July 7, 2011 - PAELLA

Finally!!!  So this is the first seafood dish that we've been able to make.  Yes, it may not be totally seafood, but it's not chicken, or beef.  Seeing as I love seafood, and really enjoyed making this dish because of it, I'm happy to say that the first time I saw Paella was on the Food Network and it was AWESOME...well, I hope it at least tasted as good as it looked.  The one we made (pictured below) not only looks good, but it also tasted good.

Paella - Long Grain Rice, Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Green Peas, Sausage, Scallops, Mussels, Calamari, and Saffron



Moving on, here's the nice little salad that I'm sure would cost around $12-$15 at some high end restaurants...smh.  It's spinach, with a few wedges of tomato, green beans and a bit of bleu cheese and topped with a simple vinaigrette.  Really good salad...and my eyes are opening up to the differences and easiness of salad making and salad dressing making.

Spinach, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Bleu Cheese Salad with Vinaigrete

Overall nice meal.  I would like to add, that scallops (when prepared the correct way...as those in this dish were) are extremely tasty.  As a future chef, I won't put out there the two seafood restaurants that I've tried scallops and they both seemed to cook them to an unfinished state...which in my opinion was gross in texture and taste.  The scallops in this dish was fully cooked, texture was the same throughout.  Until Baking...keep chewing.

June 30 , 2011 - Quantity Food Production 1

Okay, so as you saw, in our previous class, we didn't really have an entree.  In this class, we only had an entree.  Believe me when I say, this was one of the tastiest dishes that we've produced.  I'm still weighing in on that myself, but hey, it may not look too good (it is a peasants dish), but the taste and textures from the vegetables and protein (chicken) were nicely matched.

Coq Au Vin with Duchess Potatoes and Cauliflower with Mornay Sauce.

This dish comprised of different vegetables like garlic, pearl onions, carrots, and a few herbs as well as mushrooms(fresh) and BACON.  If you haven't noticed...I really love bacon.  The chicken braised with all of the yummy goodness that you see in the picture.  The cauliflower was simply boiled (no, not steamed this week) and the potatoes were first cooked (boiled) and added a few ingredients and actually used a pastry bag and star tip to get that nice look.

I reproduced this dish from memory the other day, and as picky of an eater my wife is, she actually enjoyed it...or maybe it's just because I made it (she did go back for seconds).  I suppose I'll never know. ;-)

Until next time, keep smelling, tasting and chewing.  

June 23, 2011 - Quantity Food Production I

Going into this class, I just knew that it would be a drag.  Little did I know that Salads and Soups would almost be one of the best classes to date.  During this class, we got to showcase some of our cutting skills from dicing, chopping and mencing various vegetables and even bacon ;-).

Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)

This salad was AWESOME.  The fresh vegetables (Red Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, etc. with the toasted Bread (cubed) and and tossed in a vinaigrette dressing.


If any of you know me, Clam chowder is without a doubt MY favorite soup (yeah it's a chowder).  I really enjoyed making this one.  I had no idea how easy it is to make and am certain to make this one often when the weather get's lower than 65 degrees ;-)

New England Clam Chowder



Overall I really didn't think a salad and soup would be pleasing to eat without an entree, but, sence we made enough for everyone to sample, all of the different salads and soups were placed where each of us got to taste it.  I'll admit now that the chowder (for obvious reasons) stood out to me as well as the Panzanella.

Back Left: German Potato Salad (Taste was AWESOME)

Front Left: Panzanella

Right Side:  Grilled Vegetable Salad with Aioli

Middle:  Clam Chowder and I believe the Cheddar Lentil Soup

That's all I have for this post.  Stay tuned for more...



June 6-16, 2011 - Baking & Pastry I and Quantity Food Production I

I really do apologize for those of you that have been supporting my blog.  I didn't post last weeks class projects and am posting those (Baking and Pastry I and Quantity Food Production I) pictures with descriptions along with this weeks Quantity Food Production I dishes.


