March 20, 2012

Back in the kitchen after Spring break! Wow it feels like I have been away for ever.
Today we spent time learning about a new protein we have not worked with before - rabbit - and 2 new vegetables artichokes and shelled peas.

Both are somewhat difficult to work with. Rabbit has a small yield of meat and it is hard to break down into pieces.  We braised the whole rabbit/cut in pieces until tender. Chef deep fried his with panko bread crumbs and served it with an Asian sauce. You can also braise the rabbit and then shred it into a sauce to increase portions per whole rabbit.

Tips:
-my new favorite Asian sauce = honey, lime, sriracha
-artichokes - to clean, remove all the fibrous parts of the stem, and pull back on the bottom leaves, leaving behind the edible portion - VERY time consuming
-you should either steam or boil/shock, the artichoke - make sure to cook all the way through even if you are going to do further cooking.  a weird thing happens when you don't cook all the way through.
-do not throw out the pea shells - you can boil them, shock them and grind them up, strain them and make a yummy puree
-don't waste artichokes either - take the scraps and simmer in heavy cream with salt and pepper - sift/grind through mill

peas, leeks, butter and mint

pea shell puree with cream and lemon zest

my stuffed artichoke - bread crumbs, olive oil, leeks, onions, garlic

grilled artichoke salad with lemon and olive vinegrette

brasied rabbit

fried rabbit with sweet and sour sauce

rabbit kidneys

artichokes in white wine and olive oil

Chef Douglas

March 8, 2012


Chef Jeff Fournier of 51 Lincoln brought in a whole pig today.  A small pig based on his standards, 50lbs, but still a whole pig.  Chef taught us what and how to utilize the whole pig.  We focused on long roasts and cooking times, slow simmers and Charcuterie.


This was not the first time we had a whole animal in class, but it was the first with the head still on.  I was in charge of cooking - the head.  I have eaten a pigs head before at craigie on main and ate the eye ball! But to really see the process of cooking the head well is very different especially watching it simmer in court bullion.


Tips:
-to butcher, you need a sharp knife
-in curing, don;t skimp on salt
-when reducing a soy sauce based sauce then use low sodium, salt will concentrate as you reduce it
-this goes for any sauce, when you are reducing, flavors concentrate, you can always add salt later but you cannot take it away.


Today, overall was great and very interesting, but in reality, I am not a pigs skin kinda gal and  a lot of the textures of the Charcuterie was not my cup of tea.

watermelon!!

March 7, 2012

Today we worked on menu writing and conceptualization. Menu writing is an art form in itself and is very complicated and invloves deep thought.

We had to come up with a three course menu using certain ingredients.  Below is my menu - with of course flaws!!

Appetizer:

Shrimp Ceviche

With fresh lime & orange juice, cilantro, jalapeno & red onion

Entree:

Spiced Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

With maple glazed sweet potatoes & pimento lime slaw

Dessert:

Dark Chocolate Chili Tart

With strawberry tequila ice cream and white chocolate shavings

What you need to think about -

1. Preparation (mashed sweet potatoes) - understand and describe how things are prepaired. 

2. Specify protein type - (Medium white mexican shrimp) - not just shrimp

3. Specify produce type (is it red or white cabbage),

4. most dishes need a sauce for flavor, moisture and color

5. think about plating, where things go on the plate, height, color, dish size, shape and color

- think about using stencils, squeeze bottles, etc

6. think about how to cut, slice each component of the dish

7. utilize the senses - smell, taste, sight, feel

8. serve cold food on cold plates and hot food on warm plates

9. think of a theme througouht your menu

10. use decriptive words that showcase cooking style and flavors

Later in the day, Chef Smith from Tico restaurant, tought us about chorizo, octopus, and ceviche.  He brought in an incredible array of species that we had not worked with before.  We grilled octopus after simmering it in a court boullion, cut out uni from sea urchins and served it over tuna and eggplant, made a ceviche out of the New Zealand Sea Bream, razor clams and I forget the other. Furthermore, he taught us ristto and how to make chirozo.  Learned a lot about ceviche, knife skills and about the many varieties of peppers!

Key points:

-ceviche - red onions, citrus, sugar and herbs

-ceviche can be mixed and served quickly

-use whats in season

-remove the bloodline in the fish before cooking or using it for ceviche

-make sure fish is FRESH - we had to send back a striped bass since it was fishy and the gills were not bright red

-knife skills are important and always have a sharp knife (be aware of the chive test ;))

-build layers of flavors with heat and herbs

-clean station, be neat

-octopus shrinks!!

