Cheese…so many varieties, textures, flavors and ways to savor. Our class time was split between learning about cheese, making our own ricotta and mozzarella and having a cheese tasting.
We were all given a block of cheese curd that looked like a big chunk of tofu that we broke up into smaller piece and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. We brought a pot of water up to 180 degrees and then added our curd. We slowly simmered the curd until it melted from the heat of the water. We drained the curd from the water and let it cool slightly, we prepared a bowl of ice water and pull off pieces of cheese to make a mini mozzarella ball called a bocconcino. The mozzarella had a plastic texture and little flavor if any. I suggest buying quality mozzarella from your cheese monger.
The ricotta making process was interesting, we brought some milk up to a simmer, added a pinch of salt and citric acid. The acid reacts with the milk and helps separate the proteins. Once the curds separate from the whey, we drained the cheese using cheesecloth and tied the cheese up into a ball. Once that was accomplished we dangled the cheese ball over a small bowl to catch residual moisture. Again, my feeling is to leave the cheese making to the people that do it full-time. The ricotta was just alright – lacked any type of flavor and is easier to purchase it rather than going through the process of making your own. I enjoyed learning how to make cheese and would love to learn more…but similar to medical practice, I think there are food specialties that one could further delve into – such as cheese making, pastry and bread baking – I’m happy to experience all the different aspects of culinary arts and have plenty of time to decide if I want to be a general food practitioner or a specialist in my field.
Toward the end of class we had our cheese tasting that was portioned into specific categories. We had cow’s milk then goat and sheep milk cheeses and dairy products. We started by sampling different milk from all three categories, then yogurts and fresh cheeses. The object was to understand and differentiate from subtle flavors, textures and characteristics. Overall the cow’s milk products were unsatisfying, the yogurt was very sour, the fresh ricotta cheese was bland and whole milk is just something I never drink. On the flip side the goat’s milk was delicious and the yogurt and goat cheese quite nice. The sheep’s milk was gamy, but the yogurt and fresh cheese lovely.
We went on to tasting cheeses…again, all cow’s milk cheeses were sampled first then goat then on to sheep. Out of all the cheeses my favorites were in both the goat and sheep’s milk category. The Chabichou was sublime – a fresh goat cheese with a rind, the texture was velvety and finish almost sweet. My next favorite was the Garroxta from Spain – a semi-firm cheese with a hay-like or citrus aroma that mellowed to a yummy creaminess on the palate. Lastly, the Ossau Iraty and Roquefort were my hands down favorites. The Ossau Iraty was nutty, a firm sheep’s milk cheese that had a comforting creamy flavor. The Roquefort was complex, robust, salty, sweet, sharp and it had a long finish that sweetened over time. My take on the whole experience – eat more cheese and experiment with others you've never even considered trying - they may surprise you and become your new favorites!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Floundering
We had an interesting class that was completely unstructured. The recipe for the night, Filet de Limande à votre façon (Filet of Flounder however we wanted to cook it). Chef instructed us a few classes back that on this night we will have to fillet a flounder, prepare it our own way, with an accompanying vegetable and starch and a canapé to go with the dish.
The kitchen had all the usual ingredients at our disposal, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, rice, spices and herbs. This was a good challenge for all of us and it allowed each student to make something that reflected their talent, vision and style.
I stressed about what to make for days. I decided to use one of the fillets to make a fish cake for my canapé. A few days before class, I bought some flounder fillets to practice recipes. My fish cake fell apart as I sautéed it so I researched other recipes. For my main entrée I decided to make a butter/white wine/lime juice braised flounder wrapped in a spiral with a beurre blanc sauce that had the essence of lime. I made a gorgeous potato gratin with gruyère cheese and simple haricot verts almondine.
The time flew by that night, I was racing to make everything. Marcella and I prepared a fish stock from the flounder bones to use in our sauces. The fish itself cooks in 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven so I was very careful not to overcook this very delicate fish. Down to the wire my potatoes were done and were kept warm, my haricot verts were cooked and shocked to keep their color. At the last minute I sautéed them with some toasted almonds. I made my sauce last since it was the most delicate of all the components of the dish. The beurre blanc was velvety and just plated so beautifully. Chef critiqued all of our dishes and our presentation styles. His main issue with my dish was that it was too rich! The creamy potatoes, the loaded-with-butter sauce and the butter-braised fish were too much for Chef’s cholesterol. He asked me rhetorically what was for dessert, I retorted – a heart attack.
