Garde Manger - Banquet Prep

Cooling Terrines


The countdown has begun. Three days until show time. I got into class an hour early this morning, which means by 6:00 am, and made a duck consomme. This will be for one of my "small bites" - our banquet's theme - that I will serve shooter style with a mini duck won ton.
We each have anywhere from one to four small bites to prepare along with the class recipes we all have been working on. It has been interesting working as a group on this project. It can be challenging with 15 people. We are responsible for the complete planning and execution of all aspects of a banquet. We worked most of the
day on Sunday, setting up the room and deciding on the lay out of stations and our food plating plan. It was pretty painful at times, especially for the guys that were suffering from too many libations from the night before.
We got it all done. Chef wasn't about to let us go home until we had it all mapped out.

Pork Tenderloin Roulades













Forming the Chicken Galantines

We finished off the last of our galantines and terrines ,
baking them off and putting them away to chill.

Goodnight

Garde Manger - Smoked Duck, Terrines and Boning Technique

There are so many things going on in the kitchen that I've lost track of all the various recipes we are working on. Meat is brining, duck is smoking, terrines are baking, sausages are poaching. We are all running around like the queen of England is coming for a visit.

These duck breast had the full spa treatment. First they were brined, then deep fried and
finally popped into the smoker to finish them off.









We poached our sausages, being careful of the proper poaching temperature, and tried not to get them mixed up. Andrew was all over this.
Just when we thought we were getting close to finishing, Chef gathered us up and gave us a demo on another butchering technique. Skinning and boning a chicken. We were allotted just one to do and told to get the skin off in one piece! It should have only four holes in it. Two where the wings were and two where the legs were. No more.















The skin was going to wrap our
Chicken Galantine that would would make tomorrow. I got the skin off just fine and boned out the poor naked bird. The skin reminded me of a little tuxedo with tails


Goodnight.

Garde Manger - Sausage, and Duck Confit

I felt like I was in a sausage factory this morning. Sausage making is quite the production. We had brined the meat (pork) the day before so we were pretty much ready to go. We sauteed up some onions, shallots and garlic, cubed the meat and pork belly and made up the base sausage mixture. It was about a 70%/30%
ratio of meat to fat. Step 2 was to put it through the grinder. After that, using the paddle, we mixed it in the big mixer until it was a a light pink and fluffy.
We divided up the mixture into 7 batches so each team of two could flavor the sausage however we chose. Glenn and I mixed our sausage base with a little five spice and sichuan peppercorns and chili, giving our sausage an Asian flare. Keeping our mixture in pans on ice baths to keep it nice and cold we pressed and formed the sausages. We tucked them away to chill and set overnight.















We also took some of the duck we had brined and slow cooked it in it's own rendered fat to produce some confit. All this we will use for our banquet.


And what a feast it will be!



Goodnight.

Garde Manger - Curing and Brining

What a great day in the kitchen. (And it wasn't the Vodka) We were hopping. Chef was back to his bubbly personality and we really started to dive in to prepping for our banquet. We were extremely productive today and I think Chef is starting to gain a little confidence in us that we might just pull this event off.
We began by cooking the pork that we will use for the rillettes. It needed to cook for a couple of hours so we started it first thing. We prepared a cure mix for the gravlax and a brine for the smoked duck. Most of the recipes we are working on now will take a few days to prepare.
When these tasks were done we had a demo on butchering a duck. It wasn't nearly as bad as the chicken massacre a few weeks ago, though I did stop at a market on the way home today and buy a whole duck. I needed to go through the process one more time to really get it to sink in. I still have a bit of trouble with producing and that darn airline breast.
Anyway, after getting our ducks in a row, we placed the pieces in the brining solution, or wet cure as it is sometimes referred to . We used the brine soaking method where the meat was completely submerged in a solution of salt, water, sugar, and herbs and seasonings. In addition to curing meats, brining also helps with flavor development and boosting moisture content.
With the duck safely soaking, where it will remain for the next 24 hours, we moved on to preparing a salmon for dry curing - which is what gravlax is.
We wrapped it in cheesecloth then covered it completely with the curing mixture. This was a combination of salt sugar black pepper and dill.
We laid it in a pan that had a little vodka and lemon juice in it then pressed another pan on top of it and tied it down so the salmon would press evenly into the curing mixture. This will stay overnight and we will turn it over first thing in the morning.
When the pork was cooked, we cooled and processed it, along with the reserved stock and spices until it was a smooth consistency. Where a confit is slowly cooked then stored in it's own rendered fat, rillettes are made by stewing boned meats in broth and fat with vegetables and aromatics. This mixture is typically stored in crocks or pots, covered with a layer of fat that acts as a seal, and served with bread or as a topping for canapes or a filling for profiteroles.
Finally, we made up a marinade for the reaming duck and left that to macerate overnight. Tomorrow we will slow cook it in rendered duck fat to produce some more duck confit.
Like I said, a very productive day.

