No meal is complete without a SIDE DISH! Veggies and Rice! Day 11

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!



I burned myself today...not to bad but a little blister did show up. I have my first official Chef wound! It hurts...but I am proud of it! :)

Roasting my pepper straight on the stove!

My Carrot Vichy

Anyways....I hope you all are having a fabulous day! Today has been a great day for me!!! I had a blast in class this morning and I got off work early!! Wooohooo! The wheaether is beautiful outside too, so I think that just puts me in an especially good mood! Anyways....Lets get down to the meat and potatoes of my day...or should I say the veggies and rice! We have moved on from soups to side dishes! Today in class we made four dishes: Carrots Vichy (Glazed Carrots), Green beans with roasted peppers and bacon, Rice pilaf, and Risotto Milanese (Risotto with saffron and Parmesan!).

My Green Beans with Roasted
Peppers and Bacon

My Rice Pilaf

Like usual class started out with a demo from the Chefs. Then we were off on our own - like a baby taking its first steps (haha, you all know the drill by now!) I started with my rice pilaf. I threw my butter and onions in my sauce pot, sweated them (Sweat = to cook until soft but not brown), then threw in my long grain rice stirred for a minute. Next I poured in water, covered my pot and put it in the oven. Once that was in the oven I started on my carrots. I got them cut up all fancy, put them in the sauté pan with butter, sugar, salt and water and set them to simmer. Ok good...Rice pilaf....Check....Carrots...Check....now time for green beans. I prepped my green beans - They needed to be blanched - Blanching is a prepping method used quite often in the kitchen. To blanch something you toss it into a pot of boiling water for 10-20 seconds, then throw them in to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. You hold whatever it is you are blanching to the side until it needs to be used in your dish. Anyways, I blanched my green beans, put them aside and threw my pepper straight onto the fire of my stove to roast it (pretty cool!). Once the pepper was completely black I placed it in a bowl and covered it so it could steam - when it was ready I peeled off all the skin and cut it up into little strips. Then I threw my bacon on the stove and sautéed it till crispy (I made mine a little too crispy). I added my peppers, and green beans to the bacon, heated everything up, seasoned it with salt, plated it and served! Chef said "My green beans were the best she had tasted all day." YAY!!! After 20 minutes had gone by I took my rice pilaf out of the oven....OUCH!!! I burned my self through my pot holder on the handle of the pot! Even though it hurt like heck, I was kind of happy! I had received my first "chef battle wound (everyone keeps saying a good chef had scares to talk about...so now I'm offical haha!) I plated my rice pilaf and turned it in. "Perfect," Chef said. By the time I was done showing off my "perfect" rice pilaf my carrots were done. I plated them and turned them in. Another "perfect, great flavor," from chef! Yes that is 3 for 3 so far! On to my last dish...."7 Minutes left," yelled chef. Oh great...and I was doing so well. :( Risotto takes 20 mins to cook. There was no way I was getting this finished. I tried anyway...I was able to get it most of the way done. It needed about 10 more minutes to soften all the way up. Chef did say that it had perfect flavor though! I guess it wasn't too bad!

Like I said earlier, today has been a great day for me! The results I have been receiving are boosting my confidence and making me more comfortable in the kitchen. Things are starting to fall into place! Lets hope tomorrow gets even better!

Until next time my hungry friends!!

- Chef Kass In Training

I Have Died and Gone to Greek Food Heaven!

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Food Bloggers!

Cool machine that shoots out the
 dounuts into the oi

It is not a school day but I had to pop on and tell you all about my wonderful and delicious experience today! Wes took me to the Greek Festival today! When we got there it was packed full of happy people eating great food and partaking in all of the fun festivities! There were tons of booths set up with many different types of Greek food and pastries. I was seriously in food heaven!! Wes and I started out with a lamb/beef gyro and Tzatziki sauce (one of my favorite things ever!) It was so yummy!  Next we went and got in line for fresh Loucoumathes (Greek Donuts). The line was really long (almolst like a theme park roller coaster line!) but everyone said it was worth the wait - and they were right!! While in line I got to watch the guy make the donuts. He had this really cool kitchen aide type thing that he would wind and little balls of dough would shoot out the bottom into the hot oil. When they
were done he scooped them up with a big tray and let them cool. Once cooled they took the donuts and coated them in a warm honey sauce and cinnamon. They were so good! Wes and I ate 10 in like 5 minutes! After devouring the donuts we went and visited a couple of our good friends who were working the beer booth. We grabbed a beer and it was time for MORE FOOD!! We picked up some grilled pork kabobs and lamp shanks. They were seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice - the traditional Greek flavoring. They were grilled to perfection with a crispy outside and a juicy inside! yummy! You cant have a Greek feast without having baklava! So our last stop was the pastry booth! We picked out a variety of different pastries - baklava, chocolate baklava, dimples and a few others I never got the names of.  Everything was crispy, flaky, honey-y, and amazing!! 