The kitchen had all the usual ingredients at our disposal, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, rice, spices and herbs. This was a good challenge for all of us and it allowed each student to make something that reflected their talent, vision and style.
I stressed about what to make for days. I decided to use one of the fillets to make a fish cake for my canapé. A few days before class, I bought some flounder fillets to practice recipes. My fish cake fell apart as I sautéed it so I researched other recipes. For my main entrée I decided to make a butter/white wine/lime juice braised flounder wrapped in a spiral with a beurre blanc sauce that had the essence of lime. I made a gorgeous potato gratin with gruyère cheese and simple haricot verts almondine.
The time flew by that night, I was racing to make everything. Marcella and I prepared a fish stock from the flounder bones to use in our sauces. The fish itself cooks in 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven so I was very careful not to overcook this very delicate fish. Down to the wire my potatoes were done and were kept warm, my haricot verts were cooked and shocked to keep their color. At the last minute I sautéed them with some toasted almonds. I made my sauce last since it was the most delicate of all the components of the dish. The beurre blanc was velvety and just plated so beautifully. Chef critiqued all of our dishes and our presentation styles. His main issue with my dish was that it was too rich! The creamy potatoes, the loaded-with-butter sauce and the butter-braised fish were too much for Chef’s cholesterol. He asked me rhetorically what was for dessert, I retorted – a heart attack.Kitchen Math 101
The lectures continue! This time a class on food control and costing. A Chef not only has to be a superstar in the kitchen he or she must be a good business person as well.
Our class meet in our normal kitchen-classroom – all of us gathered around to watch a short film on food costing, recipe costing, edible portion estimating, yields and math! I was glazing over – I know this stuff is important and I paid attention but once I hear percentages divided by yield factors equals usable edible portion cost – I go to a happy place in my brain.
Luckily, our lecture was only half of the allotted class time and we were able to make one recipe – Poulet en Cocotte Printanière (Chicken Stew with Spring Vegetables). We started by trussing the chicken carefully with some kitchen string. In a sautoir we sautéed the chicken on all sides to achieve a golden crisp crust. We finished cooking the chicken in a 425 degree oven with some mirepoix. On the side we prepared the spring vegetables which consisted of pearl onions, haricots verts, peas, carrots, and turnips – all prepped and cook separately and ready to be reheated in time to plate.
When the chicken was out of the oven, we used the same pan and degreased it of fat and then deglazed the pan with white wine to make a jus. We each plated a dish for Chef to review and I was very happy with the result of my chicken stew, the jus was perfect and the presentation was elegant for a simple country-style dish. Chef liked it as well and asked me where were the peas? I forgot to use them in my rush to plate the dish quickly – it was probably subliminal since peas are on my “not a fan” list. I’ll eat them when they are in stews and braises but on their own I think they are a lot of work for little return.
Our class meet in our normal kitchen-classroom – all of us gathered around to watch a short film on food costing, recipe costing, edible portion estimating, yields and math! I was glazing over – I know this stuff is important and I paid attention but once I hear percentages divided by yield factors equals usable edible portion cost – I go to a happy place in my brain.
Luckily, our lecture was only half of the allotted class time and we were able to make one recipe – Poulet en Cocotte Printanière (Chicken Stew with Spring Vegetables). We started by trussing the chicken carefully with some kitchen string. In a sautoir we sautéed the chicken on all sides to achieve a golden crisp crust. We finished cooking the chicken in a 425 degree oven with some mirepoix. On the side we prepared the spring vegetables which consisted of pearl onions, haricots verts, peas, carrots, and turnips – all prepped and cook separately and ready to be reheated in time to plate.
When the chicken was out of the oven, we used the same pan and degreased it of fat and then deglazed the pan with white wine to make a jus. We each plated a dish for Chef to review and I was very happy with the result of my chicken stew, the jus was perfect and the presentation was elegant for a simple country-style dish. Chef liked it as well and asked me where were the peas? I forgot to use them in my rush to plate the dish quickly – it was probably subliminal since peas are on my “not a fan” list. I’ll eat them when they are in stews and braises but on their own I think they are a lot of work for little return.