Goodnight.

Garde Manger - First Courses and Appetizers

After a quick meeting regarding our upcoming banquet, Chef demonstrated putting together a few first courses then set us loose in the kitchen to make up a grilled vegetable appetizer and a fennel and chorizo strudel. I was looking forward to a lecture today on "building a menu," design in buffet service and proper caviar service but it didn't happen. Chef has been a little, dare I say, "testy" these past couple of days. Actually, his normal personality is challenging, so I should say "testier" than usual.
I worked mostly with preparing the stuffing for the phyllo strudel, stuffing and rolling it out. I had fun. I enjoy working with phlyllo dough and it was a new and interesting technique. Some of the other members of the class prepared a tenderloin (cleaned and coated in herbs) which was then frozen, so we would be able to slice it thinly on the meat slicer for carpaccio tomorrow. Chef plated a demo, but tomorrow we will all plate our own serving. A little raw meat to start off our morning.
We finished up early today, so we made sandwiches for lunch with the left over meat form yesterday. Glenn made an awesome Dagwood. All that beer pong makes him hungry in the morning.

It was a another beautiful spring day and I appreciated getting out a little early. The next few days are only going to get busier and busier as the big banquet day approaches.


I hope tomorrow brings a kinder, gentler Chef!
Goodnight.

Garde Manger - Sandwiches

It seems to makes sense that a sandwich was invented for convenience. You have your meat and vegetables between two slices of bread, no plate no mess, and you can use your hands. Genius.
Every country seems to have their own version of the so called sandwich, even before it was officially called a sandwich. Whether it is a roll, bread or flat bread, a tortilla, egg roll or phyllo dough - something is sandwiching together something scrumptious
As the story goes, at least the version in our Garde Manager Book, the infamous gambler, John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. (1718-17920), refused to leave the gaming tables because he didn't want to break his winning streak. He asked that some bread filled with meat be brought to him and the rage for sandwiches was born. The rest, as they say, is history. Take it away Dagwood.


We all prepped the fixings and set up stations for Club, Grilled Salmon BLT, Reuben and Duck Confit with Apples and Brie sandwiches. How's that for breakfast!

We also made up some different garnishes such as shoestring fries and assorted vegetables chips. It was so fun going from station to station making up these great sandwiches.
I began with a Reuben. This made me think of my Mom. I think it's her favorite sandwich. I would say that it is her favorite but if I'm wrong I'll hear about it. Then I moved on the the club and the Salmon BLT. I finished with the Roasted Duck Confit with Apples and Brie. I was too full to eat this so after gorging a bit on just the filling I brought the leftovers home.
Eric was happy with his duck dinner sandwich.
After my sandwich binge, I came home and went for a long run. I know that there is leftover duck confit in the refrigerator at school.

Goodnight.

Garde Manger - More Salads

Today we made some of the more traditional salads.
We were able to add our own creative flair when plating the Nicoise which was fun.
We worked in teams. Glen and I drew out a little diagram on how we wanted our plate to look. It came out very nice. Every one's did.

















The Caesar we made was very traditional. Garlic, anchovies, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, crouton and of course, Parker Sauce!
The Cobb Salad was also very traditional. Chopped roasted chicken, diced bacon, diced tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and crumbled blue cheese.


The last salad we made was my favorite. It was a crab and avocado salad that was layered and molded with some fresh tomato salsa between the layers of the crab mixture and avocado mixture. Served with some fresh red and yellow pepper coulis, it looked beautiful and tasted delicious.

Inspirations as summer approaches.