Assortment of pastries!

Pork Skewers!! 

Stick a fork in me I am done!! Ten pounds heavier... I am a happy camper...my belly is stuffed and my taste buds are satisfied! Today has been a great day! Eating all this wonderful food really reassures me that I am on  the right path...and
being a Chef is my true calling! I LOVE FOOD!

At the Greek market booth they were selling boxes of pre-made bechamel -
Which is the sauce we just learned how to make last week! Thought it was kind of cool!

Till next time!!!


- Chef Kass in Training

Day Ten Here we go Again... Practical exam number 2! Day 10

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Food Bloggers!


GOOD News everyone!!! I scored a 95% on my written sauce exam and a 91% on the sauce practical.... All A's is my goal...so lets keep this up!!!


Today we had our second written and Practical exam... it was on soups! Just like Monday I had to take a multiple choice and product ID written test, then the timed practical on 3 different types of soups. Consomme Brunoise, Creme Dubarry and French Onion were the soups of the day! I felt more nervous about this test than the last one. Making 3 soups in a short amount of time is a hard thing to do! Last night I spent about 4 hours going over my ingredients and procedures. I made a production list and a grocery list with all my ingredients and their amounts to make my mise en place go smoothly. The written exam was pretty simple, and the soup practical went better than I had expected. I am so glad it is the weekend...After taking 2 exams in one week I am tired and my body HATES me. I have many hours of sleep to catch up on, and tons of episodes of Criminal Minds and Chopped to watch! I hope you all have a great three day weekend!! Happy Memorial Day!


Buenos Noches!!!


- Chef Kass In Training   

Mmmm Mmmm Good ...Soup Day Continued! - Day 9

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Food Bloggers!

My Mise en place for today!

It is soup day again!! Once again I am back in soup heaven! On the menu today is Shrimp Bisque and Creme of Du Barry (Cream of Cauliflower). I started off with the Creme of Du Barry. The base for this soup is the bechamel sauce...Which meant I got to break out my awesome bechamel making skills (remember the bechamel was one of the leading sauces I learned how to make in week one. It was the white, cream based sauce). Once the bechamel was done I added my cauliflower and set it on the back burner to simmer (for a long time). Next I started up my Shrimp Bisque (yum). I peeled the shells off my raw shrimp and set them aside, then I cut up all my veggies, and made a veloute (Another one of the leading sauces i learned in week one!). I sauted my carrots and onions in some butter, added the shells from my shrimp(Shrimp shells add a lot of flavor, so you cook the soup with the shells in and strain it when it is finished) tossed in my bouquet garni, some tomoato paste, then I added white wine and reduced it. Once reduced I flambéed it with brandy (Flambé is a cooking procedure in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames). It blew up in flames for a few seconds and I felt like a professional! It was really cool! (I tried to get a picture of it, but it was out before I could get my camera out). Next I added my fish stock and veloute and set aside to simmer. While my soups were simmering I sauted my shrimp and prepared them for the finishing stages of my bisque. I took my Creme of Du Barry off the stove, strained it, and pureed it in the blender. I added a little salt and it was done! Chef said "it had great flavor, but it was a little thick." Thats ok, cant always be perfect :) It was about time to plate my shrimp bisque so I got a strainer and warmed up my bowl in the oven (Rule #1 of plating food - never serve hot food on a cold plate!!). I poured my soup through my strainer into my bowl, checked my seasoning and turned it in. Oh dang..... I had forgot to finish my soup with cream :( Ugh. To late now.  Chef tasted it and said "it had good flavor but needed to simmer a little longer, and needed the cream." I defiantly didn't bring my A game to class today, but its ok. Tomorrow is a new day, and it is our soup practical so I will take my critiques from today and fix them the test!

