Oysters and Chocolate at the Love'n Spoonful Cafe

Cookin No. 48 - Moving on up and starting fresh

2011-07-06T19:43:00.002-04:00

Hello all, Sooo its definitely been a long time since I have posted... and to be honest I think that its time for this blog to end and we move on to new things. I started this in culinary school, and while I was very good at keeping it updated during that time, after, when I was working in restaurants it became very easy to put posting off. So much has happened, so many adventures... And now, I think that starting fresh, is a way of applying all that I have learned.

Thank you all for your support, for reading, for keeping me company. Please come and join me at:

http://redspooncatering.blogspot.com/

hope to see you there!!!!!

Cookin No. 47 - opening a restaurant

2010-03-30T11:50:00.005-04:00

So the restaurant is open! A tough week for everyone, we all busted our butts to pull it together, and i think that its going to be great! the space is awesome, the kitchen rocks, and the food is perfect!

To be honest all the days are starting to blend together. Because the space is bigger, and we are open all day, there is so much more food prep to be done. soo much more ordering. so much more people that need to be involved. and the clean up, takes a whole lot longer. but that is the beauty of a restaurant, you work so much harder to make a few moments magical for the customer. And at the end of the day, you know that you did your job well, and even though you know there is a whole lot more to do the next day... on this day, it is done and you can go breath and enjoy some satisfaction.

Buone Appitito!

Cookin No. 46- Peek-a-boo

2010-03-01T11:45:00.004-05:00

Still alive and cooking. Slightly more experienced, and once again unemployed! You may ask yourself, what is it about unemployment that makes this chick suddenly appear... well i can tell you. funds are dwindling, and i have already glued little plastic cowboys and indians, (like the little green amy men), all over the apartment. So that when you walk through my apartment, you will be confronted with battles from the times of the wild west. Now that I have finished with my boredom, I have decided to write a little bit about what has been going on since Sweet Basil, and the Chocolate Lab.

I should point out that this unemployment is temporary, and I should be back to work in a few days. Or perhaps in a few more weeks. The restaurant I am currently employed at is moving to a new location. So pending inspections, finishing touches to structure, and decorating, I am waiting knife ready, to jump back in.

However first things first. We need to start this story where we left off... The Chocolate Lab. Things went really well there, I was able to put in a line of chocolate that I had created and it sold really well. Things like pink sea salt chocolate caramels, white chocolate bark with toasted hazelnuts, honey and cardamum. Dark chocolate lemon cordials with lemon zest inside, and spicy orange cordials with orange zest and cayenne pepper. Then I got the call, the dream job call. Ocean, a popular restaurant in Easton, needed a sous chef, and my culinary instructors knew that I was looking for a job so they dropped my name. Next thing I know I’m working at the hippest restaurant in the valley. Cooking under a very talented chef, Jake, who let me exercise some creative freedom. I learned an awful lot about jerry-riggin there, the damn place was practically falling apart. But we made some awesome food out of that tiny kitchen. This was the kitchen that really gave me my chops, and lots of crazy stories. But I was working 70 some hours a week for peanuts, and an opportunity came my way... The Lovin Oven, in Milford, NJ.

The Oven is a very hip, comfort food type breakfast and lunch joint, that was looking to make dinners something more than pizza and quiche. So they offered me more money than I ever made in a restaurant before and the possibility to take charge of the line with my own menu. This is the type of restaurant that you go to and feel like you may not be cool enough to be there. But in fact you are, so don’t sweat it. The staff is comprised of hippies, punks, and other experimental lifestyle users. The menu tackles all popular food diets, like carnivores, vegetarians and vegans. Its a place where all three diets can sit down and enjoy a yummy meal together without asking the server for a “special” order.

The owners, Mike and Julie, are a husband and wife team who started the place by themselves and then finally needed to hire some kids to help out. Both Mike and Julie do all the baking, Mike is a vegan, so he makes all the vegan treats that even non-vegans love. He also manages the front of the house, ie: servers. Julie, when she is done baking, cooks the line, and until I was hired cooked all the shifts. I came in as their first professionally trained employee, and being that they were not used to someone who doesn’t need a recipe to make pesto, didn’t relinquish many responsibilities at first.

The other employees are a mix of kids in high school washing dishes, servers who are young mothers looking for some extra cash, or servers who already have careers and are helping out. Well, we only have one of those, Kristy, she and her boyfriend work/run a farm in Asbury, NJ that produces vegetables that fill my heart with love. Seriously they grow some of the most delicious and beautiful vegetables I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. They are at the Flemington, NJ farmers market in the summer, so if you are around you should have a carrot and see what I mean. The other server who is not a mother, and not otherwise stuck to a career in the food industry is a student. She is now my best friend, and room-mate.

Yes, another change of events for me, I moved out of bethlehem and into my parents house for a few months, then N and I moved to Chalfont, Pa. Its a suburb of Philly. I love living so close to a city. And there is a train station 4 blocks away! So now all my grocery shopping is done at the reading terminal market, and china town. Plus, my other best friend who lives in Mt. Airy is only 20 min away.... And she’s dating a guy who brews his own beer, so that makes it even better!

Ok, ok... Back to the oven. So after putting in a year and a half at the oven, getting up at 5:30 am to cook breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. I will now be doing just dinner! How did this little hole in the wall restaurant of chaos make the leap to real restaurant? Liz Gilbert. I’m sure you have heard of her, she’s the superstar writer that wrote Eat, Pray, Love. Its gonna be a movie, Julia Roberts is playing Liz Gilbert... Well anywho, I did not meet Julia Roberts, but Liz Gilbert lives in Frenchtown, NJ which the next town down the river from Milford. She became a regular customer of the Oven, loves it so much that she is building a new restaurant for Mike and Julie in Frenchtown. Well, she and her man from Bali, own Two Buttons, an import store where you can buy big Buddha statues. Two Buttons is in a large warehouse, and they are giving part of the space to the Oven. Not only is this new space bigger and better, but dinner will be served every night, in a real kitchen with real equipment! I will never have to light a burner with a lighter again, from now on I just turn a knobby, and BAM! Flames appear!

Lets just say that the old Oven was very make-shift. The walk-in was outside and a hike away. The freezer was an old refrigerator turned freezer in the basement. The basement aside from being creepy, would drop dust and other nondescript pieces of foundation on you when someone from upstairs walked over head. The dishwashing area was just a 3-bay sink and kids using elbow grease. The oven rattled and had to be kicked regularly. And the other appliances came from hell, I had a emersion blender shock me while I was making soup! So this new space, with its new equipment and walk-in inside the kitchen, is a relief.

And now I have arrived at the end of this story. Sitting in my kitchen with nothing better to do. Well I do need to go buy a new tea pot, and wash some dishes too. So I think that I will sign off.

Wishing you all good food and good company.

Buone Appitito!

Cookin No. 45 - Once Again

2007-11-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Once again, it has been a while. I make no excuses for my lack of commitment, to my own activities, however I hope that I have not offended.

With that said and done… onward:

Well, I suppose that it goes without saying that much has happened… two days after mother’s day I was promoted to sous chef at the restaurant. I had a wonderful time with my new responsibilities. And I think that I did well, I am sure that I met the expectations set before me. I would like to think of myself as hard and dependable worker. I was always early, put in more time than was asked, and I hope that I made the kitchen run smoother with my crazy OCD ways. I have found that I am a particular person, and I like everything in its place, or rather, the place which I put it in. HA! Dominic the GM, loved pushing my button by messing with my towels. I tend to get all twitchy, which I am sure is amusing when I am seen in the height of frenzy. I am also sure that one would also feel a sense of pitty that I would get wigged out over so little of a thing. Egh, there is method to my madness, I swear!

Anywho, after a wonderful run of things, the restaurant closed, and we were all out of a job. September 29th was the last day. I am sure that it is a day that I won’t ever forget. There was lots of chaos, we were just trying to get threw it and deal. We only got a week notice, and the reason… I suppose business wasn’t going good, there was a long diatribe, but I would rather not put too much thought into it, otherwise I’ll make myself nuts. You can’t change some things. I was sad though, I felt that these people, who I spent most of my waking hours with, were my family. And it is always hard to see your family fall apart.

I suppose to sum it all up I would have to say… This I believe:

When the tickets are pouring in, and you don’t know if you can push yourself any further, somewhere deep within an extra bout of adrenaline kicks on, and you find yourself moving without thought, just pure movement. In moments like this, you find yourself amazed and proud. Like a parent watching their child tackle a difficult task, you step back and see yourself flowing in the most profound way. Its movement like this that can not be replicated on command. It only comes when you are at the end, when you need it the most.

On the line, on a busy night, all you can hear is the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. The dishwasher grinding away, plates being slammed, knives chopping, your coworkers grunting, this sizzle of shallots hitting hot oil, the smell of meat grilling, the ticket machine going off. Occasionally a glass will drop, and you take a moment to glance in the direction of the offending noise, relieved for a short break. Sweat pouring off your face and down your back. In moments like this, I am proud to part of the cool kids club, the gang of the deranged who work hard just to please the masses who don’t even know your face. Diners don’t think about what sort of goon is cooking their food, they are kept in a perfect climate, a paradise that is separated from hell only by a swinging door.

Working in close proximity with other people, no matter their past transgressions, creates a relationship more intimate than any other. No matter if the meat head next to you is a convicted felon, or a religious family man, this person becomes your family. You trust them, and a loyal bond is formed that can’t be broken by anything that is thrown your way. Yes, you may fight and argue, but at the end of the night, your share a few drinks, a few laughs, and you know that this person has your back. If you need a ride, if you need a hand, if you need a shoulder, this is the person that you turn to.

This I believe:
I am a chef, and this is a life that I love, hate, and live. I chose this life for that one moment, when the first forkful enters the mouth, the first taste, and the sigh; when the patron’s eyes are closed, a small smile on their lips, and the love of food washes over them. That single moment of completeness is why I keep going.

It was the perfect first job, and after… well after I couldn’t think of a single place in the valley that I wanted to work at. I loved that restaurant. So I spent one week doing nothing. well, I did draft my resume and sent it out to 5 different job postings. Went on three interviews and two were very disheartening joints, then landed a part-time job at a chocolate shop in downtown Bethlehem. But I wouldn’t start for a while, so I had three weeks to relax and see what 8 hours of sleep feels like. I have to report that a nights rest is awesome! I went out walking all over town for hours each day, made bread, read a bit, wrote in my journal, painted and started to repair my social life. I have to say, that unemployment was starting to suit me just fine. However it does get boring, especially when you see your funds dwindle.

So I finally started work at the Chocolate Lab, on Broad Street. My new boss, Arleen, is a really awesome person. She is the first boss of mine to have the unique disposition where she see’s her employees as helpers, and truly appreciates all the work you do for her. Just by showing up on time she is overjoyed. It’s a pleasure to work for her. I am mainly making candies, which is sooo much fun because it allows me to be a perfectionist. I am also now immune to the smell of chocolate, which helps you get threw the day ;).

I am really looking at this job as a way to get threw the holidays, and I also see it as a way to learn something that I think would make me valuable to future employers. However, after the holidays, and business dies down at the shop, I am going to have to move on. Where, I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to stay in the valley, or move, or even stay at the shop part time. Do I want to keep cooking for other people, or open my own joint? I don’t know if I want to continue cooking on the line, or find another avenue in this culinary world. There questions have been plaguing me, either by my own mind, or by other people. I have found that everyone has an opinion about my predicament, and all is wonderful advice, but I think that the answer needs to come from me. I don’t doubt that what ever I decide, I will be happy. I know that I am capable so I have no worries. For now, I am going to relax and enjoy the holiday season.

Until next time my friends,

Buone Appitito!

Cookin No. 44 - What is this Contemporary Cuisine Business Anyway

2007-04-17T14:27:00.000-04:00

So we are heading into spring, and after spring comes the dawn of the GRILL!!!!!! My favorite cooking method. Grilling manages to capture the freshness of you food, and give it great flavors. My favorite thing to grill is corn. I leave the husk on though. First I soak to corn in water for about 15 minutes, so that the husk won’t burn on the grill, then I peal back the husk, and rub a butter mixed with cilantro, lime, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Put that goodness on the grill, and cover the lid. Turn it over after a few minutes, and within 10 minutes you have a gooey mess of wonderful flavors. Mmmmm, I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Nothing much has happened in this world of mine. Much work and little play. At least work has a healthy balance of play involved. Yesterday, (Monday) the restaurant entertained a group of women taking cooking classes at a local college. The head chef asked me to assist him for the demonstration on contemporary American cuisine. But the first thing we had to figure out was, what in the world is contemporary American cuisine? I personally think that it follows parallel to the new wave of cooking. Fresh ingredients, bending the old rules, and making some new ones. Take for example, the set up of a plate. Traditionally a plate should have a starch, vegetable, and protein. But today, we are combining those ingredients to make something intriguing and new, take for example the tilapia dish on our menu. Tilapia is a very common fish now a days, it is a good cheap fish to add to your menu, which will bring in some revenue. It actually replaced orange roughy, which has been over fished, and has now become an expensive ingredient. But tilapia is nearly man made. Almost always farm raised, it has a delicate flavor, that is not only forgiving, but it takes on the flavors of the ingredients that it is cooked with. What we do at the restaurant is wrap it in partially cooked angel hair pasta, then flash fry it in a pan on high heat. Thus making the pasta crunchy, and also acts as a protective shell around the fish, keeping in the moisture and flavor. We then serve it with cherry tomatoes, shallots, capers and wilted spinach, and a citrus burre blanc sauce. The tartness of the capers and the burre blanc bring out the fish, and the spinach adds a robustness to the whole dish. This is not an old fashioned dish, though it has the elements of the old school ideals, citrus with fish, and so on. We have combined the old ways, and freshened it up. That is what this new wave we are riding is all about. The ladies were very impressed, and even though we were expecting culinary students, we enjoyed ourselves.