Goodnight.

Garde Manger - Salads

How refreshing to learn some new and different salads. Or at least new to me.
Either way, they were all delicious. Watching the Chef demo these recipes I became so excited: my Easter Brunch menu dilemma was being solved before my eyes. I knew my family wanted a ham, but I wasn't sure which sides I wanted to prepare - until this morning! By the time school was over, I had practiced three new salads and finished my shopping list for Easter.
The school had another chef visiting today. We had to be done by 11:oo so we could sit in the special class by Chef Raimund Hofmeister, CMC/AAC, a master chef (one of some sixty in the world who has cooked across the globe-including a job as head chef for the Regan's while they were in the White House...Google him-he's amazing!)
So quickly, we made three salads. First was a watermelon and red onion salad with watercress. The simple and refreshing mix was a nice combination of sweet and sharp. The next salad was a roasted beet salad, dressed in simple wine vinaigrette and served over some bib lettuce. The last salad was composed of warm haricots vert with prosciutto and gruyere. The vinaigrette was light: lemon juice and white wine with shallots. A perfect combination. Just before I plated my salad chef told me to hold off. They were preparing lunch for the visiting chef and needed some sides of salad to serve him after the demo. My salad for this Master Chef?? Talk about nervous.
I cleaned up my station and headed out to the demo kitchen where I became lost in the story and cooking of this Master Chef. What interesting and different cooking experiences he had had.
He made us three different versions of Gazpacho: a thousand-year old White Gazpacho, "Ajo Blanco de Malaga" (before tomatoes were introduced to Europe), a five-hundred year old "Salmorejo," and a Gazpacho Rojo de Sevilla - a modern recipe. All three were unbelievable.
Next he made fresh seafood sausage that he poached then sautéed and served over a lobster sauce. Incredible is all I can say. I can't wait to try to make these at home.
This demo began at 11:00 and by now it was after 2:00. He said who's staying for the lamb?
I knew I didn't want to miss a thing I'd stay as long as he cooked. He made a beautiful rack of lamb served over a ratatouille that was surrounded by alternating scallops of white potatoes and Sweet potatoes.
It was a picture. (His recipe came with a diagrammed plating method!)
Before I left, I plated up the trio of salads and set them out where there was a lunch set up for him and left feeling so lucky to have experienced this class and this chef.
His passion and love for food was contagious.
Goodnight.

Garde Manger

Do you ever feel like life is just moving too fast? I need a pause button for my life so I can catch up.
How did Easter sneak up so fast and why in the world did I tell my children that as long as they came home the Easter Bunny would make them a basket? Was I crazy? Four Easter Baskets, a graduation party, Easter Brunch and head-on into my Garde Manger unit and the start of our banquet preparations. Calgon or Zanex take me away. (Maybe both)

Garde Manger is a term that was originally used to describe a food storage area.. Preserved foods such as hams, sausages, and cheeses were held in this area. Over time, this term has evolved to define the station in a professional kitchen that prepares and specializes in cold foods. Hoers d' oeuvres, appetizers, sandwiches, salads, condiments, sauces, pates, terrines, fresh sausages and cheeses. This two week course will end with our whole class working together to present a "Garde Manager" banquet.
Today was spent mostly on banquet planning and learning and practicing a basic vinaigrette, and mayonnaise.
After that we were all dismissed early so we could sit in on the demo of Martin Yan that was visiting the school. What a treat. One of the original TV chefs, his knife skills were amazing. He only used one knife for everything he did. I was hoping that he would demo his boning of and entire chicken in twenty eight seconds but he didn't. He made a few dishes including a whole cooked fish. (I tried to get a picture but I was not quick enough - as you can see) Accomplished, entertaining and efficient, I felt like I was watching a piece of history.
I went to buy his new book and his famous knife that he designed after class, but it was a mob scene. I guess I'll have to go to Sur La Tab and pay full price.
Oh well.

Goodnight.

Physiology of Taste - The Final

Today's final consisted of three parts.
The first component was to taste the dish that Chef had prepared for us before school started. After a thorough tasting we had to describe the various elements and tastes that we experienced as we sampled the dish that consisted of a meat, sauce, vegetable, starch and a fruit. We had to reference the 14 tastes we had explored over the past few days.
The meat portion of the dish Chef made was the same recipe from the book I choose to do for my final so I was familiar with the ingredients. Some of the side dishes, however, I were not familiar with so my taste buds were challenged.