My Shrimp Bisque!

My Creme of Du Barry!

Tata, I'm off to study!


- Chef Kass In Training 

Happy as a Clam Chowder! Soup Day!! Day 8

Hello fabulous food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!

This is what the consommé looks
like as it is forming  it raft.

My Mise en place!

sauté 'n a bunch 'o Onions :)

Consommé Brunoise

It is soup day!!! Today we made a Consommé Brunoise, New England Clam Chowder, and French Onion soup. Can you say soup Heaven???? :) As delicious as today was...it was also very stressful. To start the day off we watched Chefs demo our soups..which took longer than usual...so we had less time to complete them on our own. Making 3 soups in an hour is a challenge, so time management (which is not my strongest point) was very important today. Before I started cooking I got everything in order, organized my station and planned my steps out. First I cut up my onions for the French onion soup, and threw them in the pan to saute. Then I threw everything together for my consommé. A consommé is a soup made of clarified stock...we simmer it for a long period of time with a bunch of ingredients to add flavor and bring all the impurities to the top. When it is done it should be clear and clean looking. So I got my veggies, ground chicken and egg whites whipped together then added chicken stock and set my consommé on the stove to simmer. I stirred it constantly until my raft formed (the raft appears at the top of the sauce pot when the egg whites begin to cook - it holds all the impurities inside it - leaving a clean delicious broth underneath. In a chefs world its like hidden treasure :)) Once my raft had formed I was able to let it simmer on its own for a while which gave me time to put my other soups together. I started my clam chowder. I rendered the fat from my salt pork, and sweat-ed my onions in it. Then I added flour,  clam juice, water, potatoes, salt and clams - and let it all simmer until potatoes were tender.  I took my sauted onions for my French onion soup and added some Sherry and wine, then reduced it. Once reduced, I added veal stock, water and salt - and let simmer. My final two soups were on there way to being done...but the questions was...will they be done in time?? I had about 10 mins left...lets hope things go my way! About seven minutes in my French onion soup was ready. I poured it in a bowl and placed my baguette and Parmesan cheese on top then broiled it to melt the cheese. I got another bowl warmed it up and put my clam chowder in it...both my soups were done just in the nick of time! Chef said I needed to "cook out my wine a little bit more in my French onion soup, and my clam chowder was very nice." With only 20 minutes left in class all of us frantically cleaned trying to get done in time! 

My Clam Chowder and French Onion Soup!

Today was a pretty good day!! Lets see what day 2 of soups has to offer! Talk to y'all tomorrow!


- Chef Kass In Training

First test = super stressed!! Day 7

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Food Bloggers!

Today was our first practical and written exam. YIKES!! We had to make 4 sauces (hollandaise, Beurre Blanc, Marchand de Vin, and Bechamel) and present them in given time blocks... we weren't allowed to use any procedures on our recipe cards, or notes we had taken in class. We were only allowed to have the ingredients and there amounts. So everything we made had to be from memory...which was scary because we haven't exactly spent a whole lot of time practicing each sauce. Watching and practicing something one time doesn't exactly make me feel too confident that I can do it perfect for an exam!! We also had a written exam that had multiple choice/fill in the blank questions and product ID. This I could study from my textbook and I was more confident about. As for the sauce tests, I spent a couple hours going over the recipes and making a production schedule, and an ingredient list to to make things a little easier the day of.

