Regional Cuisines of the Americas - Texas

BBQ Brisket or Bust.

This is what Texas is all about. Andrew began his demo with a Texan style creamed spinach then busted out with this slow cooked brisket that he and Chef put together the night before.

The thing about BBQ sauces is that nobody really likes to give out their recipe. Chef is no exception. He kind

of tells us. But leaves out a few details.

This brisket was everything it was supposed to be and more. I'm not sure how much of this was influenced by Andrew, but he did a darn good job of carving.

Andrew's spinach? What can I say. He sure is cute though!

We added to the array of Texan dishes by making a tortilla soup, Lone Star Chicken Fried Steak, and then had a chili cook off between Sergio, Nick, and myself.

Nick won.
I thought mine was better. Nick said I was a sore looser.

Goodnight ya'all

Regional Cusine - France

Glen was Mr. Mise on Thursday afternoon. Organization was his middle name. He even got an early start (below) on reducing his wine sauce!

France is a monster of a country, gastronomically speaking, and Glen was a bit nervous to take it on. With over 22 regions, no other country in the world boasts as many sophisticated restaurants, unique local markets, produces as many different varietals of quality wines, or has such an immense wealth of regional specialties as France. With over 22 regions, the French have been perfecting the art of gastronomy long before we were even a country.

Take it away Glenn!! He was all business this morning as he gave us his presentation and demonstrated a very classic Bistro Menu.

He began with a wonderful Salade Frisee Aux Lardons Et Oeuf Poche, or Salad Lyonnaise as it is called. A nice light mustard vinaigrette over frisee lettuce with a sprinkling of bacon then topped with poached eggs. (perfectly poached I must add) It was wonderful. Next he pan seared some rib-eye steaks that he covered in caramelized shallots, finishing by roasting them off in the oven. He served the steaks with a Red Wine Jus. This was a bottle of wine reduced down "au sec" with a mixture of vegetable and herbs. Then he added a few cups of veal stock and reduced it down again. (I think he spent the night in the kitchen) He strained the final liquid serving the steaks on a pool of this flavorful au jus.

Of course the perfect accompan- iment, to this steak and classic salad would be Pommes Frites!

Awesome job Glenn. We were all quite happy to have arrived in France with such a lovely meal.

We continued our day by making Coquilles St. Jacques, which are scallops baked in a wonderful sauce with wine, cream and cheese.

Definitely not a low-cal dish. We also made a Coq Au Vin, the classic chicken dish braised in red wine. A Cassoulet, which is basically a layered dish of white beans, bacon, lamb, duck confit, chicken and sausage. A pheasant casserole which is absolutely fantastic. Another team made a French onion soup and last but not least, a Tarte Tatin. Sergio took a video of Glenn and I flipping this monster of an apple dessert. As soon as I get the copy I will post it. A fantastic replay of a near disaster. This apple tart is started stove top then finished in the oven. It is inverted onto a plate to serve. (The tricky part)

Oh, and one more thing. We had french dip sandwiches that Mel made with all the leftover roast beef from the day before.

I have got to stop eating like this!

Goodnight.

Regional Cuisines of Asia - Japan

Meet Sergio. Handsome, friendly with a great sense of humor. He has a nickname for everyone in the class and is always teasing me because I move my mouth funny when I'm concentrating. I know I do it because my family teases me all the time at home. Whether or not I'm sewing or knitting, cooking or doing dishes, or working on the computer, whenever I concentrate intently or get lost in thought I do this thing with my mouth. Leave it to Serge to point it out to me - daily. Look at him - he just loves to have fun.
Lawyer turning chef, he is someone who is doing what he loves.

Anyway, Serge began by making Tori Naba Udon. He had made the noodles from scratch the night before. We were all duly impressed. After the water finally boiled his demo got underway. He put the soup together and it was wonderful. (Though we are all still digesting the noodles.)
He moved over to the deep fryer and pumped out Tokunatsu which is a deep fried pork dish.
Another hit.
