After the demonstration, I went home, and settled down for the night, when my power went out! It was out for nine hours! My neighbor and I sat in the dark speculating that it was because of the squirrels. They are probably angry because they are done hibernating, but its so cold, that they are confused and out of nuts. So they are up to no good. we must act against these furry terrors! Bah! Anywho. I am going to head off to the restaurant and earn my paycheck.

Until next time my friends,
Buone Appitito

Cookin No. 43 - Honesty is the Best Policy

2007-03-31T00:20:00.000-04:00

Call me crazy, call me old fashioned, but I truly believe the honesty is the best policy. If you lie about it, you’re going to get caught eventually. If you try to cover it up, they will find out. And when your little rouse gets sniffed out, the consequences get to be fiercer. No one likes to be lied to. Not only do lies hurt, but they play on the emotions, because they always spin out of control. And what was once something that could have been fixed easily now has become a fiasco, a web of chaos, that you will look at and just shake you head thinking, “what now”. Here’s a story about honesty being the best policy:

This evening, after the rush of dinners at the restaurant, the head chef, Chris, and I were sitting outside polluting our lungs with tobacco and tar, when one of the waitresses, Allie, came running out of the door and towards her car with one of her shoes in her hand. Half barefoot she acted like a skittish animal when we asked her what happened. She said, “Don’t worry about it”. Someone in the kitchen told us that she spilled soup on herself. Immediately my mind flashed to the large pot of, made this morning, mushroom soup that was sitting in the back room. I started to shake my head. I knew that Chris was thinking about the same pot. Chris said, “I don’t think I want to know.” I agreed.

Again we asked A what happened, again she said not to worry. Chris and I put out our cigarettes and headed into the back room, to look at the foreboding pot. There was visibly 3 inches of soup missing. Again Chris asked A what happened, again she said not to worry. I didn’t have to look to know that Chris’ face was beginning to turn bright red with anger. He said, “I will only ask you one more time, what happened, if you tell me I won’t be angry, but if I have to ask you two more time, I will be ******* pissed.” A, then told us that as she was standing talking to another waitress, her foot slipped into the pot of soup. She also said that the other waitress told her to hide the “evidence”. Oui.

A very mad head chef went outside to smoke another cigarette, and I stayed behind to tell the two girls that if something happens to just come out and tell us, to not hide it, because what is done is done, but if you hide it, and we found out later, then bad things would happen. We would have ended up selling shoe soup instead of mushroom soup. Regardless of the food cost, we can fix the problem now. They didn’t seem to understand. Rather, they didn’t want to listen to me, instead they wanted to throw the blame around to other unforeseen forces. I understand that Chris is a formidable guy at times, but he understands mistakes, I understand that they didn’t want to get yelled at, but the yelling would have been worse if the lie continued.

My pearls of wisdom fell on deaf ears. I suppose that it was right then and there that these two young girls showed their age to me. I just wish that I could have made them understand. But I suppose that there are people who would rather push the blame around and create scapegoats, instead of saying, “my bad”.

So I send out this pearl to all of you… even though the truth hurts, the truth is less painful than the lie. A lie is salt that rub into the wound. You will loose credibility and respect if you sling lies.

Other than that, all is well in my world. My birthday is on Sunday, and I am looking forward to that. A nice meal with my family, and a little bit of relaxation is all that I need. But this is the big 25, I am becoming aware of age suddenly. You know what though, bring it on baby, I think that I will look good with grey hair ;).

Until next time my friends, Buone Appitito…

Cookin No. 42 - The Trials and Tribulations of a Cook

2007-02-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

Today, I was straining the fryer as usual; going through the same moves and all, when something went wrong. I still can’t pinpoint what happened, but suddenly there was a searing hot pain in my leg, and when I looked down, the 350o oil was spraying all over my right leg. I am proud of myself when I didn’t scream like a girl, instead I said:

“OH *bleep*, that hurts, *bleep bleep* that’s hot, Danny this is *bleeping* hot, *BLEEP* *bleep* hot *bleep*”

Instead of dropping everything, I turned the nozzle off, that the oil was coming out of, and went to examine my leg. What is really strange is that all I could think about was, how great it was that I had just shaved my legs, so the guys wouldn’t see a hairy mess, and how if I get a nasty scar, it won’t look good in the summer when I show a little leg. I must be demented, or vain. Hmmmm. Danny ran and got me some burn cream and an ice pack. Being the ghetto thugs that we are, we duct-taped the ice pack to my leg. Yet another reason why duct-tape is the best invention ever!

That’s the thing, in the kitchen, when we don’t have the proper tool, we make something to help us out. Usually aluminum foil and duct-tape are our handiest tools. These are the tricks that you learn. If a sauce breaks, just add water. Something not cooking fast enough, add stock and cover it. Don’t have a lid, use another pan.

This evening, Dominic, the GM made an interesting dumpling, that was actually really tasty. He purred shrimp, scallions, garlic, bacon, oil, salt and pepper, and formed them into little balls, then coated them in cornstarch, and deep fried it. He served it with a poached egg yoke, wasabe and soy sauce, and sarache sauce (A hot chili sauce). They were actually really good; they would make a nice appetizer. I would make a wasabe mayonnaise to serve it with, and make a trio of sorts. The shrimp dumpling, some ahi tuna slices, and a mini duck confit spring roll.

Confit, (pronounced confee), means to cook something in its own fat, so duck confit, is usually braised, and because duck is very fatty to begin with, it becomes super tender and juicy, and the meat falls apart, looking a bit like pulled pork. It is absolutely delicious!

Well, that was my wonderful night at work, burned myself, and got some good ideas. Hopefully I will survive tomorrow.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 41 - A year Sabbatical Ends

2007-02-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a long time, a year actually. I apologize for the lack of posts on my behalf, I am sure that you are all know about how life can get very hectic and cluttered at times. So what happened in that year sabbatical that I took?

I graduated from school with flying colors, and landed myself a job at a local restaurant called Sweet Basil, http://www.sweetbasilbarandgrill.com/. I am only a pantry wentch, which means that I do appetizers, salads, and some hot entrees. I still work part time at Wegmans also, though having two jobs is starting to wear me down. I enjoy working at the restaurant though. I have learned so much, and I feel like I can finally call myself a professional cook.

See, school was just about accumulating knowledge, processing it, and applying it. Besides, you get out of it what you put into it. I honestly didn’t know how much more there was to learn though. At the restaurant, I learned tricks, how to make things cook a bit faster, how to move fast and work efficiently during a busy rush, how to deal with the weeds and how to get out of them. Restaurants are different beasts all together; you have to work well with your coworkers, because otherwise it could all go up in smoke.

I am one person in a three man team. When I first started, the restaurant was still quite new, so we really weren’t that busy. It was good for me to get myself ready for the holidays. That was where we really got kicked around. Suddenly business boomed, and instead of doing a nice service of 80 people, we were doing 120 in three hours! We thought that things would slow down after new years, but we are staying pretty consistent doing 100 and more people on Friday and Saturday nights, which is really good for a tiny restaurant in the middle of cornfields.

My boss, Chris, went to school at the cordon bleu in Pittsburg, so his background is very classic French. He has been in the industry for quite a while, and really has taught me a lot. He’s a good guy too, which I feel fortunate to have my first boss be so nice. He is quick to flare up though, but I learned to just ignore him, and keep doing what I’m doing. Because if I listen to him, I can get sucked into the irate mood and things fall apart. I don’t like being upset, so I try to just smile and whistle a good tune. It doesn’t always work out that way though. But at least I try.

The souse chef, Danny, graduated from the same school at me, six months before I did. So I actually knew him, he’s a good kid and I have enjoyed getting to know him. We have a lot of fun joking around, and all the sorts of things that happen behind the scenes.

Speaking of behind the scenes, what they say about the happenings in restaurants is true. Just read Anthony Bordane’s, a Kitchen Confidential, and I need not say any more about what its like to work in a kitchen. At first it was a bit of a culture shock, but I have grown accustomed to it. I just keep whistling while I work ;).

Well, this is a short entry, but I just wanted to give you a quick hello, and to let you all know that I intend to come back with more. More about the kitchen, and more about all that I’m learning.

Until then, keep whistling and enjoying food.

Cookin No. 40 - The End of Skill Development and Other Things

2006-02-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

The first half of culinary school is almost done, last week I finished skill development II, with a nice buffet for everyone’s family in my class. I was so proud for my parents and Andy to see where I spend the better part of my days, and to meet my teachers and mentors. Skill development was a hard class. Everyday Chef Scott, would come threw the kitchen like the whirl wind that he is, and instruct us on the basic methods and techniques of classical cooking. I defiantly learned a lot from him, and learned a lot about myself and my abilities. This was defiantly a class that took up a lot of my time and energy, and suddenly I was becoming non-existent to my friends. I would wake up, go to school, then to work or what other activities I attend during the week, study, and sleep when I could find the time. Most days I would get about 4 – 5 hours of sleep, with a quick 20 minute nap. With no real break on the weekend, because it would be get up early, and go to work. But I don’t think I would have traded it for anything. Now I can make a soup, hollandaise sauce and chop vegetables with my eyes closed.

Now learning I move on to learning how to take all the stuff that Chef Scott instilled in me, and apply it to the kitchen, with Entrée’ kitchen. Basically the class splits up into two’s, and we are given a mystery tray in the morning, and then have 4 hours to present a 5 course meal to the panel of judges. Kind of like Iron Chef, but without the video cameras. Although I’m nervous, I can’t wait. Jeremy is going to be my partner, and I think that we will produce some good stuff. Because Jeremy is stronger in the departments that I’m weak in, and vice versa, and I think that we are both patient enough to help each other. He also holds a lot of the values that I hold, like cleaning as you go; paying attention to detail, working neat and organized… all of the tools that you need to actually make it in this world. You can be a great cook, but if you work in a mess, then you are going to fall behind, and the meal will suffer. But if you work in organization, you are going to succeed even with the most simple and blandest of dishes.

I never realized how much organization awareness I picked up in the corporate world. I suppose 5 years of filing and making labels has paid off, because before I cook, its like filing. You make stacks of your ingredients, prepare them to be put on the heat, arrange them in the order that they will take heading into the pot, and then clean everything so your area is neat and everything is ready to go quickly. You don’t want onion peels to be laying all over your cutting board, and your only knife caked with chicken gizzards before you put the oil into the pan and start cooking. Because mistakes happen, and if you forgot something like mincing the garlic, then you have take the time to clean of the peels and your knife, meanwhile everything is burning in the pan.

Putting all that aside, work is also going really well, I realized a little while ago, that I am completely content to give up my weekends. Actually it doesn’t feel like I’m giving them up, because the produce department has become like a second home to me. Even when I go in there on my day off, I’m stopping and chatting with my co-workers. They are all good and kind hearted people, and make my job so easy. Anywho, enough of them, this week I had been making chili, in preparation of the big game coming up. Of course I had no idea what big game people were talking about, because I don’t follow sports. Suddenly I understood, chili and guacamole for the super bowl, the Sunday night where millions of Americans get drunk and eat finger food in front of the TV, screaming and shouting. With big bucks riding on which ever team they favor. Suddenly the strict attire code at work was broken with Steelers fans dressed up in football jerseys, serving customers meat, or what have you. Even Wegmans had a jersey made for the store manager with Wegmans written on it like a team name, and his last name and a number on the back. I guess this is what its like in Europe when soccer season starts, or during the world cup.

Yesterday as I was peacefully handing out samples of chili, a man dressed from head to toe in the Steelers colors or black and gold, went running past me shouting to me something like “Steelers Rock!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!!” wow.

I don’t know who won the super bowl, but it was defiantly interesting to experience the chaos it brings to grocery stores all around America.