So...I stayed up way to late last night to study and 5 am was NOT looking good to me at all! I was/still am exhausted. Once I got to class our Chefs made everyone wait outside so they could set up the product ID portion of the test. This was making everyone, including me, nervous and anxious. I just wanted to get in there and get things over with! When they were ready Chefs let us in and passed out our exams. I finished in 10 minutes...the exam was really easy for me, and I think I did pretty well on it! (We will see soon though!) When everyone was finished with the written test we were set loose to start our sauce practical. I grabbed my ingredient list and began getting my mise together. My hard work last night had paid off, everything was easy to organize and set up. I didn't have to spend a lot of time running around trying to get the right ingredients, so it gave me more time to work on my sauces! Chefs put up the time windows for each sauce and I tried to keep my mind in the game and not get to stressed. The first sauce due was the Beurre Blanc. I thought this would be an easy one... but I must have been a little too confident in myself because I ended up cooking it too hot and it broke. UGH... Already I messed up...great. Bound and determined NOT to screw up any of my other sauces I paid extra attention to what I was doing. I started my bechamel and left it to simmer for a while, then moved on to my hollandaise. Whisking and whisking I finished my hollandaise and got it turned in right as the window opened. "Very nice Kassandra," chef said, and I was back in my game :) Soon after my bechamel was ready and I turned it in. Another "very nice" came from the chef and I was on to my last sauce...Marchand de vin. This was another sauce I thought was fairly easy but I didn't get ahead of myself this time. I followed all the steps carefully and finished my sauce. "Perfect consistency and great taste," chef was pleased! I had redeemed myself with my last three sauces! Relieved, and fairly pleased with myself  I started my dishes. My first STRESSFUL exams for class were over! All my studying and hard work had seemed to pay off, but I guess we will have to wait and see until I get my grades!

Night, night to all!


- One Very Tired Chef Kass in Training :)

Practice Makes Perfect - Day 6

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!!!


I hope y'all had a good weekend! My weekend was full of study sessions! Today's blog will be short and sweet - I have a boat load of studying to do!! On Tuesday (tomorrow) I have my first huge test!! Today in class we spent all of our time going over the material that will be on tomorrows practical and written exam. We are making 4 different sauces. My Chefs were kind enough to give us time to practice our sauces for tomorrow. So... today we spent most of our time mixing up a bunch of sauce! :) I made Beurre Blanc, hollandaise, bechamel, and marchand de vin. Everything went well today...I got good feedback on my sauces. Chef gave me a few critiques here and there that I will remember for tomorrow! Today has been one of the least stressful days in class thus far! Lets hope tomorrow goes just as well!

Off to study, study, study!!

- Chef Kass In Training

Mayonnaise... more like mayoNOT! Day 5

Bonjour Food Diary and hungry Bloggers!

Today class was full of "woosah moments" for me. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTGdAGPDBpo) "Woosah-ing" is supposed to help relieve the stress...but today that didn't really seam to work!

Chefs demonstrating Beurre Blanc and Aoili

It was mayonnaise day...or emulsion day to be more precise. We had to make four different types of sauces with a mayonnaise type base. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have never made mayonnaise by hand...it kinda sucks! lol You basically have to whisk egg yolks with a lot of oil...but you have to continually whisk really fast while adding the oil REALLY slow. It is a long, tedious process that is really easy to mess up, and leaves your one arm that is whisking looking like Popeye when your finished (and you don't even get the pleasure of eating that yummy can of spinach...there is no time!)

My station in class...That is my mised out tray on the right!

The Beurre Blanc

Anyways, the types of sauce we made today were Hollandaise, Buerre Blanc, Remoulade and Aoili. All of these sauces are very tasty once finished, but very hard to make for a beginner (they can "break" really eaily if you add to much oil - too fast) We had about an hour (not a lot of time) to finish all four and get them turned in for grading. So I get all my mise in order, it takes me about about 15 mins, and start as fast as I can. Chef recommended that we start with the Hollandaise (egg yolk whisked with hot clarified butter, mixed with lemon juice, cayenne and salt - Really good on asparagus or eggs Benedict!). That was one of the hardest and longest to make so we should get it  out of the way. Which is exactly what I did. I got my hollandaise done in about 25 mins, whew my arm was tired. Then I started my Beuerre Blanc - White wine and minced shallots reduce, then cold cubes of butter are swirled in. That one was easy and only took me about 15 mins. Now time to start my 3rd sauce...looking at the clock I started to panic...I only had five minutes left  but I needed about 25 minutes to finish everything. Oh no!!! I knew there was no way I would finish...I didn't think I would even get my third sauce out. Stressed, I started to throw my Remoulade ingredients together (1 egg yolk whipped with 8oz of oil - this is the hard part - then mixed with finely minced capers, Gherkins, parsley, chervil, tarragon and salt.) Whisking and whisking and whisking I was working at the speed of light. "ONE MINUTE LEFT, GET ALL OF YOU SAUCES TURNED IN OR THEY WONT BE GRADED," yelled Chef. AHHHHHHH....I am not going to finish. I am not OK with turning in only two of the four sauces. Frantic, I whisk and pour oil... I'm...almost....done. "10 SECONDS," Chef yells out again. I quickly dump the rest of my oil in whisk as fast a I physically can, toss in all of my remaining ingredients...throw them in a bowl and place on Chefs table. I didn't taste it so I was sure it wasn't right, but I figured turning in a bad sauce was better than turning in nothing. (0 out of 100 vs 50 out of a 100...I will happily take that 50!) Chef grabs her spoon, mixes it around, and takes a taste. "Very good Kassandra. Needs a tad more salt. Other than that great job" she says.Wait, what? That is awesome!! Here I was thinking it was going to be bad! Feeling pretty good I start doing my dishes and help the class clean the kitchen. After talking to my fellow classmates i found out that only a few people out of the entire class finished all four sauces. This made me feel better about my results.

