Finals-This week we had our final practical exam. This is a strange final. We don't make anything close to what we made for the past 10 weeks. No side dishes, just entrees. First we had to break down a chicken. Then we made Chicken Veloute, Seared Chicken Breast Chardonnay (airline breast), Poached Chicken Breast Fines Herbs and Coq-au Vin. Everything was great. My Veloute had a smooth texture and great flavor. This final also challenged my cream sauce abilities. All of my chicken was moist and properly cooked. The main critique that I received was that my sauce for the Coq-au Vin needed a little salt. This was a great class.
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This was our last week of class. We made chocolate sculptures. Our sculpture had three pieces: a dome base, a kidney shaped middle and a open painted bowl. The idea was that the top should look like a geod. It does, but I am not a fan of the color. The idea of the middle is that it is able to hold molded or rolled chocolates. It would actually work as a small centerpiece on any party table. Chef Sean also showed us how to paint chocolate using acetate and cocoa butter based coloring.
On the last week before the Final Practical, we made Russian food. I loved all of it!! We made: Blini (Buckwheat Pancakes), Chahohbili (Georgian-Style Chicken), Borshch Moskovsky (Moscow-Style Beet Soup), Syrniki (Sweet Cheese Fritter with Berry Kissel), Kulebiaka (Salmon in Puff Pastry), Loby (String Beans in Sour Cream Sauce), Grechnevaya Kasha (Buckwheat Groats). I made the Syrniki and Borshch Moskovsky. I love beets and have never had hot Borscch, so I really wanted to make this dish. The prep was a little long. Everything was cut to 1/4 inch. However, the execution was simple. The sweetness and earthiness of the beets really came through. The chicken had a fantastic spice the matched perfectly with the rich creaminess of the string beans. Not being a fan of salmon, I didn't think I would like this dish. I was wrong. The puff pastry covered salmon, rice and mushrooms. The salmon was tender and juicy and the pastry was flavorful and crisp. The blini was good, although I wish we had better caviar to serve with it. The groats were a bit undercooked, but still tasty. The cheese fritters were tricky. The dough was still soft and sticky, even after being chilled. The recipe called for the fritters to be fried in 1/4 cup of butter. I did not use the full amount. The berry kissel was really quick to make. This could easily double as a berry pie filling. I have to say, the Russian menu was my favorite to make and taste. I could see myself making the menu again.
We used: oven, stovetop, refrigerator, scale, bowls, spoons & knives. This week we cooked the food of Switzerland. We made: Canard Roti aux Endives (Roast Duck with Endives), Chindbettisuppe (Childeb/Chicken Soup), Zurcher Opfelbachis (Shredded Dough Cakes with Apples), Lezerner Chagelipastete (Puff Pastry with Meat Filling), Rosti (Potato Cake) and Filets de Rouget aux Herbettes (Red Mullet Fillets with Herbs). I was responsible for making the Lazerner Chagelipastete and the Zurcher Opfelbachis. I was nervous about the meat filling. It was a cream sauce. I am happy to say, I finally defeated the cream sauce!! This was the third time this quarter that I had a chance to make a cream sauce. I was patient and it worked. The filling itself was very rich. It was made of sweetbreads, pork, two veal preparations, wine, butter and raisins. It was really good. The shredded dough with apples was great. It ended up tasting like a bread pudding. The method to making it was interesting. I sautéed the apples on the stove and the dough was an oven baked pancake. It was cooled, cut and then mixed with the apples. I would make this an any winter night and serve it with a mulled cider or spiced wine. Just like the spiced wine I had in Austria.
We used: stove top, oven, scale, pots, pans, knives & spoons This week was our Final Practical. This was rough, very rough! We made filled & molded chocolates, marshmallows and rolled truffles. All my items tasted great. However, my truffles were a little small and I had trouble with my tempering. I had to start my molded chocolates twice. I really stumbled over the tempering process. On the bright side, my marshmallows were good and my ganache was very good. I have to say I was terrified when it was time to unmold my chocolates. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I felt such relief when they came out and I was able to present the 12 that I needed.
