February 28, 2012

Pizza and pasta!  Chef Chris Douglas of Tavola and Ashmont Grill spent the day with us teaching us how to make pizza and homemade pasta.  Both pizza and pasta seem complicated to make, but once you have it down it is simple. I am still learning about how to tell when dough is ready, the right consistency and texture. But this only comes with time and a lot of practice. Always a joy to have as a teacher, Chef Douglas, is knowledgeable, patient, and brings a lot of great ideas and concepts to the table.

Key concepts:
-there are hundreds of types of pasta/noodles
-the type of flour is important - see other posts for more detail.  But the flour in pizza has higher protein than all purpose so to build more gluten (the elasticity)
-activating yeast is not as important as it used to be
-less toppings on the pizza the better - the dough is considered the art! You should be able to hold the pizza vertical and no toppings should slide off - if so, too much water and toppings
-Use semolina on your pizza board so you can easily slide your pizza into the oven - the semolina creates "wheels"
-2 cups flour + 3 eggs = pasta (make a well, and slowly with a fork mix the flour into the eggs)
-ravioli templates are a life saver! Anything can go into ravioli
-pasta can be flavored, can have herbs between layers etc. let your imagination be free!!

February 27, 2012

Today was the first official baking day. Baking requires very different skills and ability than cooking. Precise measurements and the understanding of science is necessary to comprehend how things work and why.  To be a good baker, pastry chef, you need to understand the basic components.

Flour: Flour gives the elastic,, strength and gas trapping ability to the dough There are numerous types of flour, which I actually discussed in the bread post.  Different flours have varying amounts of protein.  When protein reacts with water, it forms gluten.  Hence, cake flour and pastry flour has less protein tan bread flour and all-purpose flour.

Flour + Water + mechanical actions = Gluten


Sugar: Sugar acts as a sweetener, tenderizes, weakens gluten, gives crust color, retards staling, is a creaming agent mixed with fats and a foaming agent mixed with eggs
Numerous types of sugars exist and have specific purposes - granulated, confectioner (just ground sugar), brown sugar (sugar plus molasses), syrups (molasses, corn, honey, malt, maple, Agave)

Fats: Fats help tenderize, soften,adds moisture, richness and flavor to dough and helps leaven. Shortening (100% veg or animal oil), butter (ALWAYS USE UNSALTED BUTTER), Margarine (hyginated fats), Lard (pigs fat), oil (liquid fat)

Dairy: Dairy comes in many forms as well - whole, skim and percent, cream, fermented (yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk), evaporated milk (60% water remains), condensed milk (evaporated milk plus sugar), dried milk and cheese

Eggs: eggs help emulsify fats and liquids, leavens, shortens gluten strands, adds moisture, flavor color and nutrients

Salt: salt strengthens gluten, makes flexible, helps crust formations and color, makes sweet tastes sweeter and diminishes sour and bitter tastes - if use kosher salt in place of table salt add more or do by weight


Leavening: makes less dense - Baking powder versus baking soda 
Baking soda neutralizes acidic ingredients.  Activates when mixes with liquid.
Baking powder has baking soda (quick acting) + cream of tartare (slow acting) + corn starch (filler)
Cream of tartare activates as a result of heat while baking soda activates when mixed with liquid.

Tips:


-to dust counter with flour, throw from the side to get a thin, non-lumpy layer
-when measuring flour, do not compact. keep air pockets in it. Or do it by weight
-always bake one size and shape per tray.  different size cookies and shapes will cook at different times and some will burn while others are under cooked.
-graham flour - is whole wheat flour

Pierre Herme's Chocolate Macarons (tops and bottoms)

Chcolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Cantuccini, Almond Biscott - Baking Round 1

Baking round 2

Homemade Graham Crackers, Diamond Sable Cookies

Sample of burnt, too thin and perfect

Sarah and my perfect biscotti

February 23, 2012

The owner and Chef of Sushi Fusion taught us the art of sushi making today. He is a proud chef and enjoys sharing his success and knowledge with others. Chef Sam came from a humble background, growing up on rice fields in China. A passion for art, nature and food, Chef Sam pursued a career in the art of sushi making by reading magazines and books and working in restaurants.  As a former math teacher, his analytical and numerical skills are apparent throughout his sushi making - hold your knife at 45 degrees and finish at 90 degrees.

Today was an exciting day and to make sushi looks much easier than it is.  It is all skill and skill that takes time and effort to learn.

Key Concepts:
Chef Sam told us there 8 components to being a good sushi chef
1. make sure you like it and want to pursue it
2. Fish -make sure all fish is fresh (Tuna) and cared for properly
3. Knife - use your knife, make sure to cut nice because it people can see if it is neat and nice. It must look good.
4. Presentation - colors are very important, think about how to match colors and think about natural colors and combinations
5. Design - must imagine how food should come out of the kitchen. Use objects around you as inspiration, nature, dessert design books etc.
6. Plate - need a good plate for good food, match the plate and food
7. Sauce - Every plate style needs a different sauce and sauce design.  The sauce can change the look of the dish
8. Rice - need perfect rice
Formula = 1 part water + 1 part Rice
Liquid Formula = 6 parts rice vinegar + 3 parts sugar + 1 part salt

6 cups of cooked rice mixture + 1 cup liquid mixture = sushi rice

-buy hard avocados and ripe them on counter at home. people squeeze avocados in the store and if you buy a ready to eat one, it will be bruised from all the squeezing.
-when handling sushi rice always use a damp hand
-cut fish against the grain

My first sushi roll!

My first sushi

February 22, 2012

Today Chef Jamie Bissonnette was supposed to teach, but unfortunately he got sick.  So we had a day about use what we have to make a dish that expresses yourself.  We had 2 hours to throw together something tasty, pretty and unique.  My class did a great job and everyone created such diverse dishes: mushroom ravioli, vegetable pasta, saffron and orange risotto, carrot latkes with a light apple, cauliflower, red bell pepper salad, couscous patties, Cajun pasta and chicken thigh and chicken liver.

Following this stressful and exciting day, Rebecca Alssid, the head of the program, took all of us to Island Creek Oyster Bar for some drinks and appetizers.

A great day, but hoping Jamie feels better soon!

            My dish = An Indian Jewish Rosh Hashanah- carrot, onion, curry and coriander (egg and flour) latke, apple, red pepper, sautéed curry cauliflower and slivered almond salad, topped with crisp curry almonds and fried cauliflower chips all in a lime, orange, rice wine vinegar, olive oil and cilantro vinaigrette

Gin's Dish - fish

Franklin's dish - cajun

Andrew's Dish - pasta and veggies

Leah's dish - saffron risotto

Sarah's dish - couscous patties and goat cheese 

Tim's chicken inside and out

Kim's ravioli

ICO famous oyster slider - as some say a bite of heaven