Meat!!!

So after a fantastic time in nutrition, our next block is... meat. Since I've been a pescetarian for the past couple of years, only eating seafood and no meat, I was still curious as to the correct way to cook and prepare meat. So this course was going to be interesting, not filling in any sense, but educational. I know my husband will appreciate the leftovers.

We started out the course with beef, then veal, then pork and ending with lamb. After each section we have to take a test on that subject (basically the chef holding the test in her hand the day before, telling us the answers, while I am the only one writing down what she is saying - and then the rest of the class wonders why I consistently get straight A's?) Starting with beef, we have to break down the ribs and work on the tenderloin, removing the silver skin and making it perfect. We were only actually in beef for one day (somewhat surprising considering what a large part of the menu it is in most restaurants here). But we were only in beef for the one day because our chef decided to take us on a field trip.

We were told that we would be going to a place called "Moo Jesus" - a ranch dedicated to teaching children about organic farming and raising them in a religious and educational environment. We were told that we would be mentoring the children, teaching them basic knife skills and how to work in a professional kitchen. The drive out to the ranch was an hour and a half each way and we had to leave at 6:00 in the morning, however, because the experience seemed so rewarding, no one was complaining.  So on the morning of the field trip I woke up at 5, and got myself to class right at 5:45 since we were told explicitely that we would be leaving at 6:00. Naturally, that wasn't the case and we ended up leaving at 6:45 because we were waiting for the last stragglers to get in. Our day was off to a poor start. We arrived at "Moo Jesus" at 8:15 and were met by a series of electronic gates into a delapadated farmhouse... with no children in sight. Instead of mentoring children, we we were offered a chance to pick lettuce, milk cows and play with puppies. All fun activities, but not necessarily appropriate for a class of aspiring chefs, and a 3-hour round trip drive.The woman in charge of the ranch was extremely garrulous, boasting about her son who had completed culinary training far before us, and basically using us as unpaid labor. She led us into the kitchen where we were "instructed" on how to chop garlic, onions and ginger - something we learned the first week in school. Basically, it was apparent she had an event sometime later and needed servants to chops up her veg for her. It was uncomfortable and awkward in the kitchen to say the least. I was extremely jealous of those who made the wise decision to stay at home - knowing that there would be no repercussions because in our school, there never is. The entire day and fieldtrip was a disaster. So we only had one day cooking beef.

On to veal:
I've never prepared veal before and it was extremely intersting, albiet depressing to prepare the young cows. Ugh. We lightly pounded out the medallions after butterflying the tenderloin. Then we prepared them three ways:

Veal Madeira

Veal Picatta

Veal Saltinbocca

Veal Madeira: Lightly pound out the veal and then sautee in very little olive oil. Only cook each side briefly. Add madeira wine. Let reduce. Add veal stock mixed with demi glace and sauteed mushrooms (much easier to mix before hand). Remove from heat and add tablespoon of butter.

Veal Picatta: Lightly pound out veal and sautee same as Madeira. Add lemon, white wine, capers, parsley. Let reduce slightly to a thicker consistency. Remove from heat and add butter.

Veal Saltimbocca: Lightly pound out veal with one sage leaf and one piece prosciutto. Lightly sautee. Add wine and finish with tomato sauce. Add butter to finish.

And that's how we made Veal.

PORK:

Only thing I ate: delicious fresh spinach salad.

Crown Roast of pork ribs, with broccoli.

Wild rice stuffing with pecans and scallions.

Pork cutlets deep fried.

Cutting off the feather bones of the Ribs.

Using an electric saw.

Our roasted tenderloin.

BBQ pulled pork sliders with Asian slaw and freshly made sesame seed buns.

Making the pork was interesting, and I loved the Asian slaw I prepared - however, I feel like most of the meat wasn't appreciated by the class (hardly any of the crown roast was eaten), making me feel like we probably need more practice on preparing meat.

LAMB:

Finished dish: Lamb chop with green beans and balsamic reduction.

Lamb chops!

Roasted eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella.

Lamb!

I absolutely hated preparing the lamb - having to cut and remove all of the fat (which we saved to cure and make lamb bacon). However, I know that I used to really enjoy lamb as a meal, so I feel like it's only right that I know how to prepare it. I think my final product turned out pretty well. The roasted eggplant dish that I prepared went like hotcakes. Delicious.

Roasted Eggplant:
Peel and slice eggplant into thick discs. Salt and let sit for 30 min. Rinse and dry. Place on baking tray and oil (lightly!) and salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned. Prepare tomato sauce (or use canned, fresh is better). Remove eggplant. Add tomato sauce and one thin slice of mozzarella cheese. Put back in oven until browned and melted. Remove and add chopped parsley and basil. Tastes like the most delicious cheesy pizza with eggplant ever.   I added a balsamic reduction to mine.