Hollandaise Sauce...being present to Chef

Today sure was stressful...and I have defiantly started to feel the pressure. The trick is to not let it get to me. I need to keep my head in the game. I CAN and will do this! Woooossssaaaaahhhhhh!

Till next time my fellow food lovers

Au Revior!

-Chef Kass in Training

Things are getting saucy! Day 4

Chefs demoing Tomato sauce and Marchand De Vin

Good evening Food Diary and hungry Bloggers,

It is the continuation of our sauces portion of class. Today we are making a modern demi-glace, which is stock reduced by 3/4 to make a thick flavorful sauce - this is mainly used as an ingredient to make other delicious sauces. With our demi-glace we made two sauces: Sauce Chasser - sauted mushrooms and shallots thrown in with white wine, reduced, then mixed with a demi-glace, diced tomatoes and chopped parsley. Sauce Marchand De Vin - Red wine and shallots reduced by 3/4, mixed with a demi-glace and simmered until nappe (nappe- thick and coats the spoon). From here we moved on to our tomato sauce (which is on of the mother sauces) and turned that into a Spaish sauce. Spanish sauce is made up of lightly sauted green bell peppers, garlic and mushrooms, mixed with the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and Tabasco.  I'm glad I brought my Tupperware today, because all of these sauces are delicious!!

Sauce Chasser

Tasting Chefs finished sauce

So class started out with our usual demo from the Chefs. But before the demoed they had us get our stock on the stove to start reducing it for the demi-glace (it takes quite a while). Then they showed us how to do everything; I took really good notes in hope that it would help me speed things up today(which it did!). Once they were done demoing we were off! I got my mise en place together and started on my tomato sauce.The tomato sauce, as simple as it sounds has a TON of ingredients and is pretty technical (who thought food would be technical? :) ). Despite the technicality, everything was smooth sailing for me. My tomato sauce was all mixed together, simmering, and tasting well. Time to move on...I checked the status of my demi-glace and it was ready to use, so I started the Marchand de Vin and Sauce Chasser. At htis point in time I was ahead of schedule and I felt really good about it. The Marchand de Vin was so easy, it took me 15 mins tops to get it finished and out to chef. She said it was "almost perfect, just needed a tiny bit more reducing."(YES!) Next was the sauce Chasser this one was also fairly easy, and is one of my favorite sauces we have made thus far! (so yummy!) So far I was 2 for 2! Lets make this an awesome day and get 4 for 4. When my tomato sauce was ready I showed it to Chef and got the OK to start my Spanish sauce. Our time window was getting smaller and smaller but I was almost done so I wasn't stressing. I combined all my ingredients and got them seasoned correctly (This sauce is really good as well...would be great on chicken!). I over heard Chef saying everyone was using way to much Tabasco and her mouth was on FIRE, so I was careful not to add to much. I plated my finished product and presented it. "Very nice, not too spicy and has great texture." I was so happy with my work today! I even finished early enough to get my dished done before time was up! What a relief!

Well today defiantly boosted my confidence...but what does tomorrow have in store? Stay tuned in to read the results :)

Until next time!

-Chef Kass In Training

Get your MISE on... Day 3

Dear Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers,

It is day 3 in class and I have my game face on! Or should I say my Mise face on. :) Remember Mise en place (Pronounced Mees en plaz) ~ everything in its place ~ is a chefs way of life. I have come ready to conquer the kitchen!! No burning, under cooking or poor seasoning will be coming from this girl! I have written my recipe cards and reviewed them so I know what I am in for. It is sauce day!! We will be making 4 different sauces today...Two leading sauces: the Bechamel (a milk and blanc roux based sauce), and the veloute (a chicken broth and blond roux based suace). Using those two leading sauces we will make derivative small sauces: The Mornay (a creamy cheese sauce) and the Allemande (the veloute with added cream and egg yolk...kind of like a gravy).