First up is an Apple and Blueberry Tart.  Although you may see two different tarts, each are the same, with the top just having a streusel topping.  Both of them tasted extremely well, and I would eat both at any given moment.  I would have to lean toward the one with streusel, mainly due to the added texture that it gives you while enjoying it.

 

 Apple and Blueberry Tarts:  Hand made sweet dough pressed firmly in tart shells and filled with a cooked chopped apple and blueberry with light sugar feeling.  These can be enjoyed fresh out of the oven(of course allowing them to cool enough to eat) as well as cooled completely.  The top two pictures have a simple crumble that was cooked along with the tarts in the oven while the bottom two pictures have no topping.

Second up is the Quantity Food Production Meal from last week which was a stuffed Pork Chop (boneless) with Potato Pancakes and Brocolli Almondine and a small Salad.

Braised Stuffed Pork Chop with Potato Pancakes and Brocolli Almondine

Small Salad with shredded carrot and quartered tomato and a poppy seed vinaigrette.

This meal was full of tasts that would satisfy my ongoing craving for some stuffing.  Although I have to admit, I've eaten my share of Stove Top...but now, I know for certain that I dont think I'll ever need to make that purchase again.  Stuffings in general are extremely easy to make, and can be made within minutes.  The almonds added a different texture to the brocolli that I would've never thought of  putting together.  The braised pork chop was tender and the potato pancakes were crispy on the outside while staying soft on the inside.

The last meal is the one we compelted yesterday (June 16, 2011).  It consisted of a Beef Roulade, Asparagus with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Classic Rice Pilaf topped with Dill.  This was probably the most involved meal thus far. We had to chop each of the vegetables (onions, celery, green beans, zuccchinni, carrots, etc.) into half inch cubes for the soup, pound the beef thin enough to make the roulade and shred a load of parmesan cheese for the roulade and soup. The list of things to do for this creation goes on much further, but, I'll let you get to the pics. :)

Beef Roulade with Asparagus and a Classic Rice Pilaf

 Ministrone Soup topped with shredded Parmesan Cheese

I really enjoy the fact that we get to eat everything we make :)  Although weight gained should be reduced with exercise, the many different dishes and tastes that I've been able to make and discover have increased my palate and overall awareness of things that I wouldn't otherwise use in the kitchen.  I'm still enjoying this process and am continueing to drive forward in learning and creating mouth watering and tasteful foods.  Until next week...keep chewing.

June 2, 2011 - Day 4 of Quantity Food Production I

Very interesting meal.  I can certainly say, I've never seen my mom, any of my aunts, or anyone for that matter put stew in the oven to cook, but hey, I learn something new every single time I attend class.  The meal was really good actually, Stew with Pasta (who would've every known that they went together...never in our household growing up), with slices of cantaloupe and prosciutto.

Cantaloupe and Vinaigrette with thinly sliced Prosciutto.

Beef Bourguingnonne and Basic Pasta (cut into the size of Fettuccine): Garlic, Onions, Carrots, Chopped Parsley, Fresh Thyme (from the herb garden), Dry red wine, Beef Chuck, Vegetable Oil, Flour, Tomato paste, Tomatoes, Brown Stock, Mushrooms, Unsalted butter, Salt and Pepper, Fresh Oregano (from the herb garden).

Again, a really nice and filling meal that you could make with a little bit of prep work.  The pasta is what will take the longest.  We made the dough, then had to cover and chill it in the refrigerator for two hours before stretching and cutting our pasta.

May 26, 2011 - Day 3 (2 was cancelled) of Quantity Food Production I

Today's class was fun.  I got to see first hand how to break down and debone an entire chicken as well as make a great stuffing to go inside of each of the pieces (breast and leg/thigh).  Also we made a wonderful salad that's said to cost around $15 at some of the upscale hotels and restaurants in the are.  I'm still shaking my head at that.  I totally forgot to take a picture of some extremely tasty walnut vinaigrette that we made to top off our salad.



