Essential Skills 1 - Bearnaise

No blogging on Day 13. I'm superstitious. (Though I made my bearnaise sauce like a pro today. I can't push my luck.)




Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Hollandaise, Bechamel

I did a much better job at scaling down my recipes today. I wish I could say the same for my performance making hollandaise sauce. Chef even demonstrated it twice for us, along with the Béchamel and Tomato sauces, before letting us loose, and I still blew it.
My partner, Laurie, and I put our tomato sauce together no problem. Then we each did a Béchamel that went quite smoothly (literally) then prepared ourselves to start the dreaded hollandaise. Chef had us do it one at a time so we could take turns dropping in the butter for each other.

I went first. Everything seemed to be going ok. I reduced my vinegar with a little water and peppercorns then strained it into my yolks. I began whisking like crazy as I placed it over my double boiler. My eggs started to set immediately. I was bummed. Of course chef came to the rescue and quickly strained it, added a bit more liquid, then thickened them without a hitch. On well, that's why I'm paying the big bucks!

The exact same thing happened to Laurie. In fact there were all sorts of disasters going on. Sauces were separating right and left. They say the third time is a charm and it was. (Though my arm nearly dropped off from exhaustion-I'll have to add bicep curls to my daily regimen.)
Tomorrow we'll be practicing Béarnaise sauce, so the hollandaise nightmare is not over yet. Practice makes perfect.

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Allemande and Supreme, Bordelaise and Chasseur

I didn't do so well at scaling down my recipes for today. Between the French pronunciation and now the math, I think I'm in trouble. Where are my kids when I need them!? We have these Master recipes in our book and Chef asks us to scale them down to a 1/4 or 1/8 recipe. We then have to copy them over (more homework) or type them up so that we have the recipe to follow when we cook. We're not allowed to bring our books into the kitchen. (If the recipe has 10 ingredients, that is like 10 math problems for me.) We had four sauces today and thank goodness my partner did a better job converting. I must have been tired last night - I can't believe some of the amounts I got!

We made two white sauces - Allemande and Supreme, and two brown sauces - Bordelaise and Chasseur. Chef checks them, tastes them and lets us know how they are. I did pretty well - a little shy with the salt but I got a few nods. We had BBQ hamburgers for lunch so we could all sample the various sauces. I'm getting sauced out!

Tomorrow we attempt Hollandaise, Béchamel and Tomato. (Dishes are going to be a nightmare.)I best get out my calculator and start my math homework!

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Stocks and Sauces

We didn't waste any time and dove right into sauces today.(My uniform telling all!) We learned about the "Mother" sauces, which, evidently, some group out there has decided this name is offensive. So now they are referred to as "Leading Sauces." I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous. People are getting a bit too sensitive out there. Chef made a point to let us know that he would be considering them "Mother Sauces."

From our chicken stock we practiced making a Veloute Sauce(veh-loo-TAY)and from our veal stock we made an Espagnole Sauce (brown Sauce). What a treat to make these base sauces and have your stock just ready and waiting for you to come by and ladle out the amount you need!

I also experienced the heat of the kitchen today. With 16 peole making two sauces each - it got hot!! And the dishes were out of control. They always are when you cook but times it by 16.

Chef grilled us some duck for lunch which we had with the last of our practice potatoes from last week(mashed this time). And then the Bakery Angels came in carrying poached pears in some wonderful pastry and creme anglaise, and these beautiful Napoleons.

It was gone before I could get out my camera.

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Mire Poix, Knife Cuts andParsley Dust

Everything always seems brighter in the morning and having it be Friday was a double bonus. We practiced more knife cuts. This time I felt a bit more comfortable.

We made a mirepoix (above) for our stock and practiced a few different cuts on some onions and shallots, and minced garlic. We made garlic paste, then attempted a "tourner cut" on some potatoes. (Very difficult-even "the pro" had trouble with this one.)