Sauce Allemande and Sauce Mornay

Lets do this! Monkey see, monkey do...Chef gives a demo of the sauces and then I create my own. I have to start by making my two roux...blanc and blond. I rock it and make perfect roux. I then take my roux and incorporate the right ingredients into my pan. I soon come out with a very nice looking bechamel and veloute. I present it to chef and get approval to move on. I start my two small sauces. I am doing so much better than yesterday...but being on a time crunch and having so much multi tasking to do is not an easy thing! I notice many of my class mates are plating and presenting. I will defiantly be done in time, but I wish I could speed things up! Chef yells out "15 more minutes" With 5 minutes left I adjust my seasoning and plate my sauces. I think they came out delicious! Chef Sutton once again takes out her spoon checks the consistency, color and flavor...this is the moment of truth..."very nice, good seasoning, almost perfect" are the words she says.Whew...I let out a sigh of relief.  I achieved the results I wanted. Although I would've liked to finish cooking a little faster than I did, I guess the story of the tortoise and the hare played a small part in my results, "slow and steady wins the race" As good of a moral lesson as this might be, I do remember my Chef saying "NO TORTUGAS" So I better step it up! Tomorrow is a new day!

After I got home I turned my Mornay sauce into a DELICIOUS Black Truffle Mac and Cheese.
Here is my recipe!

Delicious Black Truffle Mac and Cheese with Mornay Sauce


Ingredients:


Sauce Bechamel
2oz white roux (1oz flour/1oz butter)
2cups milk
1/4 onion
1 dry bay leaf
1 clove
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Nutmeg (a pinch)


Add 1oz of butter to a hot saute pan, once heated whisk in 1oz flour. Cook until fully combined. 
Add in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and clove. Simmer for 30 mins or until sauce becomes thickened and coats the back of your spoon (this is called Nappe)
Strain the sauce into a clean pan and hold for mornay sauce.


Mornay
 2 cups Sauce Bechamel
3-4 oz of Gruyère cheese, grated ( you can use whichever cheese you fancy)
1-2 Tbs of butter


Heat Bechamel. Stir in cheese until fully melted. Finish by melting in the butter. Set sauce aside for pasta.


For the rest of the dish you need:
1 bag/box of cooked elbow noodles (or whichever kind you prefer)
2Tbs of black truffle oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs 

1/2 cup mozzarella
2 Tbs of melted butter


Take the pasta and toss it with the black truffle oil. Add the mornay and coat the noodles, mixing really well. Place past into an oven safe bowl. Take the melted butter and mix it together with the bread crumbs and mozzarella. Spread the mixture on top of the pasta. Place entire dish in the oven, set to high broil and crisp the top until it is a golden brown. Let cool for 5- 10 mins and serve!

...voila!! You have a dish that will impress any of your family and friends!! 

Tata!

- Chef Kass In Training

Hey Roux!? Whatcha Cookin'? - Day 2

Dear Food Diary and Fellow Bloggers,

Three types of Roux

Hello again! Today class was all about ROUX. A roux is a cooked mixture that is made up of equal parts (by weight) of fat and flour. It is used to thicken sauces...kind of like the common cornstarch and water mixture we all use in our Thanksgiving gravy. A roux comes in 3 different forms...Blanc, Blond, and Brun. Or as we like to call it in class oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate because of their colors- everything is easier to understand when you reference it to food...no? Anyways, you get the different colored roux by extending their cook times. Each kind of roux is used for a different style of sauce.

We stated off with a demo from Chef Knight. She showed us how to make a fish Fumet (fish stock) and roux. The fish fumet has the same basic ingredients as the chicken stock we made yesterday, but the cooking technique is a little different. Unlike the chicken stock you must "sweat" the mirepoix and bones (just a little bit) before adding the water to the stockpot. The roux is cooked in a saute pan...you add the butter (fat), heat it up and then whisk in the flour (easier said than done). The Blond roux only takes a few minutes until it is done... its the others that are a tad more difficult. They take longer and require constant attention to prevent burning (butter burns very easily if not careful!).