Also another great thing that happened last week, it was Chris’ birthday, and to celebrate the event she wanted to go to Musashi, a good sushi joint in Allentown. We had a large party of 10 people, so we got to sit in the back room around a low table, with cushions on the floor. We sat around drinking sake and eating damn good sushi, and toasting to Chris and her 22 years of existence. But one of the big highlights that night for me, was the sea urchin I got to eat. I suppose to most people that would be far from a highlight, but I have always wanted to try the exotic sea urchin. Its not something you find on every menu in Pennsylvania, or anywhere in the US for that matter. And you know what, it was good, a soft jello/ grainy texture with a pleasant fishy taste.

Ok, I have to run off, until next time my friends… Bon Appetite.

The Bread and Butter of the Buffet

Amanda in a Cheese Cake shot

My Garnish, Beats and Acorn Squash

A long Shot of the Buffet

The Design on my groups Salmon

Cookin No. 39 The Chainsaw Massacre and Steamin in Bamboo

2006-01-24T23:55:00.000-05:00

Today was the chainsaw massacre, in 5 part harmony. This morning, I slept in to a leisurely time, say 9:30, took a shower, dressed in some ratty clothes and headed to campus where they handed me a chainsaw and a block of ice and said “have at it”. Well, they didn’t just hand me the chainsaw, we got to watch a video, and Chef Dan made a seahorse. So we aren’t professional ice carvers, but we had a great time. We got to make a swan, unfortunately the sun got a hold of the ice, and everything started to melt before we had a chance to really finish. But it’s done, and looking more like a turkey than a swan, but I’m damn proud.

So a bit has been happening since I came back to school after our holiday break. The first day back, we had a garnishing class, which was really fun. Chef Scott brought in an old student, who went on to be sort of famous with her garnishing, and she taught us how to make pretty flowers out of a turnip. I actually really enjoyed it, and I think that I got the hang of it pretty well too. I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but I think some of my creative energy pays off when doing detailed works of art with food. I hope that some day I will get to do a lot with garnishing, but for now I can only think about it. Because I’m not going to buy a cantaloupe to make some pretty design, if I had that kind of money to waste food like that, I’m sure I would be living in the lap of luxury. However I’m not, so I will just dream.

So my class is another person down, Cassie decided to drop the course, and I’m kind of sad to see her go. I considered her my friend, and I do miss her, but she wants to peruse a teaching career, so I hope it all works out for her.

In other parts of my life, Wegmans came out with their new Menu magazine, and this edition is all about steaming, so I get to use a really cool bamboo steamer. I never got to use one before, and I have to say it’s a lot of fun, but a pain to clean. You can’t use soap on the wood, so best not to put anything too messy in there, or you’ll be up some creek without paddles, and a steamer. So my first steaming item is Tai steamed chicken with vegetables. Now the traditional way to steam with a bamboo steamer is in a wok, but Wegmans has some crazy idea to steam in a flat pan, so no matter how little steaming liquid I use, it still boils up into the steamer. So if you’re using a bamboo steamer at home, steam in a wok. Also, I’m not sure if Wegmans testes their recipes, because I have had to make a lot of changes to make things come out right, in the past. And this time is no exception. I am using two tiers of the steamer, and they distribute all the vegetables between the two, and then put the chicken on top. When I did this the first time, (because I always follow their recipes to the T the first time), I found that the vegetables were cooked till they were brown and nasty, just so the chicken could be cooked threw. So the second time, I put a layer of baby bok choy on the bottom tier, and then the chicken on top of that, (I didn’t want the raw chicken to touch the wood and create a mess for me to clean), and then I put all the other vegetables on the top tier. So the chicken was closer to the heating source, and the vegetables would cook slower while the chicken cooked faster. Leaving the veggies to be perfectly fork tender and still vibrant in color, and the chicken cooked threw. I must note that I don’t like steamed chicken, it has a mealy texture that just doesn’t agree with me. So here is the recipe in my own fashion:

Tai Steamed Chicken

2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 heads of baby bok choy quartered
1 red pepper julienne
1 head of broccoli fortes
Handful of snow peas
1 carrot julienne
(any other veggies that you like to put in)

Rice wine
2 cloves of garlic minced fine
1 inch piece of ginger minced fine
Chicken stock diluted with water
1 half lime juiced
Wegmans Tai peanut sauce (or what ever sauce you like to use, i.e.: sesame ginger sauce…)
Salt to taste

Cut up the chicken how you would like it, and marinate in sauce, lime juice and a pinch of salt, for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Place veggies in steamer.

In a wok over high heat combine the rice wine, garlic, ginger, and stock until the liquid starts to steam, and then place the bamboo steamer into the wok. Let steam for about 15 minutes, or until the veggies are fork tender. (if you don’t have a wok, you can steam in a pot with a steamer basket)

After the veggies are done, shock them in ice water and let sit. This will stunt the carry over cooking that happens when you steam. Then add you chicken to the steaming liquid left over, if you need more liquid, add some more. Sauté until done, then add the steamed veggies. This is to just heat them up. Add some of the sauce you didn’t use for the marinade, and let it coat the food.

Plate over a bed of rice and enjoy.

If you have any variations or changes you would make, let me know, I’m always interested to hear what people think, and what they would do. Because the best part of cooking, is thinking of how to make it better. Some people just want to follow recipes and be done with it, but I subscribe to the school of changing it to fit you. I meet so many customers at work, who are afraid to deviate from the recipe for a fraction. And with baking, you really should stick to it, but when it comes to savory affairs, the worst that could happen is that you call the pizza joint that evening. I had one woman ask me about if she could substitute the baby bok choy with regular adult bok choy, and I said yes, she could even just take the bok choy out completely, and she said “oh no, I don’t like to do that, if the recipe calls for it, that’s what I use, I don’t change recipes at all”. I couldn’t help but wonder why she was asking for a substitute, and then I also couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. Because she is chained to just following the recipe and can’t seem to break out on her own and create. But maybe that’s what she likes. It’s just not my thing.

Anywho, I’m going to call it a night. I hope to post more regularly, just bare with me for a while.

Until next time, Bon Appetite.

Garnishin

Chainsaw wheelding

A seahorse

The swan

Cookin No. 38 - A wonderful Day and Spinach with Clementines

2006-01-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those perfect days. The kind of day where nothing goes wrong, and nothing could possibly harm the wonderful mood that your in. The kind of day where you got a song in your pocket, and a bounce in your step. Everything even looks crisper, crystal clear out your window. And you just know its going to be wonderful, what ever comes your way.

That was me on my way to work today, I went into Wegmans, and readied myself for some good ol’ cookin. As I was grabbing a shopping cart to go and grab some ingredients, I ran into my 7th grade English teacher, Ms. Divine. She was the one who really got me to have a passion for writing, especially poetry. Up until then, I thought poetry was dull and drab. But I did love to write. Mainly because my parents used to make me write stories out so they could help me with my spelling. It didn’t work, my spelling is still atrocious (you probably wouldn’t be able to read any of this if it wasn’t for that wonderful invention, spell checker), but I did find that I loved to write. So one day in school, my little 7th grader self finished a test early, and I still had a lot of time to kill, so Ms. Divine told me to write her a poem. I complained and threw a little 7th grader pout, but she didn’t seem to like that. So I sulked back to my desk, and wrote a poem. I don’t really remember that poem, it probably was filled with adolescent angst. But I do remember feeling some sort of thunder bolt, “wow, I like this stuff”. After that, poetry kind of pored out, and all I wanted to do after that was become a writer. As we can all see, that never happened, because my career choice is cookin, but I still write in a journal daily, and love to read poetry. Especially Rumi, he’s the bomb digity.

So after a lovely conversation and saying good-bye to Ms. Divine, I continued about my business, and started cookin barbecue roasted leeks, and a spinach salad with clementines. I wasn’t too sure about this barbecue roasted leeks thing, but the salad sounded really good. It was a slow night in Wegmans, though I had a nice steady flow of customers, really nice people. And then one of my favorite customers showed up, a little girl who comes in often with her family, and always heads my way for some samples. She always gives a big smile and nods her head. One of those genuine little kid smiles, that just gives me such a wonderful feeling. Kids don’t lie, they let you know if they like it or not, they are always sincere, because they don’t know how to be any other way. So I have come to call this girl my taste tester. If her tender taste buds enjoy the food, then it must be good. Because when we are young, our taste buds are young, they can taste every little thing, and they give honest reactions. This girl is so wonderful, because she will try anything, even brussel sprouts. I can only hope that I will have a child like that some day.

Anywho, after a while, it was so slow, that I had to find busy work… cleaning. I scrubbed my refrigerator, rearranged my dishes, made everything look supper pretty, and then the night was over. I headed home for a quick change, and then to the bar to meet megan. Where I had such a wonderful time, I was kind of sad the bar was closing.

Now I’m home. This entry really isn’t so much about cooking, but more about my wonderful day. Which I just wanted to share, but I will also share the salad recipe:

Spinach Salad with Clementines (courtesy of Wegmans):

1/2 Tbsp Wegmans Olive Oil2-1/2 Tbsp Wegmans Orange Juice1 Tbsp honey1/2 Tbsp Wegmans Brown Sugar1 bag (6 oz) Food You Feel Good About Fresh Baby Spinach1-2 cup Clementine oranges, sectioned (1 cup total segments)1/2 cup chopped red onion4 Tbsp Wegmans Virginia PeanutsSalt & pepper

Combine olive oil, orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in small bowl; set aside.

Place spinach, Clementine segments, onion, and peanuts in large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I added balsamic vinegar to the dressing to give it a good kick. Try this with some walnuts and goat cheese…. Mmmmmm…

Anywho… until next time, Bon Appetite.

Cookin No. 37 - Holidays

2005-12-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

I forgot that when your in school, you get a nice fat long break for the holidays. Three weeks, oh yes, I have three weeks to sit around and be lazy. So last week, I slept a lot, and this week is looking a lot like last week. Of course I get to hang out with some friends, which was really nice, not feeling rushed and tired all the time.

But let me rewind, to two weeks ago, right before I went on my sabbatical. The last week of Skill development was a lot of fun, Wednesday and Thursday we took a trip to Air Products, a pharmaceutical distribution company, to work in their cafeteria, which is run by Sadexo. Sadexo is probably one of the largest corporate dining companies in the US, if you got to college, your cafeteria is probably run by them. Working in their kitchen was an experience, and I really don’t think that corporate cooking is for me. There are too many rules and regulations. Its like you have to fill out an SAP just to cut an onion. But regardless I did enjoy myself. The first day I worked the station that cooks to order. Basically people came up to me and told me what they wanted off the menu and I cooked it up for them. Doug worked the station with me, and the choices of food were seafood paella and flank steak stir-fry. I got to show off a bit, and flip things around in the pan. It was kind of like what I do for Wegmans, so it was easy for me to fall into that talkative and friendly role. The next day we went to a different building on their huge estate, and cooked in that cafeteria, this time I was on salad bar detail, which was extraordinarily boring. The one great thing that came out of this experience was that I realized that I don’t miss the corporate world at all. I got to see all these people leave their cubical, and water coolers to eat lunch. Finding their peers and talking about meetings and reports and deadlines… all the stuff that seemed so unimportant to me. It always felt like I was just trying to find common ground with the people that I saw everyday, don’t get me wrong, I did make a lot of good friendships, but the only thing that you really have in common is meetings, reports and deadlines.

Office worker #1: “Good morning, how was your weekend?”

Office worker #2: “Oh great! I went to this goth club and danced my heart out with this cute guy who is a vampire. Oh and I got the best pair of pants, black leather with chains hanging off them… way cool. How was yours?”

Office worker #1: (silence) “ooookay… um I have to go answer my phone”

Alright, I don’t really frequent goth clubs anymore… but you get the point.

So work… a bit dull, I made so many fruit baskets for the holiday madness that if I see another orange, I’m going to do something severe. Today I got to cook for the first time in two weeks, I was nice to be back in style.

Christmas dinner was good too, my father got his hands on a nice pork loin, and stuffed it with figs and nuts, then roasted it. I made potato latkes, for Kim, in honor of Chanukah, and we also had roasted fennel. For dessert we went to my cousins house and I made cream puffs… I burnt that pastry cream, but other than that they were edible.

ok i'm going to be honest here... i don't forsee myself making another post until next year.

So until then, enjoy the rest of your year and Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 36 Snow Day and Collard Greens

2005-12-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

Pretty isn't it? If you can guess what this is, I'll give you a candy bar ;)

I don’t know why it is, but I seem to study better with alcohol in a loud environment where something will distract me a little. Maybe I retain information if I am not harping on the fact that I need to know it, or maybe its because I am more calm and relaxed when I’m enjoying myself. I don’t know. But tonight Jeremy and I went out to study, after realizing that we were falling asleep studying in his cozy apartment, and we would study while talking and laughing, and after a while we just got the information down. So I am ready to walk into that test tomorrow, and just spill out all the answers, and feel confident about it.

So Friday we had our first large snow storm, and school was cancelled. I felt like a little kid, getting a snow day from school. I slept until 10, hung around my apartment reading and munching on breakfast until Chris called me and invited me out to see Narnia. Which was awesome, the movie was exactly how I imagined it would be while I was reading the books as a kid. It was defiantly a kids day, the only adult things about my day was shoveling out my car, and going to work after the movie. But at least I got the throw the first snow ball of the season, (at my car).