And next week we finish it up with more lamb, beef and pork. Fantastic.

Different Fantastic Parties...

Before I started my culinary adventure, whenever there was a party I would offer myself as chef. I am absolutely obsessed with making appetizers, and little finger food - and so when my sister in law was having a baby shower - I obviously offered to arrange all of the food. I thought it went off pretty spectacularly, there was a fast assortment of goodies, and I didn't have to do any of the decorations!

Here are some pictures from this event for Katie:

Finger foods! Caprese skewers with balsamic reduction; trio of artichokes with saffron aioli, spicy aioli, and curry aioli; endive with chicken salad; orzo salad with veggies; and crudites with green goddess dressing (home made obviously).

Spinach salad with red onion, goat cheese and balsamic dressing; arugula salad with pear, Roquefort and lemon herb vinaigrette.

Turkey crustini with microgreens and spicy aioli; bruschetta; smoked salmon crostini with dill sauce.

Blue Cheese, Pear and Toasted Hazelnut Crustini; Prosciutto, Parmesan and Fig Crostini; Red Pepper Hummus, Roasted Eggplant Dip and Pita Chips (all homemade).

CONGRATS TO KATIE AND SHAUN.


Another of my favorite holidays/parties is Halloween. This year (as well as the past 4 years) we had a party which I got to cater. It was awesome. Here were my dishes:

The entire Halloween Spread!

Chips (store bought) with pumpkin spiced chicken and avocado. Tofu wraps with phyllo dough.

Cucumber Dill and mint sauce, spicy pumpkin sauce, and basil garlic aioli. All with roasted potatoes.

Mushroom, Spinach crostini and Chicken and mushroom skewers.

Mini Pumpkin Pies! And baked mozzarella with herb crust and fresh made pita chips!

Every year my mom and Kathy Abel have a dinner for The Friendship Shelter (an organization in Laguna Beach that helps helps the homeless). This year it was at my parent's house. My mom asked me to fly in and cater the event, naturally I was excited to participate. Different restaurants around town had donated food, so my responsibility was to create appetizers to be tray passed before the actual meal, and to make up 2 salads and one main course. I decided to go with a variety of small bite sized appetizers, a couple of easy dips, two very easy salads, and Chicken Tagine - which can be extremely simple to prepare. Here are some pictures of the appetizers (I forgot to take pictures of the main courses, mainly because I was the most proud of my appetizers).

Sauteed Beets with Goat Cheese Spread on top of Sour Dough Crostini

Baked Wantons with Thai Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes

Herbed Goat Cheese on top of Rye Bread Rounds (Cutting all of these out of a makeshift mold was exasperating)

Additional Beet and Goat Cheese Crostini

More Thai Pesto Wontons

Herb Cream Cheese (Tofruitti, healthier) Wantons with Cherry Tomatoes

Prosciutto with Spicy Aioli on top of Rye and Sour Dough Rounds

; Also Wantons with Turkey and Spicy Aioli

I think the entire meal went off really well and the people paying seemed to enjoy the food (even though not done by a professional!) Overall I was very happy with the assortment and variety - although the wantons, although unique, were a bit too large for a single bite - in the future I would cut them in half first before BAKING (healthy) them.

Nutritious Dinner.

So this week is my Spring Break from class, after doing a quick trip to Laguna for our new launch of "One World One Ocean" (like it on facebook), I am back in Texas and back to cooking for my delightful husband. This past week in class we have been in nutrition class, which basically means sitting in a room all day long, reading aloud from a text book. It was brutal - finally I had to ask the Chef if we couldn't just read silently and then take the quiz together later. Listening to everyone read aloud is quite difficult, as we all have different reading speeds, it was frustrating. And to top it all off, the other class was in shellfish week which meant that I couldn't eat all day, and spent most of the class locked away trying to avoid the inevitable hives. Ouch.

However, in the spirit of nutrition class, I informed Louis that we would be eating tonight a meal all under 500 calories - including one appetizer, one main course, one starch and one side. This was our menu for tonight:

Appetizer: Garlic Soup --- originally it called for bread and eggs inside the soup, but as I rarely eat bread and hate eggs, I mixed this up a bit. I toasted a tortilla on the stove (no extra oil or butter) and broke that on top of the soup and nixed the egg all together. Louis loved this. 55 calories. Awesome.

Main course: Soy glazed tofu. --- the recipe came from "Cooking Light" magazine but I tweaked it a bit for my own tastes. It called for brown sugar, but as I dislike adding extra sugar I just added a bit more orange juice (fresh squeezed) for the sauce instead. Then I pan sauteed it in some light cooking spray instead of the sesame oil (which I dislike intensely). I thought the entire thing was absolutely delicious. Louis ate all of his pieces of tofu but then claimed he was still hungry, I believe him.