Veggin' Out
We had our last lecture on nutrition and then went right into making some healthy alternatives. Tonight, it was all about vegetarian foods – we made an Artichoke Heart, Fennel, Watercress Salad with a Grapefruit Citronette, Falafel, Roasted Spaghetti Squash with a Tomato Caper Sauce, Babaganoush, and finally Tabouleh.
The salad we made was bitter, unattractive and the Citronette dressing was very bitter. No balance in the dish – everyone hated it. I don’t event think Chef liked it. We moved on to Falafel which is ground chickpeas, garlic, parsley, cilantro lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and a little baking soda. I really love Falafel so I was excited to learn how to make this dish. It was really quite easy, after soaking the dry chickpeas, we processed them with the garlic, herbs and seasonings. We then added the lemon juice, baking soda, bread crumbs and gently mixed the ingredients together. We let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes and then proceeded to roll golf-ball size Falafels to fry in 350 degree oil until golden.
Meanwhile as this was happening, we were roasting our spaghetti squash and eggplant together for the other recipes. My cooking partner for the evening, Ashley, took the reigns on the spaghetti squash and I went to work on the Babaganoush.
The roasted eggplant flesh was soft and easily removed from it’s skin. I processed the eggplant with some lemon juice, olive oil, tahini (sesame paste), a clove of garlic and some parsley. Here’s what I would have changed…I would have roasted the garlic with the eggplant to mellow it out. Otherwise, the mixture was good with a healthy kick of garlic. For some reason every time I eat eggplant the inside of my mouth itches. I don’t know if I’m having some reaction but it is the weirdest thing – it won’t stop me from eating it. A friend of mine calls eggplant “the poor man’s meat” I’m guessing because it has a hefty texture and can stand up to grilling, roasting, frying, and it’s oh so good in eggplant parmesan.
At this point in the night, we were running out of time and had to make the Tabouleh. We soaked the bulghar wheat in a cup of boiling water and let is soak for about 25 minutes. We chopped some fresh parsley, mint, tomatoes, and combined all of this with the nutty bulghar and added lemon juice and olive oil.
Simple dishes to add to your repertoire of weekly meals. These middle eastern favorites are great for summer entertaining too!
The salad we made was bitter, unattractive and the Citronette dressing was very bitter. No balance in the dish – everyone hated it. I don’t event think Chef liked it. We moved on to Falafel which is ground chickpeas, garlic, parsley, cilantro lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and a little baking soda. I really love Falafel so I was excited to learn how to make this dish. It was really quite easy, after soaking the dry chickpeas, we processed them with the garlic, herbs and seasonings. We then added the lemon juice, baking soda, bread crumbs and gently mixed the ingredients together. We let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes and then proceeded to roll golf-ball size Falafels to fry in 350 degree oil until golden.
Meanwhile as this was happening, we were roasting our spaghetti squash and eggplant together for the other recipes. My cooking partner for the evening, Ashley, took the reigns on the spaghetti squash and I went to work on the Babaganoush.
The roasted eggplant flesh was soft and easily removed from it’s skin. I processed the eggplant with some lemon juice, olive oil, tahini (sesame paste), a clove of garlic and some parsley. Here’s what I would have changed…I would have roasted the garlic with the eggplant to mellow it out. Otherwise, the mixture was good with a healthy kick of garlic. For some reason every time I eat eggplant the inside of my mouth itches. I don’t know if I’m having some reaction but it is the weirdest thing – it won’t stop me from eating it. A friend of mine calls eggplant “the poor man’s meat” I’m guessing because it has a hefty texture and can stand up to grilling, roasting, frying, and it’s oh so good in eggplant parmesan.
At this point in the night, we were running out of time and had to make the Tabouleh. We soaked the bulghar wheat in a cup of boiling water and let is soak for about 25 minutes. We chopped some fresh parsley, mint, tomatoes, and combined all of this with the nutty bulghar and added lemon juice and olive oil.
Simple dishes to add to your repertoire of weekly meals. These middle eastern favorites are great for summer entertaining too!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Nutrition: Fat is NOT the enemy!
This past class we spent a lot of time talking about fat. For decades fat has been the enemy in rhetoric thrown about by the media, dieticians, doctors, etc. Well, how does this come into play with the French diet? All that butter, foie gras, pastry – that can’t possibly be healthy, right?