My biggest thrill of the day, however, was to learn the secret for beautifully minced parsley. (I'm passing this on to my faithful readers! You can thank me later.) After 5 minutes of finely chopping the parsley until it is almost like dust, you place it in a piece of cheese cloth and rinse and squeeze until it runs clear. This takes a bit of rinsing and squeezing. It magically comes out dry and almost like a powder that sprinkles beautifully. I was quite impressed. No getting wet, or clumpy or tasting like wet grass.We finished up the chicken stock then strained it along with the brown stock and put them all away for sauce making on Monday. I have to say that we are moving right along. Finally, chef deep fried all our practice potatoes, sprinkled some cheese on them and reheated them in the oven. Yum.

After a weekend to catch up on my reading and workbook, practicing with my sword, and letting my brain reel from all this information overload I'll be ready to attack the sauces!

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Knife cuts

Not feeling much better yet, I stumbled off to school forgetting part of my uniform- my kerchief. (A big no no.) Well, chef was nice enough to give me a loaner, though he wasn't too pleased. Told me to return it to him first thing tomorrow morning-cleaned. Like I'm going to give him back a sweaty kerchief! (I washed and and ironed the damn thing.)


Today we wielded our knives for the first time and practiced our julienne, batonette, brunoise, and fine brunoise. We peeled, filleted and concasseed tomatoes and chiffonaded basil. During the demo, I thought I was home free knowing I had some practice and experience on my side.


I staked out my territory in the kitchen happily assembled my mise en place. I took out my 10 inch chefs knife and started to make my cuts. And then, for some reason I kinda fell apart.

It was so intense in the room with everyone trying to make these perfect 1/8 inch julienne cut carrots and 1/16 inch cubed brunoise. The pressure was on. To top it off, Chef wanted us all to use our 10 inch chef knife to get used to it and I felt like I had a sword in my hand. It was like I had never used a knife before. Also, I could see one of the other women in my class (there are only three of us ladies) out of the corner of my eye and she was cutting like a pro! Chef came in to look at our labors and made a big fuss over her. I got a "not bad" as he examined my brunoise. "Work on getting it more uniform." Was this a reference to my missing kerchief? I think I was starting to get a little paranoid.


We finished up with a lesson on Veal stock that we would leave to cook all night.


I left feeling humbled and a bit inadequate. As I attempted that night to finish my reading and 6 chapters in our workbook that had to be finished and turned in the next day, I had a little bit of a breakdown. When my husband came home, I told him I had made a big mistake. I don't want to go to cooking school anymore. I don't want to do all this reading and there is no way I can finish all these chapters in the workbook! (Yes, there were tears.) He said " Ok honey. I'll just go and get us some dinner."

So I did what most women do who need some understanding. I called my best friend. By the time my husband returned with dinner I was calm and back in school.

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 1 - Pesto

Today was the day. Our class was now reduced (no pun intended) to 16 of us "morning culinary" students. We were all a bit frightened and a bit intimidated by Chef Parker (left).

Now, the proper etiquette in the culinary profession is that you address the Chef as "Chef" or "Chef Parker," a formality that adds to this intimidation. When he asked us questions it was not just "yes," or "no" it was "Yes, Chef. No Chef. Thank you Chef." I noticed that this is how these master chefs address each other also.



But, there is some joking between them which helped eased our nerves. Like when the pastry chef came in to help our chef start a video. He said upon leaving "let me know when you culinaries need to know how to turn on the oven. I'll send someone from Baking and Pastry over." We all laughed and as soon as the door shut Chef said, "Those dough boys, they think they know everything." Chef has cooked more and in more places that I can even imagine. He runs a tight ship in the kitchen, has been around the block a few times and thank goodness has a sense of humor! We watched a short clip about the innovating food from the Spanish Chef Ferran Adrià (I don't think we will be doing these type of dishes for awhile.) Then we got our first Cooking Demo.

Pesto.
Yeah, that's right pesto. From Ferran to pesto.

Damn. I already know how to make Pesto. A week of Food Safety for Pesto??
Well, I thought I knew how to make pesto. I watched this Master Chef take simple ingredients and somehow bring them together in perfect harmony.
No processor. Just a mortar and pestle, fresh garlic and basil, pine nuts, a little cheese, and salt and pepper.

It was as if the famous Fernand Point's words from our reading the night before were coming alive for me. "A bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar, and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect."

Chef Parker sauteed up some chicken and before we knew it we were all enjoying some wonderful fettuccine with fresh pesto and sauteed chicken. He told the class he liked to end with having lunch together. I don't think that is going to be a problem.

