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the Brussels sprouts. Add sprouts and cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, just until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Cut in halves or quarters depending on size. Set aside.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of butter and continue to heat until melted. Add pancetta and cook until fat has rendered and pancetta is just crispy. Turn off heat and leave pan on range.
3. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and mustard in a small bowl. Brush the scallops lightly with the mixture. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add a tablespoon of butter to the hot pan. When the foaming subsides, as half the scallops to the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Turn scallops over and cook just until the all but the middle of the scallop is opaque. Transfer to a warm plate and cover. Repeat the process with the remaining scallops.
4. Heat pan with pancetta over medium heat. To the empty scallop pan, add the remaining honey & mustard mixture and cook over low heat for about a minute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add Brussels sprouts to pan with pancetta and cook over medium heat just until hot, about 3 minutes.
6. To serve, place 3 scallops on each plate. Divide the Brussels sprout mixture evenly among the plates, scattering around the scallops. Drizzle with pan juices. Serve immediately.
Honey Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree and Watercress
Serves 8
3 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper
1 ½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cream
White pepper
5 oz. watercress, cleaned and divided in half
Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling
1. Adjust oven rack close to heat source. Preheat broiler. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and balsamic and coat the pork evenly with the mixture.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch half of the watercress. Refresh in cold water and drain. Blend the watercress and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil together in a blender. Season with salt. Place oil in a squeeze bottle and set aside.
3. Place pork on a sheet pan and broil for about 15 minutes, turning to brown all sides, until the internal temperature is no higher than 145 degrees. Brush the meat with any additional glaze, once or twice while cooking.
4. Meanwhile, place a steamer basket over a pot filled with about 2 inches of salted water. Place the parsnips in the basket, cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until they can easily be pierced with a thin-bladed knife. Drain.
5. Toss the remaining watercress with olive oil and salt.
6. Remove the meat from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Puree the parsnips in a food processor along with the cream and butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Slice the pork in ½ inch thick slices on the bias.
7. To serve, divide the parsnip puree evenly and place a small amount in the center of the plate. Place 3 or 4 slices of the pork (depending on size) in a fan on top of the puree. Top with watercress and dot the plate with watercress oil and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.
Orange Blossom Scented Panna Cotta with Honey & Tangerine
Serves 8
1 cup whole milk
2 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1 piece vanilla bean, 2 inches long, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Honey for drizzling, about 8 tablespoons
2 tangerines, peler a vif and cut in supremes
1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan; sprinkle the surface evenly with the gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate the gelatin. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the vanilla seeds and pod, along with the orange blossom water into the cream, set aside. Set eight 4 ounce ramekins on a sheet pan.
2. Heat the milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 90 seconds. Off the heat, add the sugar and salt, stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.
3. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the cream with the vanilla into the saucepan of milk, then transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set the bowl over the ice-water bath. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens to the consistency of eggnog and registers 50 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or pitcher, then divide it evenly among the ramekins. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic does not mar the surface of the cream; refrigerate until just set (the mixture should wobble when shaken gently), about 4 hours.
4. To serve, pour 1 cup boiling water into a small, wide-mouthed bowl, dip a ramekin filled with panna cotta into the water, count to three, and lift the ramekin out of the water. With a moistened finger, lightly press the periphery of the panna cotta to loosen the edges. Dip the ramekin back into the hot water for another three count. Invert the ramekin over your palm and loosen the panna cotta by cupping your fingers between the panna cotta and the edge of the ramekin. Gently lower the panna cotta onto a serving plate. Drizzle with honey and top with two tangerine supremes. Serve immediately.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Getting the Crazy Out & Other Appetizers
Garde Manger (sounds like guard mon-jay), which is the appetizer station, is where I have spent the last 4 class sessions, which have been scattered over a few weeks thanks to the abundance of holiday weekends recently. Before I get into the nitty-gritty of what Garde Manger entails, I have to confess something. I have been avoiding posting anything on here lately because I have been overcome with football related depression and I spent the last week feeling like I got dumped. I moped, I didn't get out of bed for a full day. I ate junk food. It wasn't pretty. And to top it off, I've gotten flack for writing about football from some of my friends, so I didn't even feel like this was a safe place to come and cry about it. (Side note: when one day I have a blog devoted entirely to one topic, for example: food, which I will, and I stray from food to football, then feel free to chastise me. Until then, you're stuck with the unfocused thoughts that run through my head.) I finally shook it off and realized two things: 1. It's just football and 2. It really wasn't about football at all.
For the past few months, I've been in a cycle of panic and then determination, anxiety then focus, self doubt then fear, then a search for temporary distraction. Yes, I know, it's the life everyone dreams of. A lot of times the distraction I found that calmed the anxiousness was football. Something to focus on that wasn't my impending graduation and career doing...doing WHAT?! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO NEXT?! You see, having moved 3,000 miles away, dumped a truckload of money into school, and uprooted my husband from the life he was quite fond of, has created this intense personal pressure to make something HUGE of what we are doing. And as I continue to learn, to work (for free) and to meet people and make connections, I still don't have a dream job waiting for me. I don't think even I expected me to have the perfect job lined up with 3 months to go before graduation, but for some reason that has not quieted my internal panic alarm. It all came to a head this weekend in a really unbecoming blubbery moment the likes of which never seem to scare Mike away. He listened to me wail about my fears and inadequacies and then said "I wish you believed in yourself as much as I do". Which then caused the "poor me" tears to turn into "I'm so lucky to have him" tears. After career services talked me off the ledge yesterday and assured me that I am doing everything I need to be doing and moving in the right direction, I think I can safely write about it without alarming anyone about my mental state. Or maybe that ship has sailed.