The secret to a healthy diet is truly moderation, not too much meat, fat, and carbs. The American diet is chock full of processed, overly sweetened, convenience-oriented fast foods. We eat so much garbage when it comes to processed foods, all that stuff is full of chemical preservatives that help it maintain a long shelf life. What happened to going to the market on a daily basis to buy food for dinner, buying the freshest meats and vegetables…we are so far away from that model of eating. American society is far more sedentary, much less active than our European friends, and more dependant of food that is fast, easy and ultimately not healthy for us.
Let me get my soap box to stand on…the low-carb, low-fat, diet craze is a multi-billion dollar business – companies are getting rich and we are getting sick. We are an over-fed, nutritionally deficient country – it is truly a shame and the incidences of diet-related diseases and obesity are astounding. We don’t need supplements, extra vitamins in pill form, or energy drinks to live better. What we need is a balanced diet of whole foods (grass-fed beef, organic, wild-caught fish), whole grains, fresh fruit and more vegetables – oh, and booze is good for you too! Everything in moderation, is the rule of thumb. This is why the French can eat foie gras, drink a glass a wine or two, eat gourmet food and stay healthy. Portion control is key and eating lower glycemic foods are more beneficial to your diet and metabolism.
These past few classes really opened my eyes. I’ve learned not only about basic nutrition but more on how to eat better, shop wisely, prepare healthier food and become an advocate for locally produced food – support your local farmers and green markets! Read about the slow food movement.
I’m getting off my soap box, for goodness sake, go eat some kale!
The secret to a healthy diet is truly moderation, not too much meat, fat, and carbs. The American diet is chock full of processed, overly sweetened, convenience-oriented fast foods. We eat so much garbage when it comes to processed foods, all that stuff is full of chemical preservatives that help it maintain a long shelf life. What happened to going to the market on a daily basis to buy food for dinner, buying the freshest meats and vegetables…we are so far away from that model of eating. American society is far more sedentary, much less active than our European friends, and more dependant of food that is fast, easy and ultimately not healthy for us.
Let me get my soap box to stand on…the low-carb, low-fat, diet craze is a multi-billion dollar business – companies are getting rich and we are getting sick. We are an over-fed, nutritionally deficient country – it is truly a shame and the incidences of diet-related diseases and obesity are astounding. We don’t need supplements, extra vitamins in pill form, or energy drinks to live better. What we need is a balanced diet of whole foods (grass-fed beef, organic, wild-caught fish), whole grains, fresh fruit and more vegetables – oh, and booze is good for you too! Everything in moderation, is the rule of thumb. This is why the French can eat foie gras, drink a glass a wine or two, eat gourmet food and stay healthy. Portion control is key and eating lower glycemic foods are more beneficial to your diet and metabolism.
These past few classes really opened my eyes. I’ve learned not only about basic nutrition but more on how to eat better, shop wisely, prepare healthier food and become an advocate for locally produced food – support your local farmers and green markets! Read about the slow food movement.
I’m getting off my soap box, for goodness sake, go eat some kale!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Nutrition: It Does A Body Good!
As chefs-in-training we are taught the basics about nutrition. Nutrition is a fascinating subject for me, I love food and learning about how nutrients effect our body in terms of health and disease.
We have a different Chef teaching us about nutrition who has attended FCI and who also has a Masters from NYU in food service. We learned about the three categories of macronutrients including proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. As a living breathing person we need a large amount of these to maintain weight and health.
There are also micronutrients that we require but in lesser amounts, these are vitamins and minerals. For the first half of the class we have a lecture and the second half we prep and make one recipe. On this night we made a Filet of Striped Bass over Puy Lentils. The lecture was very interesting, a lot of information to take in at once. Afterwards we prepped our mise en place, filleted the bass which gets easier and easier. I’m no longer feeling daunted when confronted with a whole fish. The only thing that kind of grosses me out is when we have to use our melon baller to scoop out the fish eyes. If we use the heads for fish stock, the eyes have got to go.
Our dish had many components, we cooked the lentils first with some aromatic vegetables, we glazed some pearl onions, we made a vinaigrette as the sauce and then finally we sautéed the bass fillets skin side down until crispy on one side, then flipped over to cook for less then a minute on the delicate fleshy side. My partner Michele and I plated our food and presented, Chef wanted the pearl onions cooked a little more and thought the vinaigrette could have been thinned out a bit.