He ended with a Japanese style hamburger which was also very tasty. Hambaagu it was called. I thought he was messing with us until I came home and looked it up.

Chef stepped in to demonstrate some sushi rice and sent us all off to get everything ready for the sushi making extravaganza.
After we had all our fixings ready, he gave us a demo on hand rolling with a bamboo mat.





We were all were on our own to
create our sushi masterpieces.


Goodnight

Breakfast Cookery - The Final

I have so much respect for breakfast and short order cooks. This by far was the most intense final yet. Fast and precise or your dish is ruined.
Eggs are tricky.
I had four plates to produce in 90 minutes, complete with juice, coffee, potatoes and meat.
Order #1
Eggs Benedict with Potatoes Rosti and a side of fresh diced pineapple. Sparkling cider to drink. (yea -the hollandaise didn't break, and poaching was spot on )
Order #2
Hazelnut Waffle with whipped butter, a side of sausage and a Coffee Latte. (Oops - I put salt instead of sugar in the latte and the waffle was a little light)
Order #3
Two eggs over easy with Corned Beef Hash, toast and a side of nectarines and blueberries. (whew, my eggs survived the flip-easy does it))
Order #4
Three Cheese Omelet, Smoked Duck with a Cherry Sauce and O'Brien Potatoes and a Cafe Latte. (omelet was in one piece with a good color and I made a new Latte with sugar instead of salt) This is the dish I have pictured only because it was my last one and I didn't have time to take shots of my other plates.

It was a difficult time frame and many in my class didn't finish getting all their dishes out on time. My new partner (Craig) and I worked well together and I was pleased at my results. Except for the salt in the latte I had no complaints.
We were all exhausted and went next door to "Little Otto's and had a beer and a shot. Who would of thought that cooking school would drive me to drinking?

Like I said, I have so much respect for breakfast cooks.

Goodnight

Breakfast Cookery-Egg Benedict Corned Beef Hash and Omlettes

Breakfast day two. We began our day off with omelets. I can add this to the list of food items I have been making all wrong. My omelets have always been a bit brown. Eggs should be cooked "slow and low" to keep the color a nice yellow. The finished omelet is turned right onto the plate.

We then moved on tho eggs Benedict. I know I am making progress because a hollandaise sauce no longer makes me nervous. I also felt quite comfortable with poaching an egg.
Growing up, I loved when my Mom made "eggs mixed up in a bowl". She would have a perfectly poached egg in a bowl, nice and runny, then give me a piece of toast to tear up into the bowl so I could then mix it all up. Well, I continued the tradition for my kids and it is paying off for me in class. I know how to poach an egg. I did learn a new trick. Put a little vinegar in the water to help the white keep it's shape. We finished with corn beef hash, another one of my favorites.

After class I went to Sur la Tab and bought the attachment for my Kitchen Aide that grinds meat. After making all the farce meats and sausages in the Garde Manger unit, and then today the corned beef hash - I couldn't stand it. I wanted to be able to do this at home.

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.

Essential Skills 3 - The Final: Meat, Fish & Poultry

For today's final we prepared four different dishes, complete with starch and vegetable. In the previous finals we prepared recipes that we had made in class. Today, however, three of the four dishes were ones we had never made in class. We were given the recipes for these dishes ahead of time, so of course I did a dry run at home, and, once again, the Traina's graciously offered to be official tasters.

Jimmy Allen says he going to start a tasting blog.