School has been going well. I am now in skill development 1, where I am learning how to perfect my knife cuts, and make good soups and stocks. Chef Scott, my new teacher, is a little hard to get used to, especially after having a laid back teacher like Chef Susan. He is a high energy man, who is obsessed with cleanliness. If your not cleaning, then your doing nothing. His teaching method is also hard for me to enjoy, because he leaved no room for mistakes, so you learn the information by following his every word and move. If you deviate, “then you got problems”, as he would say. Luckily, growing up, my father was very much like a drill sergeant, so I am used to his ways, but it is a huge difference from my previous classes. With Chef Susan, if you made a mistake, you made a mistake, and she would tell you how you could fix it. With Chef Scott, if you make a mistake, then you have just held up the whole process, and feel like a fool. Don’t get me wrong, I like Chef Scott, he is a nice man, who is very willing to help you figure things out, and give you the information you seek. Like the first day of class, I told him that I would like to learn more of the science behind cooking, and why things happen for what reason. So the next day he lent me a book on the science of cooking, which has been very interesting. One thing that I learned recently is that in a place that is highly elevated like Denver, water boils at 208o, instead of 212o, because of the pressure in these parts of the world. I have also learned that to make a good cream soup that won’t break apart and the oil separates from the water, is to add the cream at the end of the cooking process. Because a fat based liquid can only hold so much fat when heated, and starts to break down after a while. So if you cook a soup with a fat base, the fat will begin to separate because it can only hold so much, but if you cook a soup with a water base, and add a thickener, the cream will be suspended in the soup and won’t have cause to break. The science of food is fascinating to me, even though there is much creativity involved in creating a dish, if you don’t understand why things happen then you are lost.

Enough of that though, I don’t want to paint a bad picture of Chef Scott, because I really do like the man, I just have to get used to some things.

Work is going well, I never realized that demo cook could have regulars, but I do, I have people who come to my station, chat and sample things every time they come into the store. And it makes me feel good when they compliment me and tell me that what ever restaurant I get a job in I better tell them because they are going to come to visit. I’ve had marriage offers, offers to live with people and just cook form them… it makes me feel special. Like I’m some sort of common person, who people think are a celebrity. I have no intention of becoming a celebrity, because I just want to cook, but to have people who are loyal and willing to trust me, is a wonderful thing. People who will trust me enough to eat something that they think is horrible and disgusting, like brussel sprouts, or collard greens. I had one woman, who was once a confirmed brussle sprout hater, convert her ways and learn that when prepared properly they are really tasty, and now she trusts me, so when I told her she was going to like my collard greens, she said, “now lea, you got me to like brussle sprouts, but I doubt that I will ever like collard greens”. She tasted them, and was pleasantly surprised, and genuinely liked them. That’s the kind of trust I want from people, because I won’t lead you astray, I am not going to put something in front of you that isn’t worth it.

So speaking of collard greens, here’s a Wegman’s recipe that I changed slightly:

Collard Greens (a good side dish with spiral ham, fried chicken or whatever tickles your fancy):

1 bushel of collard greens cleaned, take off the stems and cut the leaves into slices
1 diced onion
Vegetable oil
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
½ jalapeño pepper finely diced
1 cup chicken stock

Blanch the collard greens in boiling water, for about 3 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. Then shock them in ice water, drain and put to the side.

In a sauce pan, sauté the onions in a film of vegetable oil until they are translucent, then deglaze the pan with the sugar dissolved in the apple cider vinegar. Let simmer and reduce for a moment, then add your collard greens and jalapeno.

Mix together and add the chicken stock. Let simmer until the chicken stock has fully reduced.

Plate and enjoy

Well that’s all for now, until next time, Bon Appetite

Who says we don't have fun? CPR Baby Annie teachin class

Shrimp Bisque simmerin away

Beef Stock chillin

Mercedes Cookin

Julie messin with the cornstarch slurry

Cookin No. 35 - First Snow Flake On My Tongue and Thanksgiving Dinner

2005-11-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

Butternut Squash Salad

Last night, or rather this morning, as I was leaving my friend Chris’ home from a lovely evening of making sweet potato gratin, good conversation and an invigorating game of Halo, I stepped outside to stand in the middle of the first snow fall. What a lovely surprise to see white flakes falling from the sky, and as usual when it snows, it felt like the whole world was silent. I stood outside for a little while, just taking it all in, realizing that the winter is really here. Then I ran around catching snowflakes in my mouth, and making plans with Chris about our annual snowball battle. This year I shall crush her with a mighty force that the heads of her ancestors will roll and crack like dried peanuts! It will be a battle that will go down in history, oh yes, and after we will share the ceremonial cup of hot chocolate.

So after our usual battle taunts I headed home. It was beautiful driving home, every time I drove under a street lamp, the snowflakes were lit up and perfect. The ground was covered in a white dusting. I can’t wait for some real snow. I’m not a big skiing person, but I appreciate curling up on cold days with a cup of tea and watching the world outside. Sometimes I like to walk in the snow, and just take it all in, a white outline around everything, the limbs of trees, its just beautiful.

Aside from the first snow, today was also thanksgiving, and we had a bit feast at my parent’s house. My brother, his wife and his in-laws came to join us. I woke up early and headed over to my parent’s house to start cooking at 9:00 am. It is such a pleasure to cook with my father, sometimes it feels like we read each others minds, because when I need something, he’s right next to me with the item I need, and vice versa. This was also a good opportunity for me to show off a little. Even though I have only been in school for three months, I have learned such a wealth of knowledge, and my skills have really improved. I kind of wanted to show everyone what I am capable of so far, and its only going to get better. There is always room for improvement, and I don’t think I will ever reach the point of perfection, in fact I hope I don’t. Because it’s not fun to be perfect, I enjoy making mistakes, and learning how to fix them. Like the pumpkin bisque soup that we started with. I got the recipe out of the Culinary Institute’s text book, which is my textbook for school, and following the recipe exactly was disastrous. The liquid that was the soup was not a bisque, its was really thin, and you couldn’t taste the pumpkin. The original recipe called for 5 ounces of pumpkin flesh, I ended up cutting up the whole pumpkin and putting it in, and even then the chicken stock was still too overpowering. I also ended up putting in a corn starch slurry to thicken the soup. In the end all turned out well, but there is room for a lot of improvement. Next time I will probably use more pumpkin, less chicken stock and more water, potatoes to create a natural thickness, and some cream. But that is for next time.

In the spirit of not wasting anything, I roasted the pumpkin seeds and used them as a garnish for the soup, along with some fresh chopped parsley. The plate presentation was very nice; unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of one. Oh well, I hope you get the idea.

So the menu this evening was:

Pumpkin Bisque soup

Butternut squash salad with spinach, crazens (cranberries that are raisins without the singing and dancing), and walnut encrusted goat cheese.

Lasagna bolinase

Brine roasted turkey breast
Apple orange cranberry sauce
Stuffing muffins
Brusslesprouts with apple wood bacon and chestnuts
Ginger ale glazed carrots
String beans almandine

Cherry pie
Pecan Pie
Ice Cream
Coffee and tea

Stuffin Muffins

Ginger Ale Carrots

It was a lovely feast. Although for a while I was a little anti-social, because when I get in the groove of cookin I don’t really want to talk to people. I am lost in my little world of wonderful smells and tastes, and it’s hard to pull me away. Only when all is out on the table and the work is done, can I really relax.

This dinner took us a little over three hours to get threw, but that’s the way I love to feast. I want to take my time, and savor each taste. Each course should be a separate entity, so that it can be fully enjoyed. And there should be time for drinking and conversation. You shouldn’t leave the table so stuffed that you feel like the bird that was just in the oven. You should be relaxed and full, but not uncomfortable. Eating should be a joy, not something that causes you to run to the bathroom with stomach cramps. The food takes a journey, starting with the taste buds in the mouth, then finds its way down to your stomach, where you stomach should take part of the same pleasures that the mouth has just experienced. The food should sit there, and take its time to be processed, just like the time it took to be prepared.

The company at a dinner party is also important. I usually enjoy 3 or 4 people at my dinner parties, because small groups tend to mingle together better than a large group. In large groups there are usually many conversations, and a bit of fighting to be heard so that after a while everything is so loud that you can barely hear the person you are speaking to. In small groups, the conversations are usually things that the whole table participates in. The entire evening is a shared experience, and more intimate. But I did enjoy the large party that took place this evening. Two families of intellects gathered together, and conversation was good. And even better, two families comprised of people who enjoy food gathered at our table. Such a lovely thing to experience, for me at least, because food is the base of a good dinner, and if you don’t enjoy the food, then you better hope the wine is good.

I have recently been thinking about my dream kitchen. Many people like open airy kitchens, with tons of wonderful gadgets. But I prefer smaller kitchens. My dream kitchen would have a clay tile floor, so that in the summer it will be cold and nice to cook barefoot, and in the winter, warm from the oven’s heat. There will be a large open window that looks out over a garden, or a wide sea view that goes on and on, or looking out in the street filled with people going about their business, or even a beautiful lush forest. If the window looks out over a garden, it should be large enough for me to open and pluck a sprig of an herb at my leisure. After that I would like lots of shelves, no cabinets, I want to see where everything is, the only things that should be hidden from view are the cleaning products and garbage bags. My stove will be a deep black gas stove, with an electric oven, it will be an island surrounded by counters. My pots and pans cast-iron, aluminum, and copper. My knives will be displayed on a magnetic strip running along a wall next to the stove, over my largest counter space. And of course counter space; I will require lots of it. The sink will be wide with a high spout. The colors will be copper and maroons, with some sage colored trim. Appropriate colors for all seasons. This is my dream kitchen, I think it would be quite lovely to cook in.

Aside from dinner parties and all that jazzy stuff, I have started skill development 1. My teacher Chef Scott is a very abrupt and energetic man. You really couldn’t stand in his presence for more than 10 minutes without being infected by his enthusiasm and puritan ideals. Because I am a purist myself I can completely understand and appreciate this kind of thinking. He started out the first day of class by talking about how method, technique and attitude are the most important tools to a cook. Then we went into the kitchen and started to work on our knife skills. We had to cut an onion, two stalks of celery, a carrot, and a turnip, into different cuts. It took me about and hour to do all of that, and then on the second day when we went into the kitchen, we had to do pretty much the same thing, and I improved over night greatly, along with the rest of my class. It only took me twenty minutes to do all the cuts. What a great sense of pride I felt. I know that nothing I did was perfect, but to improve like that felt so wonderful. And the best part was that the other people in my class improved like that too.

I can’t wait until Monday, we do some more cuts, and then start to talk about soups and stocks. Soon I will learn all of the mother sauces. This is technically my first cooking class in school so far. Yes, I did some cooking, but that was just because we were learning about the products that we were working with, not because we were learning theories and all that jazzy stuff. So its will be good to build my repertoire.

Anywho, until next time my friends, Bon Appetite.

Cookin No. 34 - The New York Chocolate Show and The End of Meat Cutting

2005-11-19T21:39:00.001-05:00

What is it about chocolate that makes it so absolutely wonderful? What secret drug is hidden in delicious delectable wonderful gooey succulent chocolate? I don’t know these answers, but I know that when I walked into the main room at the New York chocolate show this weekend, all I could smell and see was delicious chocolate. The moment I stepped threw the threshold a man was offering me a sample of the most delicious truffle that had ever entered my mouth. It was nearly impossible to go far without grabbing another sample. Sample after sample my friend Jeremy and I made our way threw the show. There was a company from Japan called Mary’s, they had employees making designs on the chocolate so the customers could see how it was done, and I have to say it was amazing. Such delicate work went into designing an intricate flower, such fine details. And the samples that they were offering were green tea and white chocolate ganache. I am not usually a white chocolate fan, but these were so refreshing, such a flavor that just cleansed your palate and sent you back on your way to taste dark sinful chocolate.

Everyone has a secret food that they savor in the confines of their private home, my secret love is chocolate. Although I share this with many people out there, I always feel like the only person who is tasting something utterly divine at that moment. For me, dark bitter chocolate, and the way it melts in my mouth, warming my body like a fine wine, nothing can top that sensation. And so I walked threw the chocolate show singing and dancing on cloud nine.

Chef Susan also appeared at the show, and it was refreshing to see that she is a normal person who wears clothes other than her uniform. We tasted some desert wine together, and then lost each other in the crowd. Jeremy and I found our way to the chocolate spa, where people were receiving chocolate massages and drinking green tea. Its amazing what people will do with chocolate. After the spa, we decided to take a break and headed out into the streets for a lunch of something other than chocolate. We found a cosi and sat and chatted for a while. I am glad to have made such friends in school, to be able to go into New York with someone who will watch food like I do is wonderful. It almost feels like we share an inside secret, knowing how food is put together. I am sure that the jokes we make seem kind of silly to other people, but to sit in a diner wondering if the lemon meringue pie was made with a French or Italian meringue is really funny to us. I suppose its true, no sane person will ever enter this industry.