Goodnight.

Culinary School Day Six-Serve Safe

Sometimes your energy gets the best of you. It could have been the relief of finishing my first week, the sheer joy of getting through the Serve Safe Book, excitement from chef Charles' presentation or the inspiration that I felt after watching some of my fellow students perform in the kitchen.

Or maybe it was the three margaritas I had that night at my favorite Mexican restaurant in celebration of my first week. I do remember continuing the celebration at home, dancing around the house to "White Bird". I was happy.

I knew I was in trouble around three in the morning when I woke up with a throat that hurt to move or swallow.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of my weekend in bed. When I wasn't sleeping I was studying. It didn't feel like a beautiful day at Carnegie Hall anymore. I did manage to get to the competition, however. The "Duck 3 Ways" (below) took best in show; and the petit fours (above) were a beautiful finale.

One good thing about me getting sick is that I felt too awful to worry about the test. I just slept, drank tea, took Tylenol, and studied. I woke up this morning still feeling awful but somehow managed to get to class. Armed with my number 2 pencil and a box of Kleenex I took my first final in 20 years. Our instructor graded our tests for us before we left. (We had to know if we were "safe" to enter the kitchen tomorrow)

A 98%! I was happy. For a minute.

Chef popped in just before we left to give us our reading assignments for the next day: Four Chapters in "On Cooking." Professionalism. Tools and Equipment. Knife Skills. Mise en Place.

Here I go again.

Goodnight.

Culinary School Day Five - Serve Safe

There is something about Fridays that just lifts your spirits. Knowing that you made it through another week and anticipating a long leisurely weekend ahead of you makes getting up at 5:30am not so bad.

My last day of Serve Safe. That's enough to lift anyone's spirits. We finished up our final chapters and reviewed the whole unit. The school was hosting a state culinary competition that weekend (yes, cooking has become a sport - they even have the Culinary Olympics) so there was some visiting chefs that were at the school to judge the contest.

One of the chefs(Charles M Carroll) gave our class, along with the other culinary and baking classes in progress, a motivational speech promoting his new book (pictured above).

Leadership: Lessons From A Chef

Finding Time to be Great

He was a phenomenal speaker. Inspiring and motivating. I left that day pumped up and ready to go. Bring it on! I was ready to take that test, get in the kitchen and start cooking!

In my eagerness to "give my all" I found myself volunteering to help out at the competition the next morning...

So much for sleeping in on Saturday.

Goodnight.

Culinary School Day Four - Serve Safe

I had to make my own coffee this morning. Only day four and my husband dropped the ball.

Oh well, it was nice waking up to coffee for the first few days. I should have known it wasn't going to last. I accidently "on purpose" left the bathroom door open while I blew dry my hair just to make sure he knew I was up.

I endured the last day of lecture and the last "scary video" of yet another hazzard in the food indusrty. This one focused on the big bad egg buisness. Thank goodness for Dateline out there trying to keep people honest and eggs safe!

Another lucky day. One of the culinary classes were having their Garde Manger banquet!! Instead of just veiwing the displays, we were invited go through the buffet line. (I finished my practice test early so I was able to go through the line a few times--being prepared pays off!)

Looking at all the beautiful dishes I would soon be learning to make really got me excited. I had to taste them all.

Salads, wonderful little sandwiches, cured and smoked meats, sausages, cheeses, pâté, terrines.
I even managed to sneak out a sampling of some of the pâté and terrines I had missed on my rounds.

I knew after today that I was in real trouble. I came home and before I could talk myself out of it, I went for a long run.

It's all about balance.


Goodnight.

Culinary Shool Day Three - Serve Safe

I've made it through Wednesday. It's downhill from here. Two more days and then a three day weekend. An extra day to study for the final and two glorious days to sleep in.

Today's class was a bit distracting. Students in the kitchens next door were bustling around getting ready for their final. At eight o'clock Chef "Doug" came in and invited our class to come into the banquet room to view the Pastry student's final exam projects. We were welcome to come in during our 11:0 am break. Trying to focus in on the lecture was difficult while my peripheral vision kept picking up students coming in and out of the kitchen carrying mysterious masterpieces.

