Practical...Shmaacktical! Day 15

Good evening Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!

Writing to you live...from my bed...I am exhausted! It was yet another day of testing. On the plate for today's practical was Carrots Vichy, Green Beans with roasted peppers and bacon, Rice pilaf, and the fancy Pommes Duchesse. Today's practical was one of the easiest in terms of cooking! I was very confident about all the dishes we had to make...and it showed in my work! The written test on the other hand, I was not to sure about! I felt like I was guessing on quite a few answers (which makes me frustrated because I stayed up sooooo late studying!) Anyways, I wanted to pop on here and talk about the good stuff not so much the practical. This weekend my boyfriend Wes's Aunt came to town and we wanted to impress her with our cooking skills :) We made the most delicious Mexican dish ever!!! We went to food city and bought pre-marinated Carne Asada (If any of you live near a food city I highly recommend you try this...D-Lish!), and some fresh shrimp. When we got home with all of our goodies we grilled up the meat and shrimp...I made fresh refried beans, salsa infused rice, and tortilla chips...and Wes made his amazing guacamole...and we had a feast among all feasts!!! For dessert I made a Chocolate Tart with Oreo Crust and a fresh blackberry puree whip cream.


Here is the recipe!!!

Chocolate Tart with Oreo Crust
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Milk
5 oz of chocolate chips
2 Tbs of sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
2 large eggs
2-3 cups of Oreo crumbles
2 oz butter

Turn your oven to 350 F


Crust:
1. take your Oreo crumbles and put them in a food processor to make them super fine.
2. Melt your butter and pour it into the Oreos.
3. with hands mix Oreos until combined with butter.
4. Pour mixture in a tart pan and flatten out and up the sides. Set aside.


Tart Filling:


1. Pour your milk and heavy cream into a sauce pot and bring to a light simmer (do not boil)
2. Once hot remove from heat and pour in your chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Add sugar and salt and stir.
4. When completely mixed slowly pour mixture into the tart pan on top of the Oreo crust.
5. Place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 
6. When finished let cool for 20 minutes on counter and then cool in refrigerator for 3 hours (or until cold)
7. Once chilled, cut and serve! you can top with fresh fruit, whip cream...whatever you want!

Hope you enjoy this delicious yet simple dessert!! Let me know how it comes out!!
Until next time!!

Cook on!!
- Chef Kass in Training!

You say Potato, he says potaato....I say how about NOT-o! Day 14!

Hello Food Diary and hungry Blogger!!!

Play the song so the poor potato has something to dance to! No one wants to dance without music! (The song is about potatoes...maybe you will learn something!! lol )

freestyle fellowship potato blow up club

Mp3Ski.com

How do you describe an angry potato? Boiling Mad. 


hahahahaha...Anyways....

Pommes Anna

Demo on piping the
Pommes Duchesse

 Did you guys know that there are more than 600 ways to cook a potato!!? I knew there were a lot of ways you could cook them...but not nearly THAT many! Geeze! Today was potato day. I went into class with my four recipes thinking it would be an easy day...I mean I can make one rockin bowl of mashed potatoes....but boy was I WRONG!! Today friendly Mr Potato head turned out to be my arch enemy! (I am being a tad bit dramatic...but seriously.) We had to make Pommes Anna, Pommes Duchesse, Pommes Roesti, Grati Dauphinoise....I will describe in a minute. Pommes Anna or potatoes Anna is that wonderful thing you see to your right. It is finely sliced potatoes layered in a circle and cooked in a LARGE amount of butter (the French love they're butter!).Pommes Duchesse are mashed potatoes made by mashing freshly boiled potatoes with a ricer or food mill. Then you put them in a pipping bag and squeeze them out onto a plate or baking sheet and bake them until they are a light golden brown. Pommes Roesti is a panckae made of grated potatoes and fried in butter. Grati Dauphinoise are commonly know as potatoes Au Gratin and Im sure you have all had them at one point or another! They are thinly sliced potatoes covered in cheese and drenched in cream, then baked until the top is nice an crispy. They are sooooo delicious...but very bad for the heath conscious person!

