The End's in Sight

When thinking about the past two weeks, I do not even know where to begin. It has been a blur of business, eloquent food, and crazy surprises.

Last week, we continued our tour through the styles of the renown master chefs. We started the week off in Asia as we studied the master chef, Ming Tsai (I honestly had no idea who this was). He has famous restaurants in Boston and other areas in the Northeast of the US. This wasn't significant to me. What was VERY significant, however, was the Butterfish with Soba Noodle Sushi that I was lucky enough to make. It was absolute heaven as the miso marinade on the fish caramelized in the oven into a flakey and sweet paradise. Butterfish has always been my favorite fish and the entire class was dying over how amazing it was! I urge you to try this fish if you have never done so. Other dishes that were made include Oyster Corn Fritters, Tea-Rubbed Halibut, and various stir-fry noodle dishes. 

* Blue Ginger Alaskan Butterfish with Soba Noodle Sushi

*Oyster Corn Fritters with Two-Vinegar Emulsion

The next few days were spent studying chefs such as Rick Bayless (Mexican cuisine), Daniel Boulud (French cuisine), and Thomas Keller (Eloquent cuisine). It was so fun seeing all of the various cooking styles of these famous chefs. However, the most annoying day was Rick Bayless' day when all I was assigned to make was the tomato-infused rice that I continued to mess up! For some inexplicable reason, I have always had trouble with rice. BUT, since I have been in culinary school since September, I laughed at my rice assignment thinking about easy such a simple rice dish would be for me. WRONG. Somehow the stock I heated to add to the rice reduced by half, making the rice still crunchy after it was suppose to be done cooking. The rest of the class was spent adding tiny bits of water at a time, putting the rice over heat, and letting it steam to cook. It basically took me the entire class to make ONE rice dish. I was beyond frustrated. Once it was finally cooked, I explained my troubles to the class and received joking applause from my classmates and chef instructor- they're so supportive. Thank goodness the other two days were fantastic- I got to make lobster ravioli on Daniel Boulud's day and Thomas Keller's version of pizza the following day (his "pizza" being roasted tomatoes on puff pastry with an anchovy and olive puree). 

* Daniel Boulud's Lobster Ravioli on Spinach Leaves in a Creamy Lobster Sauce

* Daniel Boulud's Maine Sea Scallops in Black Tie 

(Scallops layered alternately with black truffles and covered in Puff Pastry)

*Thomas Keller's Salmon Tartare Cornets with Sweet Red Onion Creme Fraiche

*Thomas Keller's Black Sea Bass with Sweet Parsnips, Spinach, and Saffron-Vanilla Sauce

Starting this week, we moved to a section of Module 5 called Market Basket. It was here that class took a spontaneous turn. On those days, we had a secret protein that we weren't told about until we got to class. Along with the mysterious protein, we had to pair with it a starch, vegetable, and sauce. It was quite nerve-racking. The first secret protein was scallops. Once Chef Chris announced the item, we were off and running to create our individual culinary masterpieces. I unfortunately had some trouble this day because my planned starch that was suppose to be a potato custard called Moussaline Potatoes completely messed up. This custard turned out to be nothing more than a liquidy mess of potato chunks. I had to start over and made a potato puree with freshly fried potato chips instead. Chef Chris laughed at me saying he was happy to see me have to sweat and recover from my mistake. The second day was Lamb Shank day and Chef Chris' only request was for the lamb shank to be braised. So that's what I did, I braised that shank until it was the point of fork-tender deliciousness, paired it with a butternut squash puree and roasted eggplant and BOOM- Market Basket's over. There's only two weeks left now...

In other news, I started an internship last week with a wonderful restaurant consultant in the city. It has been very interesting taking what I have learned in the classroom of my management class and applying it to real life business situations. Also, I finally have my externship all lined up- I will be externing for the managing editor at Bon Appetit Magazine! I am so excited to be a part of this highly respected magazine, especially as they are completing their move from LA to NYC. It will an incredible and challenging experience for me. 

That's all I have for now,

Happy Eating!

Savory > Sweets

Well, pastry is officially over. We had our practical last Thursday and then moved swiftly into Mod 5 on Friday with the "Almighty" Chef Chris. Our last few days of pastry were focused on presentation. We learned that a dessert is not complete without it's main component, sauce, and garnish. Each partnership was assigned 2 desserts to make complete with sauces, the ice creams we had previously made, and some form of decoration. One day my partner, Dominic, and I made caramel decorations by combining sugar and lemon juice and slowly cooking it until it turned amber in color. We then sprayed our table with PAM and drizzled the hot syrup right onto the table in cool shapes and designs. The caramel instantly hardened and looked extremely elegant. Who would have thought elegance would be so easy with only 2 ingredients?!? The caramel decorations were the crown of our dessert that featured an Apple Bistro tart, caramel sauce, and caramel ice cream. It was like eating a caramel apple that didn't get your face messy!

Our next dessert was a hazelnut sponge cake stuffed with a chocolate mousse filling and topped with chocolate ganache. We paired it with caramel sauce, caramel ice cream, salted hazelnuts, and chocolate decorations. Most of it was relatively simple, but the chocolate mousse filling was extremely difficult to make! Everything had to be at such a precise temperature and texture that we had to redo every step- from the whipping of the cream to the melting of the chocolate. Beware of the method if you are ever wanting to make chocolate mousse. However, despite the difficulties, the dish turned out great! Dominic and I felt like actual pastry chefs :)

The next day, we had our final pastry test full of piping out "Happy Birthday" in chocolate, rolling dough, and making custard. After that, it was off to Mod 5! Even though I just spent an hour peeling garlic cloves for homework, it feels so good to be around savory foods again. In the first few weeks of Mod 5, each lesson is dedicated to making the infamous creations of the most renown chefs in the world. Our first day was all about Mario Batali as we cooked our way through all of his masterful dishes. Mr. Batali (remember when I saw him at the Dumpling Festival this past fall?) is one of the most famous Italian chefs in the country and owns the only 4-star Italian restaurant in Manhattan, Del Posto. He his known for his creativity and putting a remarkable twist on traditional flavor combinations. Here are some of the dishes we made:

* Sauteed Skate and Shrimp in a Saffron Sweet Clam Citronette (this is the dish I made... I had never had skate before!)

* Mint Fettuccini with Lamb and Olives (a lovely twist on the lamb/mint combo)

* The front dish: Spinach Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Lemon
* The back dish: Fennel-Dusted Sweetbreads with Bacon and Onions

Some of the upcoming master chefs that we will study this week include Daniel Boulud, Ming Tsai, and Thomas Keller. I am so excited for the intricate dishes we have coming our way this week- you can guarantee that I will have my camera with me at all times! Well, there's only 17 lessons left and I am sad/scared/happy for the little time that's left!

Happy Eating!