The four dishes I made today were Veal Marsala, Salmon En Papillote, Apricot and Bourbon Grilled Chicken, and Pork Chimichurri Kabobs.
I was pretty excited about my Chimichurrri sauce. I had a spice blend that I bought on my recent trip to Argentina, so I brought it in today and added it to my sauce. I had made a batch Monday night for dinner and received rave reviews. I knew I needed practice on the grill since this is one thing I never do. This has always been my husband's domain. I tried to get him to give me a grilling lesson, but I realized that after 30 years on the BBQ, perfection can't be taught in a night. He said it was a "sense." I needed something more concrete than that. I tried recruiting my good friend Terry (The BBQ Queen) but she was at the Keith Urban Concert. (Terry, I can't believe you chose Keith Urban over me!)
I had to go it alone. I resorted to my book and the clock. I poked it every few minutes and prayed a quick confession for all the times I yelled at Eric for overcooking the meat.
I think I got lucky. My pork and chicken were both cooked perfectly. I served the pork over rice with some grilled squash and black beans. I made some couscous with sauteed carrots and onions, and some green beans with butter and toasted almonds to accompany the chicken.

The veal Marsala came together fairly quickly. I sauteed a mix of mushrooms before making the pan sauce and served it with pureed potatoes, and a julienne of carrots and zucchini.

The Salmon E Papillote was the simplest to prepare and the one recipe we had made in class. A mix of julienned vegetables, stock and herb butter baked in a parchment pouch. This I served with rice. It did get a bit hectic at times and I was a little worried about the time, but eventually it all came together.
I felt good about my dishes as I presented them.
It seemed chef liked them as well. I received full points on all four of them along with some nice comments. Coming from a chef of his caliber, I savored every word.

Goodnight.

Essential Skills 3 - Beef

We began our morning with short ribs. Our
method of cooking was braising so we had to get
them browned and in the oven first thing. A good braise, whether it is short ribs, a lamb shank, or a old fashioned pot roast is one of my favorite meals to cook and eat. A dish with tender flavorful meat, a sauce that only gets better as it cooks and goes well with any starches, or simply served, as my Grandfather liked it - with just some good home made bread and butter.

Chef Peter then demoed his way through Hungarian Goulash, a basic a stew, and Swiss Steak, which is a braised bottom round. Each dish has it's own unique seasoning, but by the end of class everything was beginning to taste the same.

I grew up up with having Pot Roast once a week. Three different recipes in the same morning was a little much.

I left class craving fruit so I stopped at my local produce market and went crazy. I made a huge assorted fruit plate that night for dinner.

It's all about balance.
Goodnight.

Essentail Skills 3 - Beef

Let the carnage begin.
The only thing getting rest in this class is the meat!
As I mentioned before, Chef Parker went out of town to judge a food contest in Las Vegas so we had Chef Peter to break us in to Meat Cookery.
He moves fast and throws information at you in a constant stream all while he prepares a perfectly cooked steak with some wonderful pan sauce and by the time he finishes plating you wonder - "How did that all just happen?"
I loved the way he abandoned the recipes and improvised and challenged us to do the same. I felt a little lost without my recipe cards and measuring spoons but it was a push I needed.
We changed partners around and worked in teams. After cleaning and portioning out a whole tenderloin and strip loin, and learning to prep Foie gras, we went to work. I used my big scimitar for the first time and felt like Crocodile Dundee. I loved it.
We stared off by making pepper steak using a New York that we portioned from the Strip Loin. We seared the pepper encrusted steak in the pan then finished it off in the oven. While the steak was resting we created a sauce in the pan, much more methodical than Chef Peter, but just as tasty. Peppercorns, Cognac cream and butter. How can you go wrong? Our steak was perfect.. I have to give Dennis all the credit though. Good job partner!
Next we put together a Stroganoff with leftover tips from the tenderloin.
Almost a stir-fry with this cut of meat, it went fairly quickly as we seared the meat, sauteed onions , added mushrooms , demi-glace, cream and sour cream with our seasoningsgs. A nice dish served over egg noodles. Our last dish was Tournedos Rossini. A classic dish that consists of a tournedos of beef (fillet Mignon), served on a crouton and topped with pan seared Fois gras, engulfed in a Truffled Madeira sauce.
Our fillet was a little rare, but everything else was on the money. I am really enjoying making these pan sauces. It makes me want to never be without a good veal stock in my freezer.

How can anyone be a vegan?

Goodnight