Pommes Anna

Grati Dauphinoise

Pommes Roesti

I made all four of these dishes and turned them in on time...but I had a few technical difficulties! I started with  the Pommes Anna. For this dish you have to line them up in a cute little overlapping circle in a pan, fry them until the bottom is browned (Do not flip them! The side facing down is meant to be the top, so you only flip it once and that is when you are plating it to be served! The goal is to keep the whole thing in one nice looking piece.) Once the bottom is browned, you take the whole pan and place it in the oven to finish cooking. When it is tender you take it out and flip it onto a plate...hopefully to reveal a beautiful spirally panckae of potatoes. I did all these steps correctly, but once I flipped it onto my plate...it wasn't browned enough...so sneakily I put it back in my saute pan and cranked up the heat on the stove. Bad idea. I over cooked it a little bit. Such as life. Next up was my Grati Dauphinoise. I put the potatoes into the pan, covered it with cheese and cream and placed it in the oven...easy as pie! Moving on to my Pommes Duchesse. I made very smooth mashed potatoes, threw in an egg yolk, salt and pepper, and put everything into my pastry bag. Then I pipped the potatoes out onto a sheet pan and put those in the oven as well. Last but not least I started my Pommes Roesti. I took my partially cooked potato and grated it on the cheese grated. I sesoned my pile of grattings and formed a pancake shape, then threw it on my hot, buttered pan....YIKES!! Toooo hot! My pan had heated up way to much! It was starting to burn on the outside, while the inside was still raw. I turned the heat down and tried to fix what was already done....oh well. All of my dishes ended up being done around the same time. I neatly plated everything, doing my best to make them look better than they were, and turned them in. My chef was absent today, so I had to turn in my food to the HEAD CHEF of the school!!! So nerve racking!  He told me everything I already knew was wrong..."too brown, heat was too high, and too much salt." But he also said I did a very good job for my first time and only practice will make perfect! This is a very true statement! It brings me back to my childhood when I would watch the "Little Engine that Could," he taught me that optimism and hard work is the key to success. I just need to try and try again! Practice will make me perfect! Looks like I will be eating a lot of potatoes this weekend - and making more appearances at my gym in the near future! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Pommes Duchesse

Pommes Duchesse

I will leave you all with some words of wisdom....

“I think...therefore I yam” - the sweet potato


Tata!
 -Chef Kass In Training

Tabbouleh or not to Tabbouleh...that is the question! Day 13

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!!

Soft Polenta

Wheatberries with Roasted
Pecans and Poblano Peppers

Wheatberries with Roasted
Pecans and Poblano Peppers
plated for Chef

Fresh Tabbouleh Salad

Fresh Tabbouleh Salad plated
for Chef

It has been one long day for me! The important thing is that I have found time to log on and write to you all!! It was grain day in class, and must I say...I ROCKED it today!! We made 3 types of grain salad...I wasn't to fond of the recipes we had...they were a little bland (but with a few added ingredients here and there they could be transformed into something really good!). On our plate this morning we had Tabbouleh Salad, Wheatberries with Roasted Pecans and Poblano Peppers, and Soft Polenta. I started with my Polenta - polenta is similar to grits, it is made from cornstarch. I boiled some water in a sauce pot and slowly whisked in my cornstarch. When my mixture was saucy in texture I added salt and tons of parmesan cheese...Then I plated it and served it to chef. The comment she wrote on my grade sheet was "Perfect" YES! Just a quick note - Polenta is usually laid out on a sheet pan and cut up into slices, then fried or baked...I think it would be better this way. We made it into a pouragey type dish and I didn't care for it. Next up was Tabbouleh -Tabbouleh is a cold Mediterranean Salad made with bular wheat, fresh veggies and lemon juice. I really like this salad - and it's really easy!. I took my soaked bulgar and mixed it with my sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and mixed it all together. I placed a fresh piece of lettuce on a cold plate and put a spoonful of my salad on top...I was done! Chef gave me another "perfect" :) Last but not least I was onto my Wheatberries with Roasted Pecans and Poblano Peppers. Like I said earlier this salad would be VERY good with some other added ingredients. I felt it was a little bland and dry, but the wheatberries have a good texture. Anyways, this one was quite easy as well. I took my wheatberries (that I had already boiled in water for an hour) and mixed them with my roasted pecans, sliced roasted pepper poblano, salt, and a tiny bit of olive oil. Done! I plated it on a piece of purple lettuce and turned it in. One more thumbs up and "perfect" came from chef!!! I told you guys I rocked it! I wasn't kidding! :)