Chocolate Geisha

Joque Torres

Speaking of the industry, on Friday in meat cutting class we worked on duck. And Chef Susan got out a package of grade A foie gras and seared it quickly on each side for us to taste. Oh, it melted in my mouth, such a wonderful flavor. I do enjoy foie gras, it’s a shame that other people can’t truly appreciate the rich wonderful flavor of this delicacy. So Rob and I took it upon ourselves to have as much as possible.

On Tuesday we started on fish. Because the Fulton Fish market in New York was moving its location, our fish order was late, and the poor delivery guy got lost trying to find the school, so Chef Susan headed out to find him. He was found, and we got our fish. We started by cutting into turbots, and then we had to gut and scale a whole fish. I actually found that a little hard to take, I can’t say that I enjoy the feeling of fish guts in my hands. But at least I only had to do one. On Wednesday we moved onto mollusks and cessations. I got to make my Moules Mariniere, which is mussels in white wine. We also made clams casino, calamari and other things like frog’s legs, which tasted like chicken with the texture of flesh, and Beluga caviar, which was salty, and I have no idea why this is such a sought after delicacy. Then Thursday, the day which we had to do what I had been dreading this whole class, Lobsters. These poor beasts were just sitting in a cardboard box waiting for their boiling doom, and many of the kids in my class were joking around about it. Doing childish things like positioning the lobsters in suggestive ways, or purposefully irritating the lobster trying to get it to fight with another one, it was a somber day for me. After the lobsters were killed we made sushi, I have to admit, that I am no good at sushi. Or maybe it was because it was my first time, but my spider roll came undone. Oh well, I just had to eat it all. Hee hee, I love spider rolls.

Moules Mariniere (Mussels in White wine):

1 shallot diced
1 onion diced
A lot of butter
A lot of white wine (enough to fill 2 inches of the pot)
mussels

Start with the shallot, onion and butter in a large pot, cook until they are translucent in color and the butter is melted, then add the wine. Let this come to a simmer, and throw in the mussels. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened and are an orangish color. Take out and put in a nice bowl. Grab a chair, the rest of the wine and have at it!

Today we had our final exam, I did very well, I got a 100, which I was very happy with, that means that I have a perfect score so far. I got a 100 on every test, I am sure that I won’t end up with a 100 for my final grade, because no one gets perfect participation points, so I hope that I got a 96 or something along those lines. I still can’t believe how well I’m doing, if only I applied myself like this in high school… egh, who cares about high school.

On Monday I start Skill Development with Chef Scott, I am looking forward to a new class, but I will miss Chef Susan, and I’ll have to get used to a new teacher.

My Sushi

Fish Heads

The Lobsters

Until next time my friends, Bon Appetite.

Cookin No. 33 - The Chicken Sisters

2005-11-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

Jeremy and a chicken

So I get out of work around 9, and decide that I am awake enough to head over to the tap room for some internet access, and when I arrive who is sitting down smoking like a fiend? My friends Chris and Matt. So I sat my weary self down and had a good chat, and they have just existed the building. That was a nice surprise, I have been so involved in school and work that I haven’t had a chance to see many of my friends, let alone call them. I knew going into school that I was going to become nonexistent, but the shock of suddenly working on nights and weekends is still setting in. 9-5 jobs are nice, they allow you to have a social life. I kind of miss mine, but I’m having a great time regardless.

Work was great tonight, I made just the side dishes that are on the menu, because Wednesday nights are kind of slow, and to cook a turkey would be kind of pointless. I did have a lot of interested customers, and I had some good conversations. This job is great because my customers give me good ideas, and I can go home and try them. I also spent some time cleaning my station, when I first arrived at Wegmans it was a mess. No order to anything, and today it was driving me so crazy that I started on the spice rack. I put everything in alphabetical order, arranged the herbs so they were easy to find, and condensed a lot. It was fun, and satisfying.

We finally left 4 legged beasts behind at school, and moved onto fowl. I think that I processed 12 chickens today. We had so many, probably 100 for the whole class to de-bone and all that jazzy stuff. Chef Susan was walking around like a slave driver today, telling us to pick up the pace, but you can’t take her too seriously, she’s such a sweet woman. After the chickens were cut, de-boned, bound and more, we made the family meal. My group was in charge of making the buffalo wings. So we collected all the wings from the class and set them in the deep fryer. Then we made bleu cheese dressing, and I have to say, this was the best bleu cheese dressing I have ever had.

Bleu cheese dressing:

2 cups of mayo
1 cup of sour cream
½ red onion small diced
Bunch of chives minced
Garlic powder
Worchester sauce
Pepper
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese

I don’t have exact measurements for the garlic powder, Worchester sauce and pepper, just add things to taste. Mix up and enjoy.

I think that I ate more of the bleu cheese dressing than chicken. But I also had chicken liver for the first time. It was pretty good, we wrapped it in bacon and marinated it in a soy sauce concoction, pretty tasty, but I don’t think that I’m a liver person.

I felt like talking like Julia Child while we were cutting up the chickens, I loved when she did chicken. In one of her earlier episodes she arranged a bunch of different types of chicken, and ran off their names calling them the chicken sisters. It was a good laugh.

The lamb

Tomorrow we move onto turkey, so that should be fun. So until then, Bon Appetite my friends.

Cookin No. 32 - Etruscan Salmon and Meat Cutting Class

2005-11-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

It has been a while, I seemed to have gotten wrapped up in work and school. I started my job at Wegmans, and I love it. I am learning a lot too. The first recipe that I made was Etruscan Salmon, which means Salmon made in the style of Tuscany. Basically you are poaching the salmon.

Etruscan Salmon:

½ cup white wine
1 cup marinara sauce
1 ½ cup seafood stock
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
A sprig of rosemary chopped
Dash of red pepper flakes
8 olives chopped
Some cappers
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Salmon filet

Start your pot with some olive oil, garlic and shallots. Sauté` until they become translucent, then add the white wine and the red pepper flakes. Let reduce to 1/3. Add the marinara sauce, seafood stock, rosemary, olives and capers. Cover and let come to a boil. Rub some salt and pepper onto you salmon. When the sauce has reached 170o put the salmon in skin side up. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, then turn the salmon over. Continue to cook until the salmon has reached the internal temperature of 130o.

Plate and enjoy.

This is a great fall dish, it has rich flavors, and I love the red pepper flakes, because they add this little bite to the dish.

This Sunday our menu changed over and we are now making a thanksgiving feast. With Brine roasted turkey, butternut squash salad, Brussels spouts, and cranberry orange sauce.

The brine turkey is new to me, but I have to say, brine is the way to go with this bird. I hate dry turkey, and by soaking the turkey in some salt and water, you will have the most moist and delicious bird ever. But I’ll give you recipes later

On to meat cutting. We started class with the noble beast, the cow. We learned about all the different cuts made to break down the cow, and then were given whole legs to work on. You know, I have a strong stomach, but wow, sometimes while I’m butchering something, I suddenly realize what I’m doing and my stomach starts to turn. We got to try steak tar-tar, which is raw beef… it wasn’t bad, but you know, I don’t think I will ever go out of my way to order it. I’m not big on the idea of raw things. I don’t know, they kind of… skeeve me out. On Friday we moved onto veal, and cut up a veal leg, which was just like the cow leg, so it was just like more practice. Today though, was a great day. We made osso buco from the veal leg, which is a great Italian dish, and the cut comes from the shin. You braise the meat so that it just falls off the bone and melts into your mouth. We also made sauerbraten, and spetchle. Mmmm family meal was great. Then we worked on the pig, frenched the ends of some ribs, made a dry rub for boneless spare ribs, and roasted a boston butt. Which actually doesn’t come from the pigs, butt, its pretty much the shoulder of the beast.

I know that butchery is not my thing, but this is a great knowledge to have, that way in the future I will know what to do with a carcass when someone throws it at me. And its good to know what cuts of meat need to be cooked in what way. Tender cuts can be sautéed or roasted, and tougher pieces of meat should be braised so they can become tender.

Anywho, I have to run off and do some laundry at my parents house. By the by, Griswold has entered the home and turns out that Griswold is a she. But my parents kept her name. She is starting to gain weight and seems very happy in her new home. So I’m going to head over and get some kitty lovin. Well, other than the kitty loven I get here from Riley and Penny.

Pork Loin

Osso Buco

Until next time my friends, Bon Appetite.

Cookin No. 30 - Cold Weather and Baking Practical

2005-10-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

It has become treacherously cold outside. Already I have taken out my trusty winter hat, and am currently wearing it while I wait for my heat to kick in. Today I started my first day at Wegmans, by going though training called Produce University. It was actually very interesting. We learned about how Wegmans handles produce, how they handle marketing and customer service. Pretty cool how Wegmans expects all employees to be overly helpful to customers, and most of their employees are just that. One time, I saw that there was no cilantro, and I really needed a bunch for the dinner I was cooking that night, so I asked an employee if there was any coming in, and this person, went into the back room, came out with a box, opened it right in front of me and let me take the first pick of the new cilantro. I don’t find that at Giant. And they would also rather the produce department stocks a shelf 5 times out of the day with quality produce, than once a day and let the item sit all day long. I don’t know, I don’t usually get all excited about grocery shopping, but I have to tell you, that I love to shop at Wegmans. And now I get to see the inner workings. I can’t wait until Sunday when I start cooking in front of customers.

Tomorrow is my practical for baking. Basically I have to bake all by myself and present finished products to my teacher in three hours. I have decided to make baguettes and an apple pie. I decided to make the apple pie because it was that or a lemon meringue, and well, I don’t feel confident with my meringue skills, so it’s the apple pie or nothing. So today I went to my parents house for some practice time. I have to say, baking in the home, is so very different from baking in a commercial kitchen, especially after you have been baking in a kitchen with everything you could need at your fingertips for three weeks. And there is a huge difference between a home oven, and a convection oven. But I made due. I came out with two acceptable baguettes. The trick was that I had to knead the dough by hand, even though my parents have a wonderful kitchen aid, tomorrow I won’t have enough dough to put in a huge industrial stand mixer, so I have to know how to knead by hand. At first it was kind of tiresome, but after a while I developed a groove, and it was kind of comforting. Oh, and talking like Julia Child also is helpful and fun, as long as no one else is around ;).

This is what I love about cooking, I feel myself go into a sort of trance when I’m around food. All I see is the food, and know what I have to do. Everything else just falls away, even my personality falls behind, and all that exists is my hands and the ingredients, and I feel like I step back and just watch. Which is probably why I’m always surprised when something comes out good, because I can’t believe that I created something that I watched come into creation, and it came out just the way it was supposed to. Even though I am not completely cut out for baking, there is a calming repetition to baking; kneading the dough, rolling it out, and having patience. The key to good baking is confidence; actually, I think that is the key to all cooking. With out confidence and fearlessness you don’t allow yourself to make mistakes. Mistakes are the key to learning, and you never stop learning. If you think you know it all, you should just stop right there, because you will never be able to grow and adapt. You know, that’s the key to life too, but it’s too soon for philosophy my friends.

Would you like a good recipe for apple pie?

Dough:
½ lb cake flour (two cups)
½ lb all purpose flour (two cups)
10 oz cold butter diced (the package should have a map on it)
5-6 oz cold water

Sift the flour together, and then add the butter, and use a pastry cutter mix together until the butter is about the size of small peas. Mix in the water and form into a ball, then refrigerate. Try not to use your hands because they cause heat and will melt the butter, you want this crust to be flaky.

While the dough is refrigerating start on the apples:

2 lb of granny smith apples (about 4 apples)
Flour
Melted butter
Sugar
Cinnamon

Mix it all together until the apples are good and coated.

Take your dough out of the fridge and cut in half. Roll out both halves, I have found that because the dough is cold, if you keep picking it up and flipping it between rolls over it rolls out easily. Put one half in a pie tray, and dock it with a fork. Let the excess dough hang over the edges, and add the filling. Make sure the apples fill the whole pie, so no gaps. Then if you want to make a lattice top, cut ½ inch wide strips out of the second rolled out dough. Start the lattice by placing about 4 or 5 strips on the pie, and going in the same direction, vertical or horizontal. Then fold back alternating strips, and lay a strip down going across the strips you already have laid out. Pull the folded strips down, and fold the other strips and repeat until you have enough going across. Basically you want to weave the strips. Then pinch the strips and bottom dough together all around, and cut away the excess dough. This is called fluting. If you want to make a full covered pie top, just put the second rolled out dough on top of the pie and flute the edges, cut away the excess dough and cut slits in the top of the dough to let steam escape while baking.

If my explanation of lattice was a little confusing, Betty Crocker gives a good demonstration.

Bake at 425o until the crust is golden brown and the juice inside is bubbling. Take out of oven, cool and then get out the ice cream!