Regardless of popular opinion on my emotional stability, it was what I needed to regroup and refocus on what's ahead. Mike's second gem of wisdom was "You should be excited about having all of this possibility in front of you...you can do ANYTHING you want!". Seriously? What is wrong with me? I came storming in here ready to conquer the city and 9 months later I am sniffling in the kitchen over some made up obstacle? Probably a good idea to never follow me into battle if the situation somehow calls for it. Although I'm sure once I have the troops totally distracted with karaoke and fantasy football and pretending like the war around us isn't actually happening, Mike will step in quietly, pull me together and let me lead everyone to victory as he steps back into the shadows. So, that weird analogy is actually a foreshadowing of when I am wildly successful, you must know Mike is always behind me helping me get there. (Cue Bette Midler: You were the wind beneath my wiiiiiings).
Well that confession took up most of the allotted blog time I've scheduled between working on my menu project for school, doing taxes, and updating the resume. So I'll give you a quick synopsis of my time on the Garde Manger station. 1. Chef Karen was super snippy with me and I did not like it one bit. ONE BIT. 2. There are 3 too many people in our group of 5 to ever feel particularly busy. We only serve 3 things in Garde Manger: a sweet potato gnocchi with rabbit ragu, a warm potato and goat cheese salad, and a digestive salad served between the savory and sweet portions of the meal to cleanse the palate. This could be handled by 2 or 3 people and would make me infinitely more confident in my abilities to hack it in an actual restaurant kitchen. 3. Between the waiting around for orders to come in and doing something irritating to Chef Karen like hold a pan incorrectly, it hasn't been my favorite station thus far. It also could have been my attitude lately. We'll see if regrouped Emily has a better time in pastry. Menu project recipes and photos to come shortly...
For the past few months, I've been in a cycle of panic and then determination, anxiety then focus, self doubt then fear, then a search for temporary distraction. Yes, I know, it's the life everyone dreams of. A lot of times the distraction I found that calmed the anxiousness was football. Something to focus on that wasn't my impending graduation and career doing...doing WHAT?! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO NEXT?! You see, having moved 3,000 miles away, dumped a truckload of money into school, and uprooted my husband from the life he was quite fond of, has created this intense personal pressure to make something HUGE of what we are doing. And as I continue to learn, to work (for free) and to meet people and make connections, I still don't have a dream job waiting for me. I don't think even I expected me to have the perfect job lined up with 3 months to go before graduation, but for some reason that has not quieted my internal panic alarm. It all came to a head this weekend in a really unbecoming blubbery moment the likes of which never seem to scare Mike away. He listened to me wail about my fears and inadequacies and then said "I wish you believed in yourself as much as I do". Which then caused the "poor me" tears to turn into "I'm so lucky to have him" tears. After career services talked me off the ledge yesterday and assured me that I am doing everything I need to be doing and moving in the right direction, I think I can safely write about it without alarming anyone about my mental state. Or maybe that ship has sailed.
Regardless of popular opinion on my emotional stability, it was what I needed to regroup and refocus on what's ahead. Mike's second gem of wisdom was "You should be excited about having all of this possibility in front of you...you can do ANYTHING you want!". Seriously? What is wrong with me? I came storming in here ready to conquer the city and 9 months later I am sniffling in the kitchen over some made up obstacle? Probably a good idea to never follow me into battle if the situation somehow calls for it. Although I'm sure once I have the troops totally distracted with karaoke and fantasy football and pretending like the war around us isn't actually happening, Mike will step in quietly, pull me together and let me lead everyone to victory as he steps back into the shadows. So, that weird analogy is actually a foreshadowing of when I am wildly successful, you must know Mike is always behind me helping me get there. (Cue Bette Midler: You were the wind beneath my wiiiiiings).
Well that confession took up most of the allotted blog time I've scheduled between working on my menu project for school, doing taxes, and updating the resume. So I'll give you a quick synopsis of my time on the Garde Manger station. 1. Chef Karen was super snippy with me and I did not like it one bit. ONE BIT. 2. There are 3 too many people in our group of 5 to ever feel particularly busy. We only serve 3 things in Garde Manger: a sweet potato gnocchi with rabbit ragu, a warm potato and goat cheese salad, and a digestive salad served between the savory and sweet portions of the meal to cleanse the palate. This could be handled by 2 or 3 people and would make me infinitely more confident in my abilities to hack it in an actual restaurant kitchen. 3. Between the waiting around for orders to come in and doing something irritating to Chef Karen like hold a pan incorrectly, it hasn't been my favorite station thus far. It also could have been my attitude lately. We'll see if regrouped Emily has a better time in pastry. Menu project recipes and photos to come shortly...
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