Today in the kitchen I felt comfortable for the first time. Up until now I have felt intimidated by everything (the commercial kitchen, the chefs, the time windows, the other students, you name it). I think I am starting to find my "inner chef" :) I still have a lot of work to do, but it is becoming clear that I am on the right path! Thank you all for reading and keeping up with my progress! I will be back tomorrow! Time for me to sleep!

Bon Appetit!

- Chef Kass In Training

Beans, Beans They're Good for Your Heart, The More You Eat, The More You...Day 12!!

Hello Food Diary and Hungry Bloggers!

I am writing to you earlier than usual today. I am done with school, I have the day off work and I just finished watching Julie and Julia for the first time! I had heard about this movie before but never saw it! When I first started my blog my mom told me I should watch it...she was right. I loved it, and found it very inspiring! Julia went to Le Cordon Bleu (which is where I go) and revolutionized French cooking for American people. I wonder if what she did had any effect on how I am learning in class today? She is by far one of my favorite chefs! If I become anywhere near as good as her I will be a happy chef!

Salade de Lentilles

Julie and Julia made me want to pop on here and write to you all as soon as I could!  So here I am! It is day 12 and we have moved on from rice to beans. Today in class we learned how to make Salade de Lentilles, Frijoles Refritos (refried beans - my favorite!!!!), Hummus, and a Cranberry Bean and Asparagus salad. One of my chefs was out sick today, and it seamed like half the class had caught what she had because 12 students were absent as well. This made for a very small intimate class, and I thought it was very nice. We didn't have the chaos of 30 frantic students running around and it made everyone a lot more mellow.

Salade de Lentilles

Cranberry Bean and Asparagus salad

Cranberry Bean and Asparagus salad

We only got to make two of those four dishes, but Chef demoed all of them for us to see and take notes on. We made the lentil salad and cranberry bean and asparagus salad (for some reason the classes shipment of asparagus didnt come with this mornings deliveries so we just made a cranberry bean salad...lol). So, to start off I put my lentils in a pot with water, carrot, onion, a bay leaf, a crushed garlic clove, and fresh thyme. I boiled them for about 30 minutes (until they were soft), then drained them and set them in the fridge. I took my bacon, cut it up and threw it on the stove. Once it was nice and crispy I set it to the side and sauted my minced shallots, onions, garlic and cabbage in the grease. When that stuff was done I added 3 oz of chicken stock and let it reduce. Then I threw in my lentils, bacon, salt, and vinaigrette (I had made this at the start of class - it had red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and salad oil in it)...voila...you have Salade de Lentilles. Chef tasted it and said "Great job! Your seasoning is perfect. I really enjoyed that." OH YEAH!! I'm starting off with a bang! Now on to my Cranberry bean salad. I sauted my minced onions, shallots, and garlic in a tiny bit of oil. Then I threw in my beans, some basil, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. I seasoned it with salt and vinaigrette, and garnished it with more cheese and parsley...I was done! I turned it in for critique and got another "great seasoning, it was nice and creamy," from the chef. I was floating on cloud nine...and still am! I finished way ahead of schedule, got all my dishes done and my station cleaned up before out time window for critiques was even closed. What a great day!

Refried beans!!!

Now I am off to make those refried beans chef showed us in class! Its taco night and I cant wait for dinner! For those of you who already know me...you know tacos are my absolute favorite food....And for those of you who don't...now ya do! :) Pictures and recipes will come later! Arriba!!!

Have a wonderful day full of yummy treats and delicious meals!! See ya latter!

- Chef Kass In Training

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