Starch: Herb Quinoa --- also from "Cooking Light" although that recipe called for couscous, but quinoa is a complete protein and much healthier and delicious. All that that substitution calls for is a little extra low-sodium stock and longer cooking time. And I added more herbs than it called for, but that's just me. Delicious. Lou got extra.

Side: Spicy broccoli --- also from "Cooking Light" although that called for broccoli rabe which I couldn't find at the store. Hence, just plain old broccoli. And the recipe called for it to be pan fried, but I decided to roast it in the oven instead. I love roasted broccoli. Added some extra chili flakes for Lou. It was delicious.

Well there is my entire meal for under 500 calories. I thought it was absolutely delicious, and I am completely full. Louis said I should have added some nuts (which I detest, but will add for him next time). He also suggested I should throw a steak on the grill for him next time I make it too, which I shall ignore.

You eat with your eyes first...

My first experiences in culinary school were very interesting. We had to take a week long course on sanitation which basically was just extreme boredom - learning about all the food borne illnesses, correct temperatures, how to properly clean everything… basically just your average boring day, by day. But what I have rapidly learned about culinary school in Texas is that there is no such thing as common sense in the kitchen. Especially with my group of very eclectic classmates. We were given quizzes daily, and told to read the Serve Safe book and know it intimately. As I enjoy being a student – I did as I was asked by my teacher. However, I’ve quickly learned that this is not the case with my classmates. It is a very interesting and diverse group of people, with ages ranging from 19-55, and many races. 


After getting through the brutal Sanitation class, the next set of classes was on sauces. Here is a story that occurred early in my sauce class: 


We had a pop quiz today which really is heavily sarcastic on the "pop" part since our chef TOLD us yesterday we would have one and EXACTLY what would be on the test. We get in this morning, answer our FIVE questions and the chef reads the answers. Naturally you would think that everyone in the class would get 100 percent, not the case. Now with the exception of the two guys who missed yesterday and didn't know about the test and the one guy in class who can barely speak English - this was completely ridiculous. Our chef then asks one woman in class to recite the 5-mother saucer. Now, we have gone OVER AND OVER this for the past week. She cannot name two. Meanwhile the chef is telling her the page number the sauces are one, and she still cannot understand the question. Finally the chef has to resort to writing the sauces on the board in order for her to understand. This is a daily occurrence in our class, as people just simply cannot use common sense. However, it is an exercise in my patience level which I think is a good thing. 
This is just one experience I have had within culinary school. And it continues daily.

On a side note, we are currently in plate presentation which I find pretty fascinating. I've never really thought about using molds, pastry bags, squirt bottles (for sauce) and garnishes. Now whenever I'm even cooking at home, I find myself paying attention to the little things. Presentation is extremely important, after all - they always say "you eat with your eyes first". 

The above is mashed potatoes, chicken stuffed with spinach and ricotta, sauteed asparagus and carrots. 

Above is a mango and beet (layered) salad, with sauteed spinach and goat cheese, with a cilantro oil.

Above is sauteed chicken thigh and drumstick, with stacked potato crepes, sauteed spinach (organic) and a cream sauce. 

Above is a traditional bread pudding with a cream anglais and raspberry coulis. 

Above is a chocolate souffle with creme anglais and strawberries.

Above is sauteed mahi mahi, with yellow lentils, sauteed carrots, zucchini, and asparagus with cilantro oil and balsamic reduction.

Above is vanilla creme brule with strawberries.

Above is: Beef Bourgouine with pearl onions, carrots and Chive and Leek Mashed Potatoes.

Above: Close up of Beef Bourgouine.

Above: Chive and Leek Mashed Potatoes. (They were delicious)

Above: Mango salad terrine with Cucumbers and Grapefruit and Orange Supremes with Cilantro Oil.

Above: Fresh Organic Spinach Linguine, Sauteed Chicken, Corn and Bell Pepper Sauce.

Above: Sauteed Salmon, Leek and Potato Ragout with Sundried Tomato and Shallot Compound Butter and Caviar.

Above: Sauteed Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce, Asparagus and Potatoes Ann.

Preparing for culinary school...

Even before I began culinary school in September, I had already attempted and pulled off several dinners, buffets and catering opportunities for my family. One of these such experiences was the day before my rehearsal dinner when 23 family members came over to celebrate my husband and my impending marriage.

This was the menu:
Appetizer: Asian coleslaw with grilled shrimp (bought prepared, I'm allergic to shrimp)
Entree: Soy glazed salmon with chowmein, bell peppers, spinach and green beans.
Dessert: Apple tarte tartin and brownies.

 This meal was extremely simple to prepare which was necessary because of the amount of people and time decorating that took place. Here are some pictures of this event:

The last picture is of the incredibly beautiful table scape that was designed by Michael Schluter, our friend and designer. The table was so large (for so many people) that there was a hole in the center that he filled with a surfboard! Extremely creative. The entire night was incredible.