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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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 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. The second week in France focused on Central France. We made: Soupe a l'Oignon (French Onion Soup), Navarin d' Agneau (Lamb Stew, Farcis de Blettes (Stuffed Swiss Chard), Watercress Salad with Endive and Cucumbers, Emimces de Rognons de Veau (Sliced Veal Kidneys) and Pannequets au Citron (Crepes Stuffed with Lemon Souffle). Chef Seth also made Froi Gras appetizer. I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it. The flavor was incredible, but the texture is a little off putting. I was in charge of making the Lamb Stew and the Swiss Chard. The stew was wonderful. The flavor was rich and seasoned well. The vegetables were cook through just right and the lamb was tender. My Swiss Chard was good but could have used more salt. I was the only person in my class that liked the Kidneys. They were much firmer than I thought, but I liked the flavor. The stuffed crepes were very light with a nice sharp lemon taste. I have never had a good French Onion soup. This one was one of the best I have ever tried.
We used: Stove top, oven, scale, bowls, spoons, stand mixer and knives. This was France week 2. We made Ratatouille, Soupe de Legumes aux Petits Coquillages (Vegetables Soup with Shellfish), Le Blanc de Poisson Belle Mouginoise (Fillet of Fish Mouginoise), Filet de Porc Farci Lyonnaise (Stuffed Pork Tenderloin), Salade de Poire (Pear Salad) and Mousse au Chocolat (Chocolate Mousse). This was actually a very straight forward menu. Nothing was very complicated. The challenge came in the preparation. All of the cuts were VERY precise. For the Ratatouille everything was 1/2 inch. The soup required the Paysanne cut: a flat, square, round, triangular or diamond cut with dimensions of 1/2 in. x 1/2 in. x 1/8 in. It was worth the effort. That soup was delicious!! I was responsible for making the fish. That meant I had to fillet a snapper. Considering my focus is baking and pastry, this proved to be my challenge for the evening. With help from Chef Seth, I got it done. This is a visually beautiful dish. There are rows of cucumber, tomatoes and mushrooms. The sauce was a little thin. I needed to reduce it a lot more. But it still had a good flavor. The mousse was very rich and smooth.
We used: stovetop, stand mixer, oven, pots, bowls, spoons and knives. On our last week in Italy, we made the food of Northern Italy. Our menu consisted of: Zuppa alla Pavese (Pavia-style bread soup with cheese and raw egg), Gnocchi Di Patate Di Parmesan Reggiano E Porie, Vitello Tonnato (chilled veal in a tuna sauce), Osso Buco Milanese, Cicirietta Salatata con Pancetta (we used endive), Risotto allo Zafferano (Risotto with saffron) and Panna Cotta, I made three dishes, the soup, veal and endive. The veal dish was the most interesting. I wanted to do that because it sounded so strange and I have never cooked veal. The veal was poached and chilled then served with a blended tuna sauce. Chef Seth said my veal was perfect! He also liked my soup. My extra buttery crouton saved the day. My endive was well cooked and the pancetta was crispy. Everything we made was rich and very well balanced. Our Panna Cotta never set up, but the taste was wonderful.
We used: oven, stove top, scale, blender, bowls, knives, spoons and chiller. The second week of Italian Cuisine focused on Central Italy. We made Tagliatelle al Peperoncino, Melenzane Ivoltino, Tomato Bruschetta with Roasted Garlic Aioli, Pollo alla Toscana, Polenta, Asparagi al Parmigiano-Reggiano and Tiramisu. I was responsible for making the Tagliatelle (pasta) and Asparagi (Asparagus). This was my first time making pasta. The dough itself was very simple to make. The difficultly came in rolling the pasta. Our pasta machines were not up to the task, so I wound up cutting by hand. While my cuts were not perfectly even, the pasta was tender and had a wonderful flavor. I love asparagus. However, asparagus with cheese threw me off. I was very good, but I think I will stick with grilled or roasted asparagus. Everything we made was great, but my favorite was the bruschetta. The flavor was fresh and sharp! I would welcome that aioli on any sandwich any day!!
We used: scale, stovetop, oven, pasta maker, mixer, bowls, spoons and knives. This week the focus was Southern Italy. Food in this region was influenced by : Asia, North Africa, Greece, Albania, Spain and France. We made Pepperonata, Stuffed Pork Bundles, Caponata, Fresh Tomato Sauce, Orechetti Pasta, Tuna Fish-Palermo Style, Chocolate Almond Torte, Salad of Shrimp and Squid and Focaccia Bread. I was responsible for making the last two for my team. Since I have never cooked shrimp or squid, I was quite nervous. Those two things can go from amazing to horrible in a matter of seconds. But my dish turned out just fine. WHEW!! My Focaccia was good as well. It was thin but it had a crisp crust and a good flavor. In this class it is hard to develop flavor in bread because we have other items that need more focus. Our Almond Torte was good, very rich. But I think we could have ground the almonds a bit more, We used the following techniques: grilling, baking, braising, sautéing and pasta cookery.
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AuthorKimberly-baker and food history enthusiast! Archives
March 2015
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