After getting my mise en place, I anxiously started on my tasks at hand. I got my fish fumet in the pot, on the stove and I started on my roux. At this stage in my cooking career I am not too familiar with a commercial kitchen stove (those babies are HOT!), or multi-tasking in the kitchen the way we are supposed too. Needless to say, today I had a little temperature control, and time management problems. I cooked my fish fumet a little to long before adding the water (Hey, its my first time with this recipe...this is hard!), and it was too dark to use :( Chef Sutton was reassuring and told me it was the effort that counted (I hate doing things wrong!). Stressed and feeling the pressure...the Chefs yell out "Ten minutes to get your dished presented!"Oh man! Time to finish my roux! I turn up the heat on my stove and tryed to bust these roux out! In the nick of time I plate my three colored roux and place them on the critiquing table...(dun, Dun, DUN). Standing there eye to eye with my Chef, she takes her spoon and swirls it through my roux. The results weren't too bad...I had a cooked them a little to long, and I needed to add more flower from the get go. Could have been worse.

Tired and a little frazzled its time to go home. Clean up is done and class is over for the day. While walking out the door I make a mental note to myself...tomorrow I will do things right. I will not burn anything and I will get more organized before lighting up that stove! I always hear the phrase "If you cant take the heat, stay out of the kitchen" know I know what that means. This class is going to challenge me...and I like it!

To all my readers out there I bid you adieu!

- Chef Kass In Training

Finally in the Kitchen! - Day 1

Dear Food Diary and fellow Bloggers,


Today was the first day of my Culinary Foundations 2 class! After 6 weeks of learning the ins and outs of food safety and sanitation, julienne-ing potatoes, macadoine-ing carrots, and creating a perfect tournés out of a turnip (those are all fancy knife cuts for those of you who are confused)...I am FINALLY in the kitchen! I am beyond excited to get down and dirty and start some cookin'! 


We started off class meeting our Chefs...Because of the large amount of students, the class is split in half and I am fortunate to get to work with two Chefs. We have Chef Sutton (who is my Chef) and Chef Knight (in culinary school we call our teachers Chefs...so when you hear me refer to my Chef, that would be my teacher!) At first, both Chefs were very intimidating...not on a Gordan Ramsey from Kitchen Nightmares level...but still intimidating. Chef Sutton emphasized the importance of CLEANING, moving quickly and being efficient... She does not like, nor "tolerate Tortugas" in class. In other words, no standing around doing nothing! Chef Knight talked about how everyday the food we make will be plated and presented in the alloted amount of time, and will then be poked, prodded, picked apart and tasted for a grade..and 100% is very hard to come by. YIKES!!  Me, being the perfectionist that I am finds this to be very scary! So, for the first 2 hours we went over the rules and regulations of class, and our course outline. After all that policy talk we got down to the "meat and potatoes." :)    The first thing on our docket was STOCK MAKING!

"Community" Stockpot

In Culinary Foundations 1, we learned the basic principals of stock making, but we never actually got to make the stock. So, needless to say this was exciting! First we watched our Chefs demo a proper chicken stock, then we were on our own! We all rushed to get our mise en place... Mise en place means "everything in its place." For a chef it means... make sure you have all your ingredients and proper equipment before you start cooking! Its a chefs way of life. After getting my mise on (haha) I followed the recipe and put together my stock. Chicken stock for ya'll who want to know, consists of raw chicken bones, cold water, Mirepoix (carrot, celery, and onions), and a bouquet garni (a bundle of spices)...then is simmered for hours. Once I got all of my ingredients mixed together I presented it to Chef and got her stamp of approval. Victory! I had successfully completed my stock. Proud of myself, I dumped my creation into the HUGE "community" stockpot to simmer over night. :)


Let the cleaning begin! Today I feel like we did more cleaning than cooking...but having a clean kitchen is important...so clean on! Wash, rinse, dry, sweep, mop, sanitize.... repeat. For about 30 minutes the entire class ran around repeating this until the kitchen was shining like a brand new stainless steel Chefs knife. Once cleaning was done, we were given our homework and class was dismissed. 


Time to get my homework done! Talk to you tomorrow!


- Chef Kass In Training