Finally, we were released to go have a look at the displays. It was like nothing I have ever seen. I wished I had my camera because words cannot explain the beautiful array of breads, cakes, and pastries I had the privilege of viewing. I even thought of maybe switching from Culinary to Pastry. But only for a minute. I knew this art form wasn't my gift, though I was awed and inspired by these students work.

Each student was able to invite guests to see and taste their creations. I thought about stowing away my uniform and impersonating a invitee but our instructor came in and gave us the two minute warning that Safe Food Flow video was about to start.
Yawn.
Practice test tomorrow and four more chapters to read!
Goodnight.

Culinary School Day Two - Serve Safe

Another alarm clock wake up call at 5:45 am. I got out of bed only because I promised myself that I could come straight home and go back to sleep. It's funny how we make deals with ourselves.

Another five hour lecture about food safety. Today, however, we took a small reprieve and each of us had to introduce ourselves to the group, and say where we came from and how we came to be in this class. Everyone has a story and I enjoyed listening to them all. When I had to "share" I managed to only remember my name. I forgot completely where I was from and why I was there. It was early and I'm hoping people were still waking up and didn't notice. I never have liked public speaking.

Half way through our lecture the smells from the kitchen next door began to arouse my senses. It smelled so good! I was hungry and tired of sitting and watching videos on the proper way to wash your hands. (Damn, all these years I've been doing it wrong. In fact after two days of this food safety thing, I'm amazed that after 25 years of cooking for my family that they are still alive!)

Anyways, just when I thought that the instructor would ask me to leave class because my growling stomach was interrupting the video, three students from the kitchen next door came in with plates of Creme Brulee that they had made in class. They brought us the extras!!

Just the incentive I needed to get through the rest of class.

Creme Brulee for breakfast! It was heavenly.
I remembered why I was there.

Goodnight.

Culinary School Day One

I didn't sleep at all. My husband told me, after the tenth time that I woke him up telling him I couldn't sleep, not to worry, he said I have never slept through the night in our thirty years together and that I have always managed to make it through my day. I hate his calm logic.



The thing I love most about my husband is that he gets up before me and makes the coffee. It really is special when someone serves you a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee upon waking.

I showered and dressed (yes, I did lay my clothes out the night before), then stumbled out to the kitchen to pack my books and get more coffee before heading out.

A simple card and and a shiny new travel mug greeted me at the coffee pot.

Let your Dreams take flight.

I think my husband was more excited than I was for this next venture. I thought fondly of him as I made my way down the street, sipping my coffee until the new mug leaked down the front of my new clean white chef's jacket. Thank goodness I had three of them.



Five hours of lecture on the dangers of food contamination. No test. That won't happen until next Tuesday. I guess I had it wrong. Oh well, being over prepared is good. It did make for an long lecture though.

I came home exhausted and took a nap. Now I understand why my kids needed a nap after school! It should be mandatory.



Four more chapters by tomorrow morning.

Who has time to cook? I had to break it to my husband that we needed to go out to dinner. It might be awhile until he reaps the benefits of my new venture!

Goodnight.

Prologue

In other words, the night before my first day of culinary school.

I have to admit. I am a bit nervous.



It doesn't help that on orientation day I was given, along with three full chef's uniform complete with hat and kerchief (that I refused to try on that night for my husband), five textbooks! No one told me me about the text books. And they are the size of dictionaries. I had to make two trips to my car. I also received a "tool" kit that makes me feel like Jane the Ripper. Thank God I'm post menopausal. Then to top things off. Chef "John" told me to make sure to read the first four chapters of Serve Save. There would be a test on the first day of school, and I was to make sure that I arrived in full uniform. (My husband is charging to camera as I write.)



Ok. I'm neurotic. I read the four chapters two times each and I spent today at Pete's Coffee doing all the review and study questions. I lied. I read the chapters three times and I still can't remember all the different types of bacteria and parasites that can contaminate food. In fact, after reading these chapters I'm afraid to eat out, let alone go to school.



Now that it's officially a "school night" does this mean that I can't stay up and watch Desperate Housewives???

Good-night. Wish me luck on my first day of school.