Friday I have my written final for baking, I can’t believe that three weeks have gone by already. I feel as if I have been in school for 6 months, and only two months ago I was still working in the corporate world. Its amazing how far away that life is now, and how fast I have embraced this career decision. Next Monday I start meat cutting, oh yea, give me a slab of meat and let me at it ;). Well, as long as I don’t have to see the animal looking at me, I’ll be fine, but I don’t know how I will fare with lobster. I’m the person that will drop everything to save a bug and take it outside, rather than killing it. So we will see what happens, and see what my stomach does.

Until next time my friends, Bon Appetite.

(ps. I wrote this entry last night, today I took my practical and got a 93, she had to take some points because my pie came out a few minutes late)

Cookin No. 29 - Chocoalte and Kittens

2005-10-25T13:46:00.000-04:00

You know, every time I put on my uniform, I feel such a sense of pride swell up in me. I can’t express how over-joyed I am to be doing this.

So today was chocolate greatness. We chopped a pound of chocolate per person, tempered it, and began to pipe it out into filtrates. Oh yes, by the end of the day I was covered in chocolate. Oh yes, it was wonderful.

On Sunday my parents came home from Italy, I picked them up from the airport and took the weary travelers home. Today after school I headed over to their house to hear all about the wonderful food they ate, and settle down to a new dish my father had in Tuscany. Chippolini onions, with capers and baby squid with pasta, Mmmmm it was tasty.

Oh, and as I was getting out of my car at my parents house, an adorable black kitten came running up to me mewing. We gave the poor starving beast some tuna, which he wolfed down. Oh it broke my heart, so if he comes around later, my parents will have a cute black kitten. Who I would like to name Griswold.

Anywho, I got to run off. Until later, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 28 - Cream puffs

2005-10-20T14:13:00.000-04:00

I am going to make today quick, because I am just exhausted. We have been making cream puffs…. Mmmmm and ganash, chocolate cake, apple pie, pecan pie, and lemon meringue.

School is good, but now that we are all trying to work together, it’s a little frustrating. Mainly because there are some people in my class who don’t seem to care about anything, who have bad attitudes, and are just nasty in general. It’s a little hard to work with some of my classmates, and a bit surprising. Heh, with all the gossiping, the only thing said about me is that I’m pretentious. Ha!

I am on the schedule for wegman’s but haven’t started yet, I can’t wait, and when I do start, I’ll be sure to tell all. Tonight, a play that my good friend chris was the stage manager for is opening, so I’ll be in the audience. I’m looking forward to getting out a little.

Ok, I know this is short, but I will be sure to write more later.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 27 Being a Cliche and a New Job

2005-10-14T02:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight I am a cliché. Well, I should say this morning, its 1:45 and I am settling into my new routine of not sleeping. I am writing by the light of candles, drinking a glass of wine, and watching the embers of my cigarette burn. The cold is moving in quickly and effortlessly, it’s had to believe that two weeks ago, I was wearing a tee shirt and feeling the sun on my skin. Now the cold comes under the cloak of rain, and it has been a while since I have seen the sun smile.

Baking is going well; yesterday we made cinnamon buns, oatmeal and peanut butter cookies, and white bread. I gave half of the bread and cinnamon buns to my friend Chris, mainly because I don’t need a whole loaf of bread, and what am I going to do with 8 cinnamon buns? And today we made pizza, foccacia bread, and grissini. My pizza came out pretty well, it could have been cooked for a little longer, I prefer crunchy crust, but no worries. I topped it with red sauce, cheese, and lightly sautéed peppers and onions. Mmmm, that was my lunch and dinner for today. I also took home my foccacia bread, and I haven’t cut into it yet, but it is filling my apartment with a wonderful smell.

The best news came yesterday though, I got home from school early, and found a message on my phone from Maria at Wegmans, so I called her back, and she said that they would like to offer me the position of demo chef! Of course I accepted right away, and now all I have to do is wait to for my background check to go threw. Which I’m not worried about, because even though I have done some crazy things in my life, nothing got me in legal trouble; well, except for that one time… heh… just kidding. So hopefully I will be starting my new job next week, and I will be sure to include lots of recipes of what I’ll be making for my adoring fans. ;) To be honest, I have no desire to become one of those famous chefs; I really just want my own restaurant and a good reputation for creating wonderful food.

Tomorrow my friend Jared comes to visit me, so I’m thinking about what I will whip up for dinner. Although, we might just do dinner in true jersey fashion and head to a diner for some coffee and eggs.

Until next time my friends, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 26 - Wedding and Bread

2005-10-11T16:20:00.000-04:00

The wedding was gorgeous. Kim and Brian looked wonderful, and the rain held out for them to have the ceremony outside.

Saturday I headed into the city pretty early, because it was raining so hard here in Bethlehem and it looked like it might start to flood, I thought I would have a ton of traffic. I was wrong. I flew down 78, strait into the city. The only traffic I hit was by the Lincoln tunnel, but there is always traffic by the tunnels. Getting to the hotel and finding parking was a piece of cake, I thought there was something wrong, because I was right by park avenue, there is never parking around there. But all was clear. So I got to the hotel Roger Williams around 1, and I wasn’t meeting everyone until 3. So I took a stroll around the area, found a star bucks, got a pumpkin spice latte and settled down into my book. The guy who took my order must have been living in the city for too long, because he was genuinely confused as to why I was polite and smiling. He even asked me “why are you smiling” he thought I was strange. That’s kind of sad, that people wonder what’s wrong with a person who smiles. Anyway, I met up with Kim, Tara and Rene, we checked into the hotel and headed out for some manicure goodness. This was my first manicure, and wow, the woman massaged my hands. I was putty after that. After we met up with Brian, my brother, and Diana, and headed to a dinner party at Develin’s apartment; which happened to by my brother’s first apartment in the city, I had forgotten how small it was. The bathroom is raised, and really tiny, and there is a window that goes to nowhere. And the shower is in the kitchen! I guess that’s the city for you.

The girls and I got back to the room around 12:30, and got ready for bed. I couldn’t sleep, so I read and stared at the ceiling until 4 or 5. The morning of the big day came, and we got ready. The hair dresser and the makeup artist came, did everyone up, except me, I did my own hair and makeup. Mainly because my hair is so short, there is no style that can be done to it other than the style that already is. Around 2:00 we headed to the Bronx and pulled into the NY Botanical gardens. It was gorgeous! We got dressed, did Kim up, and got ready for the big event.

When it was time for me to walk down the isle I ran, it was so nerve wracking to have all these people staring at me, I was glad that I wasn’t the bride. Then the service happened, the vows were said, and because Kim is Jewish Brian broke the glass. Then I started to cry. I never cried at a wedding before, but I was almost bawling. First it was beautiful, and Brian and Kim are perfect for each other. They are the greatest couple, aside from my parents, that I have seen together. They are perfect for each other. And I am glad that Kim is my sister-in-law, she is a wonderful person. Her whole family is great, I am happy that they are part of my family now. Her sister, Tara, is fun and easy going, a good quality, her mother, Rene is a fun high spirited woman, Jeff her father is a great guy, who gives awesome hugs, and Izzy her step-father is such a kind person with a cool demeanor. How could you not like anyone in this family?

The Dads

My cousin Carolyn and her daughter Cassidy

The reception: Awesome food! Abigail Kirsch was the caterer, and my god, I hope I could be that talented and successful. The menu:

Lobster and Corn Soufflé

Salad of Baby Greens

Tournedo of Beef Champignon
Or
Truffled Black Cod

Chocolate Banana Beggars Purse

Wedding Cake

The lobster soufflé was so delicate, and perfect. I chose the Tournedo Beef, it came on a bed of risotto that had fava beans in it. The fava beans were cooked to perfection, and there was a hint of licorice in the risotto, maybe she used star anis, or a touch of pernod. The beggars purse, was fabulous! Chocolate oozed out when you crunched into it, and… it was… just perfect.

I danced to almost every song with my little cousin Cassidy, who was the flower girl. She’s such a fun kid, and wanted me to spin her around all the time. She had some good moves too. To entertain her at the table, I showed her how to blow flower peddles into the air, she really enjoyed that. I sat with my whole family, my Aunt Kay and her husband, my cousin’s Carolyn and Debbie with Ritchie, Debbie’s husband, my grandfather, and Mr. Kugamyer with his wife, he was the husband of Brian’s art teacher in high school. After she died, Brian kept in touch with Mr. Kugamyer because he and his wife were really instrumental in helping Brian develop his talents. They even took him to Italy. We had a great time.

I left the party around 1 and didn’t get home until 3, took a shower and went to bed at 3:30, then had to wake up for school at 6:30. Boy was I crabby. I usually do fine on no sleep, but I my body was exhausted. Mentally I was functioning, but my mussels were pissed off. So for the first day of baking class, I was a wreck. I kept dropping things, and making stupid mistakes like spilling egg wash everywhere while I was trying to whip it. We made Baguettes, garlic bread and knot rolls. I took some baguette to my parents, and they were impressed. Then I took them to the airport, and now they are in Italy, with out me. *sniff sniff*

I also got my grades back for Product ID. I got a 98 on the written final, and 100 on my costing final. I was impressed. And my final grade for the class is a 99! I am an A student. Heh, no one has seen me do this good in school since grade school.

Today, the second day of baking went well. My group worked really well together. We made, Challah bread, whole wheat knot rolls, honey whole wheat rolls, and pita bread. They all came out great. I am really happy with this class. The only thing that was throwing me off is the balance scales. We have to weigh out everything, and the first day we had a tough scale, it wouldn’t balance at 0, but at 8 ½, so we had to do more math than usual to balance everything. Oui. Tomorrow we are making cookies and cinnamon rolls. Mmmm. I did something stupid today though, Chef Susan took my group’s Challah bread out of the oven, and I wanted to show one of my group members our bread, so I went to pull the baking sheet out of the cooling rack, completely forgetting that it just came out of the oven. So I got a nice burn on three fingers. I’m good at forgetting things are hot, this isn’t the first time that I have done something like this. Thank god I have silvadine cream from the last time I made the same mistake.

Jeremy and Mercedes with Honey whole wheat buns

Challah bread

Ann and more buns

Pita bread

Baguette

Until next time my friends, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 25 - It has been a while

2005-10-07T09:43:00.000-04:00

Well, my internet is still down, however I have found that the college has a hotspot, so here I am, pirating again.

It has been a while, I’m sorry about that. So what has been happening in these past few weeks:

Product ID week one:

Our second day of class we go to a food show put on by Pocono Produce, a major food supplier in our area. It was a lot of fun, we grazed our way threw the whole show, and got to see some interesting things. Most of the stuff was precooked food, and I kept thinking, in my restaurant, I will cook everything from scratch. But who knows, I might cheat every once and a while.

There was a pie eating contest, and two of my classmates competed. They didn’t win, but I think Doug should have, because the kid who won had most of his food all over the table instead of his stomach. This was my first time witnessing a pie eating contest, very interesting.

We met a Certified Master Chef, who is also an instructor at the CIA, and who was the instructor of our teacher, Chef Susan. He was a great man, and gave some good advice; the three things you need to become a good chef:
1 Know the basics
2 Have a passion for cooking
3 Common sense

My class with CMC

It was very inspiring to hear him talking, and when he spoke about common sense, it really made me think differently. For example, if you are given a cow tongue, and told to cook it, what do you do if you have never experienced cow tongue? Well you think, hmm, a cow tongue is a tough mussel, so you will want to make it tender. How do you make it tender? You braise it. See common sense. But it really made me think in a different way, more like thinking like a cook.

Product ID week two:

It felt like we were in a Food network special every day. Chef Susan would go over what products we were to learn about, mainly vegetables, and then take us to the kitchen and show us the veggies, and then cook them up. MMMM

On Friday we went over grains, and she made the best couscous I have ever had:

Chef Susan’s Indian Couscous:

1 cup of couscous
1 cup of chicken stock
1 navel orange
A handful of sliced almonds
A handful of raisins
Salt to taste
Chopped chives for garnish
Drizzle of olive oil
Curry powder to taste

Boil the chicken broth. With the couscous in a bowl on your counter, add the raisins, zest of the whole orange, and boiling chicken broth. Cover and let sit until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid and the raisins have become plump. Squeeze the orange into the couscous; add the almonds, salt, curry powder and olive oil.

Stir up and enjoy

You know, I was never a big fan of couscous, but this was wonderful.

Product ID week three:

We learned about spices and herbs, nuts, chocolate and dairy. Chef Susan made fresh mozzarella, and butter. Butter as it turns out is quite easy to make, just keep whipping heavy cream past the whipped cream stage, and the liquid will separate from the fat and poof! You have butter. Tasty butter too.

Right now I am studying for our final exam in product id. OH! That reminds me, I am now serve safe certified. I passed the government test for safety and sanitation! It was an incredibly hard test, so I’m really glad that I made the cut, and this will also look pretty good to future employers. Back to my product id final, I am pretty confident about this test, but we will see what happens. No better way to study than to sit back with a beer and Bonnie Raitt.