The next part of the final was a blind tasting of various herbs, spices and flavors.
I did not do as well as I thought I would. It is very hard hard to put a name to a smell and taste that you can not see.
A humbling experience.

The last part of the final was the main entree that I had to prepare using the provided ingredients.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Chop w/ Celery, Mustard and Cumin
Served over a Mulled Apple Cider and Mustard Reduction
Topped with a Hash of Prosciutto, Apple and Turnips
Shoe string style Sweet Potato Fries
Sauteed Cabbage Slaw

I was pretty confident about this seeings how I had made up a few different dishes with these ingredients for our friends the Taylor's. Virginia, a chef in her own right and David, palate extraordinaire have been our dear friends for more years than I can count. David and my husband go back to second grade and Virginia and I have shared a love for cooking, family, and fun from the time we met. She is my mentor and inspiration. She came over early and we played around with three pork dishes, some turnip recipes and some sauces. David, my husband Eric and daughter, Ryan waited patiently with knife and fork. They all gave the thumbs up to the stuffed pork.
I could have done better. My Sweet potato fries were a bit overdone and my cabbage was so so. I thought my pork chop was better than my practice round though, so I hung on to that.
I got a 45 out of 50.
I was a little disappointed but who has time to dwell on imperfection?
I do but I'm learning not to.

Goodnight

Physiology of Taste - Bulby, Spiced Aromatic, Sharp

This is the last day of the Physiology of Taste unit. The recipes we made emphasized the "Bulby" flavors and the "Spiced Aromatics," along with another tangy sauce that had a note a note of "Bitterness," sometimes referred to as "sharp," in it.

I was off today. For some reason, probably the Monday blues after spending a weekend in Carmel, I was having trouble focusing. I wanted to be back on the balcony of the Lodge at Pebble Beach, sipping wine, enjoying the view and watching the golfers come in.

Back to the kitchen.
The first recipe we made went ok. It was a seared Tilapia with a Grapefuit-Shallot-Ginger Sauce.
Grapefruit is considered Tangy and Sharp at the same time. (Like some chocolate.) We reduced it down to bring out the sweetness and rounded it out with a little butter to finish. We served it with some slices of grapefruit and Roasted Green onions that had a topping of nuts and dates. Very unusual, though it worked.

The next dish would have been nice if I had been paying attention, and not ruined it with so much soy. It was braised kale that we served with a spiced-rub shrimp in a coconut sauce, which came out a bit too salty. Chef asked my partner and I if "we were back on the crack pipe." He comes up with some interesting comments.

Tomorrow is another final. For this one, we were given a list of ingredients that will be available to us and we have to come up with a dish that uses some of the flavor profiles we have been working on.
Pork is our meat, or rather our platform. Other ingredients on the list are cabbage, turnips, prosciutto, Gruyere cheese, and apples.
Looks like a "stinky" and "sweet" day.

Goodnight.

Physiology of Taste - Tangy, Vinted and Funky

Where the "push" tastes have a tendency to push all taste forward, the pull tastes seek out underlying flavor to highlight them. Tangy, sometimes referred to as sour, was the next flavor we explored. What better way than with a Tamarind-glazed flank steak topped with a jicama salsa? The tang of the tamarind combined with the sweet of the salsa and the meaty flavor of the grilled steak was a perfect balance. I brought home the leftovers and my husband, who happened to stop by home, was quite pleased to stumble into this tasty late lunch.
Next we experimented with the "'vinted" taste using a full-bodied Chianti to braise a turkey leg with pan roasted winter vegetables. Hearty and delicious. I think next Thanksgiving everyone might be getting a drumstick at my house.

The last flavor of the day was "funky," better know as stinky. You will find foods like cabbage, truffles and pungent cheeses in this group.
We made a saute of butternut squash, celery root and truffles in a light cream sauce with wine and shallots. We served this over roasted spaghetti squash. I wasn't too sure about this during demo but when I tasted it I knew it was going to be my new favorite side dish. It was unbelievable.

My palate is exhausted.

Goodnight.