Fresh Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with a Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette:  Walnut pieces, rice wine vinegar, honey, minced shallots, walnut oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, mixed spring lettuces, fresh ripe pears, blue cheese crumbled, and chopped parsley.

As stated above, this salad was AWESOME.  The massage amounts of blue cheese was complemented with the sweetness of the vinaigrette and pear slices.  Although this was an extremely tasty salad, that I will make again...I highly doubt that I would've paid $15 for it.  I mean, come on people, $15 for a salad just seems mad...but hey, blue cheese and walnuts aren't cheap I suppose ;-)

Chicken Stuffed with Mushrooms and Prosciutto with  Potatoes (mushroom shaped) and Sauteed Red Bell Pepper and Zucchini:  Chicken, whole butter, green onions, prosciutto, mushrooms, leek, heavy cream, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, Suppreme Sauce, Sauteed vegetables.

This was a fun dish to make.  Breaking down the chicken and minimizing waste by keeping cuts closed to bones meant more meat to eat :-).  After breaking the chicken down, we deboned it, then stuffed it with our prosciutto and mushroom stuffing.  We wrapped the chicken around the stuffing and tied it to keep it together while cooking.  Then we browned the skin in a pan with oil and popped it in the oven to finish.  While our chicken was cooking, we finished up our potatoes (making them look like mushrooms by using a small biscuit cutter and a paring knife) by boiling them first to cook and soften, then deep frying to give them a crisp outside texture.  We made our Supreme sauce for our base and finished the dish by sauteeing the zucchini and red bell peppers.

All in all, I really enjoyed this day.  As many of my friends and family know, I was pretty upset that I didn't get to take this class last week because of a water main break.  Doubt I was every upset at missing a class before this one.





May 12, 2011 - Day 1 of Quantity Food Production I

My first day in Quantity Food Production I went pretty well.  We covered everything from our introduction, to a few chapters in our book, to learning about the various foods that we'll be preparing and cooking this term.  I've taken the liberty to give you a few snapshots of the first entree' that we cooked on Day 1.
 

 

 

 

This entree is a Roasted Chicken (cooked hole, but in this plating you have the leg and thigh quarter) lightly seasoned with salt and corse black pepper atop a red and white wine pan sauce made from the fond (the small bits and pieces of flavering at the bottom of the pan) from the chicken , with a side of Pammes Anna (sliced potatoes and clarified butter started off on the stovetop and finished in the oven for that great color and crispy texture) and green beans topped with hollandaise sauce (made with the youlks of and egg, a tad of water, and clarified butter) and garnished with a sprig of rosemary.

The Good:  I was able to learn the different terms that are used in creating a dish.  Think about it...who knew that fond (the foundation) was the actual term for the dark bits of flavoring on the bottom of a pan that you've used when cooking something (usually from a protein).  Mirepoix is basically an aromatic vegetabl medly (usually 50% onion, 25% carrots, and 25% celery) and is used for various things, we used it as the base for our chicken to sit on for the oven, at work we use a variation for our wedding soup.  Knowing the different types of thickeners (/flour + water (or other liquid), cornstarch + water (or other liquid), or even making a Roux, which is parts fat (clarified butter) + flour to use and how or when to use them will help anyone in their kitchen whether it be at home or on the job.

The Bad:  Wisking for the hollandaise sauce is pure torture.  Well...for a first timer, it was.  My arm's got a complete workout.  My chef instructor didn't seem to bothered by it, but hey, even though he's almost sixty, muscle memory was obviously on his side.

The Ugly:  There really wasn't any ugly...I don't think.  you decide, check out the pics again and tell me if anything was ugly...;-)

All in all, learning about different side dishes like the Pammes Anna, and hot to properly clarify butter, make thickeners and roux, different knife techniques, tieing the chicken, and simply taking in all of the knowledge that the chef is trying to get you to the next level.

As you can probably see; I am certainly digging this new direction that I've taken.  By the way, I'm currently reproducing this meal (with the exception of the hollandaise sauce due to not having the proper equipment) so that my wife, daughter and maybe even the pup pup can have a taste.