We used: stand mixer, stovetop, pots, chocolate molds, bowls, spoon, offset spatula, thermometer and refrigerator. This week we worked on sugar, sugar and more sugar. Specifically - spun, bubble, rock and cast sugar. We also colored sugar and on day 2 we made sculptures out of the individual pieces. Sugar work is tricky. You have to mold it while it is still hot, so planning ahead is essential. It can be really dangerous, so ice water near by is a must. I managed to make one ribbon. Making flowers was easier for me. I think that was because I have a high tolerance for heat and I have large hands. Because of the type of flower I made, I was able to cup/form the sugar in my hand. The was a simple yet challenging week.
We used: Thermometer, pots, coloring, marble slab, heat lamp, proof box and oven. This week we cooked the food of Germany. German food is rich and hearty. We made: Potato Soup with Mussels and Leeks, Lentil Ragout with Greens, Calf's Liver with Red Onion Marmalade and Mustard Sauce, Pork Tenderloin a Dark Bread Crust, Braised Red Cabbage and Spaetzle and Poppy Seed Cream with Pears in Red Wine. I made the liver and lentils. Every thing was good. My lentils were properly cooked and seasoned. My liver was so good, that Chef Seth said it was the best liver he has had in 7 quarters of teaching this class. My marmalade was really good as well. My mustard sauce was my downfall. I seem to have issues with cream based sauce. Sometimes I don't have the patience to let it reduce. The flavor was good, but if I had a little more patience, it would have been great.
The final week of French cuisine solidified that the most challenging part of French food is the preparation. French food requires lots of precise cutting. More than anything I have ever done. Once all of the prep is done, the cooking methods are pretty basic. This week we made: Consomme Burnoise (Beef Consomme with vegetables), Huilres Chaudes aux Courgettes (Warm Oysters with Zucchini), Poulet Saute Marengo ( Chicken Saute Marengo), Endives au Lait d'Amandes Douces (Braised Endives with Almond Cream), Tomato Clamart, Potatoes Parmentier, Salad Bigouden (Lettuce Salad) and Crème Brulee. I was responsible for making the endive with almond cream, lettuce salad and crème brulee. The almond cream seemed so strange, but it was really good. I did not think that my custard for the crème brulee was going to come together, it was taking a long time to set-up. Also, the sugar we used was brown sugar. The result was a sugar crust that was an overall brown color. Cooking French food is a good test for knife skills and timing.
We used: blender, scale, oven, salamander, knives, pots and stove top. This week we finished our Pastillage sculptures. We smoothed out all of the edges, and glued our swan pieces with royal icing. This was really simple and incredibly nerve wracking! We did make doubles of all of our pieces in case anything broke. We did not need them. We used an airbrush to color our base and flower. I am really proud of the result. The only thing I would do differently, is make the swan bigger.
We used: airbrush machine, off-set spatula and weights to help stabilize the sculpture. This week we worked on jellies, candies/confections with nuts and dried fruits and pastillage. This was the most straight forward week we have had. My group made passion fruit jellies. We boiled sugar, added passion fruit, poured it into a mold and let it cool and set-up. Once it was set, we cut it and dipped it in sugar and let dry. We then made Mendiants. This was really simple. Chocolate discs topped with toasted nuts and/or dried fruit. However, we got to be really creative , and make a spice blend for our chocolate. We used a really unique blend that included Indian dill! If I do say so myself, they were really fantastic! On the second day, we started our Pastillage sculptures. Thankfully, one of my team mates has the ability to draw, I'm still working on that. We found an image that we liked and could recreate in pastillage. We made the dough, cut it out and set it up to dry.
We used: stovetop, thermometer, spoons, mixer, scale and knives. |
AuthorKimberly-baker and food history enthusiast! Archives
March 2015
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