Monday we didn’t have school so I went for a hike around this wonderful place out by Bangor, PA. I had been there once while I was at a retreat, and it’s wonderful. It’s called Columcille, and apparently this guy with too much money and time, arranged rocks so they looked like Stonehenge. I had a good hour hike, and then had a nice lunch of apple and goat cheese while I watched the squirrels chase each other around like crazed beasts.

This weekend my brother is getting married. Wow, married. I will have a sister-in-law now. It just seemed to have crept up on me so fast, suddenly I have a dress and shoes and poof, I’m a bride’s maid. It should be a beautiful wedding, its at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, I mean, how much more picturesque can you get? After the wedding, Brian and his new bride, Kim, will honeymoon in Italy, and my parents will be in Rome. I guess I’ll be the only shmuck not in Italy. L I suppose that I’ll survive, I’ll be in baking class making cookies to comfort me.

Also, some more interesting news. The people at Wegman’s decided not to call me to tell me that I didn’t get the job they told me that I got, and just as I was about to start putting my resume out again, Mike from produce at Wegman’s calls, and wants to know if I would like to interview for the position of Demo Chef. Wegman’s has a meal of the week, and if I get the job, I will be cooking the meal in front of people and answering questions. I don’t think that I am qualified for this job, but apparently I impressed the cheese supervisor and she passed my application on with a good recommendation. I think that if I do get the job, it would be an awesome experience. The best way to learn something is to teach it. And I spoke with Chef Susan today, and she said that she would help me with any questions I had so I could prepare myself. The more I think about it, the more I want this job, it would be perfect for now, and help me build up a good repertoire of recipes.

So that’s it for now.

Until next time, which shouldn’t be too far away, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 24 - Banquet and the next day

2005-09-15T20:42:00.000-04:00

Some of my classmates

Yesterday: I need a back massage. Today was wonderful, and very tiring. I arrived at the school at 11:30, and started cutting romaine lettuce for a Cesar salad, after that I began to cut red leaf lettuce in the chefanade (I have no idea how to spell this) style for a garnish. After that, it’s a blur. So many people were in the kitchen, and most of us new students were kind of in the way. But we learned how to get out of the way quickly, always a good skill.

After we moved down to the banquet area, and met Chef Char, who was going to be the grill master for the evening. He put whole garlic heads, red onions, and sprigs of rosemary and sage right on the grill so they would smoke and fill the area with a wonderful smell. And a wonderful smell it was. My mouth was watering.

Then came time to serve, I found myself at the sushi station, helping people by telling them what was what, offering wasabi and pickled ginger. Everything was going well until the rain started. I watched it come towards me, a wall of water, from the other side of the quad. My first reaction was to find a dry place for my camera, my pockets, and then I grabbed my sushi and ran. After the ceremony people were coming up to us and telling us how impressed they were with how fast we got the food out of there, it must have been 30 seconds and the food was completely inside. After a one minute rain storm we ventured back outside, and started serving again, until the rain came back. That was the end. After that, we grabbed as much food as our mouths would fill, and enjoyed the fruits and meats of our labor. And the pastries oh were they just delicious.

After lugging everything across the campus and into our kitchen, we washed, dried and put everything away; it was time to go home. So here I sit, with a beer and aching feet, feeling very happy with the day.

I got to know some of my fellow students so well, that they are starting to feel like family, like good friends that I never want to loose. Its amazing that after a few weeks, we are so close.

Today: I am sitting in a Smokey jazzy bar, attempting to access the internet. Actually I am the only person smoking, and today the internet is against me. I decided to take a little distraction from the couch, and moved my studying to the Hotel Bethlehem. Figuring this would be the prefect place to access the internet, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. The internet at home is down, and apparently too many business men are using the free hotspot here as well. Apparently someone does not want me to post this entry. Or I should just get my own internet.

The band is wonderful tonight, a piano, an upright base and drums. The men are in nice suits, and the piano player has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Around me tourists are enjoying the night, in this nice little lounge, with the polite waiters and good food. The drummer takes a sip of his martini with three olives, and the band takes a break.

I want to take a break from studying. My brain is rebelling, but I am nervous. Tomorrow are the final exams, and its important to me to get wonderful grades. I especially want a 100 on my nutrition final, which I don’t think would be too hard. It would be the first time I received a 100 on my report card since I was in grade school. And that would make me so proud to say I got a 100 %.

Today I had an interview with Dorie from the cheese shot at Wegmans. We interviewed for a full hour and at the end she informed me that I got myself a job! I am so excited; I think that to learn all about cheese would be wonderful for me, especially because I would love to open a wine bar. To know about cheese is like knowing all about wine, a good knowledge to have in the culinary world. And I will be sure to share all of that knowledge with you. If you have never been to a Wegmans, then you are indeed missing out. They really do spoil their customers with wonderful fresh food. The first time I bought a filet of salmon from them, I have to say it was the most beautiful piece of salmon that I had seen. And their cheese shop is not like any other you will find in a regular grocery store, any cheese you could possibly want, they have it. They display their brie as a berry pie, and feature a new wonderful cheese every week. They also have a wonderful olive selection, and even sell caviar. From $80 to $200 you can get top grade caviar. Not that I am a huge caviar fan, but my friend Chris loves the stuff. So I figure when she walks threw the door, I’ll give her the freshest can I can find. Not to play favoritism of course, I will treat all my customers just as well ;). I am also looking forward to working with Dorie as well; she stuck me as a wonderfully nice woman with a wealth of knowledge. Although I am not sure I want to leave the hot dog stand so soon, I am really starting to enjoy myself there, and I feel as if I am getting the hang of running around like a nut. So we will see how things work out, Dorie said that she is very willing to work around my schedule until I figure things out. I love working at Wegmans already, they are willing to work with me, and that’s a wonderful thing to find in a job.

Anywho, the internet seems to be working now, finally, so I am going to post, finish my drink, and blow this Popsicle joint, because I want to be rested for tomorrow, the big day.

The Salmon that we skinned, final presentation.
The pasta station
My sushi station
Desert, glorious desert
Seafood terriene (I am not positive on the spelling) this is the meat loaf of the seafood world
Head Chef Duncan, the man himself with a ice sea horse.

Until next time, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 23 - First cuts and more dicing

2005-09-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

Today in class we did more prep work for tomorrow’s event. My station was in charge of dicing cucumbers and tomatoes for gazpacho. I am really getting the knack for dicing. And I am getting very comfortable with my knife; I even have a blister on my index finger, which will hopefully turn into a callous soon. After dicing tons of cucumbers and tomatoes, we moved onto roasted peppers. We cut them in half to let the steam out, and then shaving off the charred skin. It was a messy job, but a nice change from dicing.

Other stations were filling mushrooms with a stuffing made of carrots, onions and bacon. Oh it smelled so good in the kitchen. My stomach was rumbling the whole time.

After 4 hours of hard work, we cleaned up and the chef dismissed us. However some of us over zealous students stayed behind to see if we could do anything else, and that is when the chef came out with two whole salmons. He had steamed the salmons whole, with skin and everything, so the meat was cooked, but the fish was intact. He had us cut the skin away, and leave the meat in shape, so that later he will mold gelatin around the fish, and lay cucumbers on the meat so that they look like scales. I will have to take pictures of this tomorrow to show you the finished product.

That is the one hard thing about this; we don’t see the finished product right away. Cooking at home, you have to wait a little, but it’s always there. Here, we only see the raw beginning, and hope that someone took care of our hard work.

After we put the salmon away, we passed the baking section, and smelled the fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies. Our mouths were watering, but for fear of some chef’s wrath, we steered clear away. Apparently Chef Duncan was watching us, and was so impressed that we didn’t steal any cookies, he gave us some. Oh they were so good, I can’t wait until a few weeks from now, and I will learn how to make such great things. The only thing that was missing was a glass of milk.

Tomorrow, we don’t have class because of the banquet, however I will be heading into the kitchen to help finish everything up, and then I will be stationed some where in the banquet serving people. I hope I get the grill station, they roasted pork belly.

Now, I head off to study.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 22 - First Cuts and Dicing Onions

2005-09-12T17:45:00.000-04:00

Today I got my first cut! Well, more like a collision. We were helping the chef with prep work for Wednesday’s banquet, and he put the station I was in to work dicing onions and peppers for a stuffing. So we diced onions, 3 pounds of onions, which really isn’t a whole lot, but enough to get most of my station sniffling. One girl’s eyes turned to red from crying that she looked genuinely upset about something, if she wasn’t laughing you would have thought her boyfriend broke up with her or something. Chef Duncan told us that we cried because we were breathing the onions in threw our nose, so I breathed with my mouth, and for the first time in my life, only one tear came to my eyes, and I was fine. Amazing! However I am getting off track, onto my injury… so I’m dicing onions, and I got to scoop the diced product into the bucket, when another girl goes to scoop hers as well. The tip of her knife found its way into my knuckle, and bam… the first cut of the class. I felt bad for the girl, Jennifer, she was so upset, so I told her it was all my fault, and I should have been paying more attention. In all reality, it was no one’s fault, shit happens. I just washed myself off, borrowed a band-aid from her, and went on dicing. The chef wanted to inspect my wound though, to make sure it wasn’t serious, but all is well. Now my knuckle is a little black and blue.

Most of the people in my station stayed after class to keep dicing and other work, and Chef Duncan told us that we were the high achievers of the class, and knew that we would all do well in the program. That made me feel really good. I intended to be a high achiever, and I’m glad that it can be seen.

This weekend was filled with work. On Sunday, I was the only employee who showed up to work, so it was just me and the boss working the shop. We made a good team though, and worked threw the tons of orders as fast as we could. It actually felt good to be working like a nut, and it seems that I am getting used to being on my feet for a long period of time, they didn’t start hurting until the last hour.

Onto studying for my sanitation final on Friday.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 21 - Knife Skills

2005-09-09T13:19:00.001-04:00

Today we entered the kitchen in our full uniforms, and began our first mission… slicing and dicing carrots. We learned the proper way to hold our chef knives, the proper way to slice and dice, and the proper way to not loose a finger.

First, holding the knife is a lot different than how I have spent my entire life holding a knife. You want to take you index finger, and rest it on the blade itself, right where the blade and the handle meet, and then you wrap the three of your remaining fingers around the handle. I can’t believe the amount of control I had with the knife when I put this technique into place.

Second, cutting the produce, (after you wash and peel it), you use your index finger from your knifeless hand, and curl the first section so it is pointing strait down, and use that as a guide for all your cuts. Basically you run the knife down your finger into the flesh of the carrot. But don’t cut yourself! At first, it seemed terrifying, my partner Jeremy and I were wincing each time we made a cut, thinking that our fingers were going to go flying off the table. After a few slices though, it was easy to get the hang of. The other important technique is to use the first 1/3 of the knife, which is the chopping area of the knife, and with the proper way of holding the knife, it is a very strong portion of the knife.

Unfortunately I was collecting the slices of carrots from everyone, so I missed the dicing practice, but it looked easy enough. I think that I will hit up Wegman’s and purchase a carrot, for some good old chopping time.

On Monday, we go back into the kitchen to learn about mincing, poaching and frying. Then we start helping prep for a big event for the college on Wednesday. Which I can’t wait to help out with, there is going to be lobster, caviar, and other delicious goodies, and the chef said that he will feed us.

So until then, practice your knife skills.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 20 - The Amazing Discovery of Cheese

2005-09-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

So, it has been quite some time. I have fell by the wayside, and abandoned ship, completely neglecting this project of mine. I am so sorry. All I can say is that school has defiantly turned my world upside down. First off, I absolutely love culinary school. Second, I am dog tired. So far, we have been kept from the sanctity of the kitchen, and have been sitting in uncomfortable desks learning about sanitation and nutrition. Which are very interesting subject, but I am getting antsy to start cooking!

Yesterday, I took my first test in 5 years, and I received a 100! I am so pleased with myself. I am really taking to nutrition, and it is a subject that I may want to pursue in the future. Carbohydrates are fascinating. Today we discussed proteins, did you know that the discovery of cheese came about from cow stomachs? When an animal was slaughtered, they would take out the stomach, blow it up and dry it out, and use it as a container for liquids. Well cow stomachs have a naturally occurring acid in them called rennet, and when milk was added to these stomach containers, they found that the milk curdled and eventually turned into cheese. The history of food is amazing to me.

Anyway, I will make a better attempt on updating, because I want to share all my knowledge. However, I need some sleep now, I have just finished my homework, and my eyes need a little rest.

Until next time, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 19 - First Day of School

2005-08-29T21:10:00.000-04:00

I think that I am going to love college life! Today was the first day, I woke up early, and having barely slept threw the night, I slowly put on my uniform with trembling hands. This is the day, the day that I had been agonizing over since February, when I found out that I was accepted to this program. This is the day that marks the start of my new life.

