April 24-27th

What a crazy and fast week between finals and graduation!
Finals were fun but nerve wrecking.  It was a great experience, teaching us all about timing and what can be prepped before and finished later.  The chef judges, Michael Leviton, Jeremy Sewall, Chef JJ and Chef John all enjoyed my dishes and gave me wonderful and insightful feedback.  Of course, I know what I would have done differently, but next time :)...

This exercise made me really understand the time and energy that goes into making a dish that works well in terms of flavors, taste, timing, and availability of ingredients.

My Menu that I presented is below with some photos, don't judge too harsh, the food was sitting out for hours before I snapped some photos!!

Graduation Day was a wonderful and exhausting experience.  Everyone worked well together, even though some put more effort into it than others. 

-The decorations worked out well and Sarah and I organized the food prep schedule seamlessly

Everyone truly enjoyed all of the food!!

Graduation taught me how it would be like in a catering company, about how to order quantities and how to manage people and expectations.

April 23, 2012

Today we had Chef Barry from Hungry Mother.  He taught us about southern cuisine and what it means to be southern.  Africans who came to America really shaped the southern foodways.  They introduced the sweet potato, okra, gumbo and numerous spices to America.  When you think of the South, you think of pies, grits, New Orleans, BBQ, buttermilk, fried Green tomatoes,  and much more - fried.

Southern food is important in identifying culture and American societies.  Chef Barry, cooks by listening to his Southern roots.  He introduces the flavors from the South to Bostonians with great success.  He is a strong supporter of eating local since that is what his cuisine derives from - what is grown is what was used.  He transforms humble ingredients into a gourmet experience.

From fried catfish, shrimp and grits, to cast iron corn bread, you can't get any more southern than that!

Tips:
-when frying always flip away from you
-grits is a labor of love - never let it boil!
-to get a great hot sear, place a cast iron pan in oven and heat it up, place on fire and sear away.
-using good milled product is necessary to get the right texture and flavor.  Anson Mills is recommended www.ansonmills.com/

April 19, 2012

Today we had Chef JJ and a classic "Un Diner en Provence."

We prepared a salted cod puree with toasted bread tips, a traditional Beuf en Daube (braised beef), a tomato and eggplant casserole, onion and anchovy tarts and a almond tart.  The purpose of the dish was to explore the ingredients associated with the region - olives, salted cod, beef, anchovies and wine.

Tips:
-Always watch your onions when caramelizing them!
-Do not add to much salt when using salty foods
-a braise takes a long time but makes the meat tender.  Make sure not to evaporate the juices too much.

April 17, 2012

Today Chef Dante came in and fought us simple, pure, Italian food that he learned from his grandmother and his time in Italy.  Simple food as we have been learning is all about good ingredients  and letting them shine.

Tips:
-try cooking meatballs directly in the sauce (poaching is more gentle)
-wash the meat with cold water (not sure but it tasted so smooth and light!)
-never overwork gnocchi - always do a test to see if flour amount is sufficient

April 12, 2012

Today Janine taught us again/  Always a delicious class!  We made corn bread, the best blueberry muffins and lemon and almond paste cake and tested chocolate cake recipes.

As always, Janine stresses the importance of utilizing good products in order to have a delicious outcome. Good chocolate is necessary, French butter is important when needed and the perfect corn meal makes the most delicious corn bread.

Tips:

Use common sense when baking...
Use the best ingredients
Don't be scared to experiment
If a recipe works, why fix it...

Try variations of the same recipe and find the one you love the best

Try buttermilk in recipes - makes a lighter, tangy and more sophisticated goodie