Our next two classes will continue on the theme of nutrition – so more on that in my next few posts.
We have a different Chef teaching us about nutrition who has attended FCI and who also has a Masters from NYU in food service. We learned about the three categories of macronutrients including proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. As a living breathing person we need a large amount of these to maintain weight and health.
There are also micronutrients that we require but in lesser amounts, these are vitamins and minerals. For the first half of the class we have a lecture and the second half we prep and make one recipe. On this night we made a Filet of Striped Bass over Puy Lentils. The lecture was very interesting, a lot of information to take in at once. Afterwards we prepped our mise en place, filleted the bass which gets easier and easier. I’m no longer feeling daunted when confronted with a whole fish. The only thing that kind of grosses me out is when we have to use our melon baller to scoop out the fish eyes. If we use the heads for fish stock, the eyes have got to go.
Our dish had many components, we cooked the lentils first with some aromatic vegetables, we glazed some pearl onions, we made a vinaigrette as the sauce and then finally we sautéed the bass fillets skin side down until crispy on one side, then flipped over to cook for less then a minute on the delicate fleshy side. My partner Michele and I plated our food and presented, Chef wanted the pearl onions cooked a little more and thought the vinaigrette could have been thinned out a bit.
Our next two classes will continue on the theme of nutrition – so more on that in my next few posts.
The Incredible Edible Egg or Cooking is Like Sex
When I took my weekend sojourn to London, I missed one class which happened to cover the varied spectrum of eggs. So, I was able to reschedule the missed class for this past week with a Level II class that meets on the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday evening schedule.
Flat omelets, rolled omelets, poached, fried, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, sunnyside up, over easy, scrambled, cocotte (cooked in a ramekin with cream), stuffed…an almost endless amount of ways to serve this simple staple of our diet.
I could go on about how Chef showed us how to roll a good omelet or timing of a perfectly cooked egg – but something else seemed to peak my interest in class.
When I walked into the kitchen to set up my mise en place, I introduced myself to the assistant Chef and the Chef-instructor as a courtesy so that they understood why I was there. There were about 20 students in class and maybe 2 or 3 of them came over to me and introduced themselves. I found this interesting since the kitchen is a generally social environment. Now, I’ve worked in kitchens at different times in my life so I feel I’ve had a fair amount of experience in this setting. There was a weird vibe in that class – I couldn’t put my finger on it. It felt completely different than my usual classes. Overall, the students’ level of acuity was lackluster, unwelcoming, stiff. In this class students are paired with the same partner, at the same station for each class. How boring! I love working with different people no matter what their skill level. Cooking is like sex – sometimes you call the shots, sometimes you’re on the bottom and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you plate at the same time.
I left class that night with a greater appreciation for my own classmates (I love you guys!), our personalities, differences, skills and sense of humor blend together like a wonderfully seasoned and composed dish – all the components that make cooking and eating together a pleasure.
Flat omelets, rolled omelets, poached, fried, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, sunnyside up, over easy, scrambled, cocotte (cooked in a ramekin with cream), stuffed…an almost endless amount of ways to serve this simple staple of our diet.
I could go on about how Chef showed us how to roll a good omelet or timing of a perfectly cooked egg – but something else seemed to peak my interest in class.
When I walked into the kitchen to set up my mise en place, I introduced myself to the assistant Chef and the Chef-instructor as a courtesy so that they understood why I was there. There were about 20 students in class and maybe 2 or 3 of them came over to me and introduced themselves. I found this interesting since the kitchen is a generally social environment. Now, I’ve worked in kitchens at different times in my life so I feel I’ve had a fair amount of experience in this setting. There was a weird vibe in that class – I couldn’t put my finger on it. It felt completely different than my usual classes. Overall, the students’ level of acuity was lackluster, unwelcoming, stiff. In this class students are paired with the same partner, at the same station for each class. How boring! I love working with different people no matter what their skill level. Cooking is like sex – sometimes you call the shots, sometimes you’re on the bottom and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you plate at the same time.
I left class that night with a greater appreciation for my own classmates (I love you guys!), our personalities, differences, skills and sense of humor blend together like a wonderfully seasoned and composed dish – all the components that make cooking and eating together a pleasure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)