Ghost chili sauce

Homemade Chorizo in a chimichurri sauce

Chorizo risotto

Grilled octopus with cellary shavings and smashed potatoes

eggplant puree with tuna and uni

N.Z Sea Bream civeche

Ceviche with hominy

Razor clam ceviche with orange

sliced fish on himalayan sea salt slab

March 6, 2012

A very interesting day combined with a talk with Garrett Harker, Owner of Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar, in Boston and cooking lessons from Chef Sewall. Garrett spoke to the class about the restaurant development process of Island Creek Oyster, the design concepts, food type, and the many aspects of restaurant management. I knew about the process of going through restaurant design and the attention to detail.  I have been lucky enough to be given tours of Spago, Chinois and Granita by my godmother and designer and restaurateur, Barbara Lazaroff.

Garrett's Pointers:
-look at the big influences in the area
-understand the type of diners
-hit a note with serious foodies
-every aspect of the restaurant must be unique, from touch, smell, look, and feel (the texture of the bar to the art hanging on the walls)
-restaurants are a collaborative effort
-story board for restaurants
-work with architectural structures of the space to develop mood, form, and function
- "A restaurant is a narrative"
-important to train the restaurant staff with more information than needed

The kitchen is another story - a hectic but productive day.  We learned how to throw together steamed clams and mussels using a liquor, herbs, garlic, oil and butter - amazing how different liquors and herbs can change a dish! Furthermore, we learned how to cut up a whole duck, confit the legs, make crepes, sear off duck breasts and make a lovely risotto.  What a day!!

Key points:
-be kind to the risotto, sweat onions in oil, toast the rice, add the stock to just cover.  Stir only with a wooden spoon or rubber heat resistant spatula - metal will break up the rice. Once the liquid is absorbed add more etc.  The rice should be tender enough that it squishes on the roof of your mouth
-to cook duck breast - scar the duck breast skin - helps to render fat. In a pan put salt and the duck breast skin side down
-duck confit means to cook in own fat. So cook the duck legs and thighs in duck fat (cover it with duck fat!)
-Crepes are easy, but need to be thin and will take practice - remember there are savory and sweet
-mussels take a short time to cook - be watchful!
-remember the order of ingredients (it is logical) - cook the ingredients that will take longer to cook first and add the fresh herbs at the end (normally). i.e onions, garlic, mussels, liquor, herbs

March 5, 2012

Mushrooms with Chris Douglass! Today we prepped for a mushroom tasting event at Boston University. Not only did we learn how to cook mushrooms but we also learned invaluable information about them.  I love mushrooms and did not know that so many varieties that I enjoy are in New England backyards and that there are so many fungi enthusiasts!

I am just going to jump right in and give you some insight into what I learned about mushrooms.

Key Points
-Always cook mushrooms - there are toxins in mushrooms that are only inactivated by heat
-mushrooms in grocery stores are probably domesticated and the toxins bred out, but still cook your mushrooms even before putting them on your spinach salad.
-some raw mushrooms are known to produce toxins that can cause cancer
-But, cooked mushrooms - some studies in mice - show that they can help fight cancer
-having trouble cleaning mushrooms?
           -you can either wash them in very salty water, they will float and the soil will sink, but do this quickly and don't agitate them to much in the water
           -take a damp cloth and wipe them down
           - use a straw and blow the dirt off
-never eat a mushroom that you picked without identifying it
-never store mushrooms in plastic bags - only brown or wax
-clean the mushrooms before storing them in the bag
-Always cook mushrooms before freezing
-Don't throw away the stems of mushrooms, you can make a stock or chop them up for stuffing...some stems are more fibrous and cannot be eaten but give off great flavor
-when preparing for a large event, think about what can be prepared before hand
-think about organizing in a way that allows you to count easily - line sheet trays in rows not in geometric diagrams

There are an unlimited way to cook mushrooms, but certain species tastes better prepared in specific ways.
-Pickled, steamed, sauteed and stuffed are all great used for mushrooms.

Chanterelle Beggar's Purse - a variety of mushrooms with boiled fingerling potatoes and herbs

Polenta and Mushroom Sauce

Stuffed Portobellos with Taleggio cheese

Pickled Shiitake  with local marinated tofu