So I get to the school early, thinking that I’ll just walk around for a while and get to drool over the huge kitchen that I’ll get to work in. However, when I pull into the parking lot, I see tons of people in white chef coats. Oh no! They stole my idea! Although, immediately as I step out of my car, I find three women, smile and say good morning, and poof, I have friends. Then we get to the class room, and I find that I am sitting in a room filled with 24 people who are as passionate about food as I am. On break we are talking about what we had for breakfast, or what we are going to make for dinner, or what our favorite dishes are. I can’t believe that I am so lucky.

After we settle down, Chef Duncan introduces us to the world of sanitation. Well, we only graze that topic, he hands out a take home test, and then onto nutrition with Chef Duncan again. I learned some very interesting things today, like did you know that vitamin D does not appear in milk naturally. The government requires that vitamin D be added to milk, because some crazy mothers, years ago, were putting tones of sunscreen on their kids, and covering them head to toe to protect them from the sun. However, vitamin D is obtained naturally from the sun, so all these over protected children were having vitamin deficiencies, and the government thought, “well kids drink milk, lets give put the vitamin D in the milk”, and tada! Vitamin D in milk. So if you don’t drink milk, just take a jaunt outside and soak in the nutrients.

I also got myself a job. My friend owns a hotdog stand, and with my unlucky streak of trying to find a job in a restaurant, she offered me a spot in her kitchen. So this weekend I was on my feet working the grill, making hot dogs, and scrubbing a lot of pots. It was a lot of fun, although, to be honest, I am having a hard time integrating into the world of my co-workers. Most of them are high school kids who seem to have a problem with everything, and don’t want to work too much. Don’t get me wrong, they seem like nice kids and all, but when we are slammed with customers, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be chatting with your friends. I had to try to calm down two very upset people who had to wait 30 minutes for porgies. I was on the hot dog station and the person who was on the grill and fryer was chatting with his buddies, and the cash register girl and I were too busy to notice that he didn’t put the order in. I completely understand why the people were upset, and I felt bad for them, because no one else seemed to care or understand. Oh well, I’m not going to take it personally.

However, I don’t know if I will be at the stand for long, because Wegman’s just called me today, and I have an interview on Wednesday after school! I hope I can get a position in one of their kitchens, because I know that I can learn so much from them. I am learning a lot from the hot dog stand though, like how to move fast, how to share a small space with two other people and still be efficient. Those are such good skills.

Well, I just finished up my homework for today, I think that I will sit back on my balcony for a bit and just enjoy this day.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 18 - Guacamole and Salmon Cakes

2005-08-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

After a few days of dreaming about guacamole, I finally decided to do something about it, and make some. My idea was guacamole stuffed tomatoes, so my souse chef, chris came over, and after a glass of wine for me, and a beer for her, we set forth to make some guac. Although, there was a slight detour in our cooking, when I cut into my tomatoes, there was… how should you say… growth. It appeared that my tomatoes were trying to grow more tomatoes within themselves. So after a quick run to the giant, we were back to cooking. I am convinced that I am one of the messiest cooks out there, because when I’m done cooking, half of the dish is all over the kitchen. When I made truffles, there was a nice layer of chocolate, and today, there was guacamole everywhere. But it came out tasting good, so I won’t complain, nothing a sponge won’t take care of. After the tomatoes were stuffed, there was a plenty of guacamole left, so I made some tortilla chips, and we gorged ourselves on the goodness.

Guacamole stuffed tomatoes (I will have to load pictures tomorrow):

3 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
½ Vidalia onion, diced
5 tomatoes with the insides scooped out
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Put the avocados, lime juice, salt, cumin, onion, tomato innards, cilantro and garlic in the blender and rev that engine. Scoop the guacamole into the tomatoes, top with grated cheddar and put into the oven at 350o until the cheese is melted. Garnish with tortilla chips.

Tortilla chips:

1 tortilla
Salt
Olive oil

Cut the tortilla into 8 pieces, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil. With a pastry brush smooth out the olive oil, then sprinkle some salt over the slices. Turn the tortilla slices over and repeat the olive oil and salt. Place into an oven at 350o for about 10 minutes, until the tortillas are golden brown.

Plate and enjoy.

After I headed out to my parents house to help my father cook for dinner. We made Hong Kong Salmon cakes with baby Bok Choy. A delicious dish. I had salmon cakes once in my life before today, and I didn’t really like them, but these were amazing. I enjoy cooking with my father, we seem to be like to dynamic duo, arguing and laughing. A good time.

Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy, courtesy of Tyler Florence:

Salmon Cakes:

1/4 cup peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 red or green chiles, minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless salmon fillets, cut in small cubes
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (4 slices white bread with crusts removed pulsed in the food processor)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 large egg white
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oils

Bok Choy:

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2-inch piece fresh ginger
2 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Toasted sesame seeds,
chopped cilantro leaves,
and sliced green onion, for garnish

To make the salmon cakes:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, and chiles; saute for a few minutes to release the flavor. Remove from heat to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, combine the salmon, bread crumbs, cilantro, mayonnaise, lemon juice and egg white. Scrape the garlic/ginger oil into the salmon mixture; season with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together gently but thoroughly, taking care not to mash the salmon too much. Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 salmon cakes, they should be moist and just hold together.

Coat a non-stick skillet with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and bring it to a slight smoke over medium heat. Fry the salmon cakes until brown, about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula. Keep warm on a plate lined with paper towels.

To make the bok choy:
Return the skillet to the heat and coat with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and heat until almost smoking. Split the piece of ginger open with a knife then whack it with the flat side of the knife. Lay the ginger pieces in the oil, cut-side down to let it start to perfume. Pan-fry the bok choy, cut-side down, for a couple of minutes to give it some color. Add the water and cook another minute to steam the bok choy; carefully remove it to a plate. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the sauce is the consistency of syrup.

Serve the salmon cakes with the bok choy, and drizzle the brown sauce over the whole thing. Garnish the dish with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and green onion.

Plate and enjoy.

I want to make sure that you are aware that this recipe was obtained from the food network, and is a recipe by Tyler Florence. And it was damn good.

Tomorrow, I will head out to lunch with some ladies from my old job. It will be strange to see the office again, and to see my old desk, empty.

Until next time, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 17 - Olives and Tomato Sauce

2005-08-21T22:42:00.000-04:00

I sit back with a glass of wine, eating fat black grapes, and reading Rumi. The moon hangs brightly in the sky tonight, the air is cool, and I am on my balcony taking a break from Rumi, watching the little boy who lives next door run around with a blanket wrapped around him like a cape. He is bat man; he is the mighty hero on this dark night. His mother sits in the grass, massaging the back of my other neighbor; I think they have formed the relationship. The big R. I’m happy for her, because I was getting sick of her screaming at all her other men, day and night, it started to get a little tiresome. But she seems genuinely happy now, and the guy is really great with her kid. That is always wonderful to see.

So here I sit, thinking about a good weekend. On Friday my friend Jared and I went to see Tori Amos play at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. It was a good show, and we got awesome seats.

Then on Saturday I headed to Brooklyn to visit my brother and his fiancé, in their snazzy NY apartment. Of course I got a bit lost getting there, driving in Manhattan always unnerves me, I become a maniac begging those crazy taxi drivers to just think about cutting me off. So after circling the Holland Tunnel for a while I finally found my way to the Manhattan Bridge, and made way to a really nice part of Brooklyn. After the quick tour of the apartment, we headed out for some lunch. We went to a nice French wine bar, where we had a wonderful Riesling and I had the cold cucumber and tomato soup, with olives on top. It was wonderful, and I finally found out that I do like olives. As a kid, I hated them; they were too salty in my young opinion. But suddenly the flavor just exploded in my mouth, so meaty, and salty sweet, I really liked it. So now I am going to explore the wonderful world of olives. Wegmans has a nice olive bar, so tomorrow I am going to have a sampling. After lunch we went to a seafood market, and my brother picked out mussels, clams and shrimp in preparation for Paella. I am amazed at these small markets, just think, everything you want is a few steps out your door, and they usually have really good stuff. After we went back to the apartment to find out what was still needed, Kim and I headed out to get a bottle of wine, and pick up the rest of the ingredients. The wine store really amazed me, the sales man, gave really good suggestions about what would go good with the Paella, and when we purchased the wine, they put it in a chiller for us to come back after the rest of the shopping to pick it up. Out here, they do not have sales associates who are so knowledgeable about wine and what would be good with what, it’s a bit of a guessing game, and you pick up tips here and there, but I keep thinking how nice it would be to have a store that knows its stuff. After all that, the Paella came out really good, though my brother was agonizing over how cooked the rice was, I thought it was wonderful, and a good first dinner party at their apartment.

I didn’t get home until 3:00 on Sunday morning; I had gone out to a bar with Kim’s sister, Tara after dinner. And after a few hours of sleep I headed out to my parents house to pick up my Grandfather, for a visit to my great aunt and uncle. My uncle Lenny is an Italian who insists that you come for a visit during lunch. He always cooks so much food, and for lunch we had raviolis, meatballs and sausage, a huge salad, and chocolate cake. I was so glad that I didn’t eat breakfast, because that was filling. I couldn’t help but think back to when I was a kid, and watching my uncle make sauce, or gravy as the Jersey Italians call it. It would always fill the house with a wonderful smell, and one day I learned the great secret to tomato sauce. He told me to add a little bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, and now when I make my sauce there is always a bit of sugar that goes in. He also always had an amazing garden that I always loved to get lost in. We would pull up carrots, and go inside to wash them off and then just crunch right into them. He had everything in his garden, sugar snap peas that melted in your mouth, radishes that were so wonderfully spicy, lettuce, herbs, peppers, tomatoes and so much more. Everything in his garden always seemed to taste a hundred times better than something you could buy into a store.

I just realized that I don’t have a recipe for tomato sauce; I just imitate everything I saw my family do when I was a kid. Perhaps tomorrow I will make a pot and create a recipe.

Until then, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 16 - Job Huntin

2005-08-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

Today with resume in hand, I went to the top 4 restaurants in the Lehigh Valley, and introduced myself. I collected cards, exchanged words, and I will be that persistent annoyance that calls back for weeks until I hear something. Positive or not, I want a job. I am such a food snob, my only desire is to work for the best, I suppose that if the best doesn’t want me, then Ruby Tuesday’s is hiring. However, I also went to Wegman’s, and a very decedent chocolate shop in Bethlehem to apply for an inexperienced position. So lets keep the fingers crossed.

Now, I am going to sit back with a bottle of Hoegaarden, and read more about the wonderful world of Sanitation. Which I have to say, is extremely scary. All the germs and disease… its just… *shudder*

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 15 - Oysters and Resumes

2005-08-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

The first few days of unemployment have been, kind of boring. I’m not used to this no job thing, since I was 15 I have always had a job. So this will be a good experience for me, learning how to relax.

On Friday, my friends Chris and Mat took me out to dinner, we went to Marblehead Grille and Chowder. It was a nice place, though I think that we were the youngest people in the joint. Our waiter seemed surprised to see us, and even more surprised when we ordered oysters. And then it happened, I ate my first oyster. It was… not that bad… I honestly didn’t see what was so wonderfully delicious about them, when people talk about eating oysters, they sound like they had the most profound and enjoyable culinary experience of their lives, and to be honest, my oysters tasted a bit like mussels. Don’t get me wrong, I love mussels, I could eat them day and night, so I did enjoy my oysters, but I don’t understand the hype. I think my major question is, are you supposed to chew the oyster? Mine kind of crawled down my throat too quickly for me to enjoy them in my mouth. They are very slippery.

I did some research on oysters, and did you know that they are a wonderful source for vitamins? I had no idea that oysters have vitamins A, B1(thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C ( ascorbic acid) and D (calciferol). They say that four to five oysters supplies the allotted daily source for, iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus. I find that amazing.

Maybe people love oysters so much, because they are linked to Aphrodite. It was this goddess that sprang from the ocean in an oyster shell. And it is said that if you eat an oyster, you will fall in love. Hmm, well, I have to say I didn’t fall in love, but next time I try an oyster, who knows what could happen.

After the oysters were swimming with the fishes in my stomach, the weekend happened. Which I have to say was very uneventful, I mainly lounged around and blew my nose a lot. I really don’t like summer colds.

Last night I had dinner with my parents, and my father made Carbonera. Its amazing, his carbonera has such a flavor, that I have yet to copy. Maybe its because he uses garlic powder, but I will have to experiment a little more, and see what I can come up with.

As a going back to school gift, my parents gave me a book on truffles and other candies. I am so excited, some of the recipes look amazing. Ever since I have explored the recipe I got off of brownie points, I have been thinking about truffles, and here is the answer to all my questions. “Truffles, candies & confections” by Carole Bloom. With recipes like, fresh mint chocolate truffles, five-spice truffles and Madagascar bourbon vanilla truffles, I can tell that I am going to enjoy this. There are also a few recipes for marzipan, mmm, I love marzipan.

And now the rain starts. Today I am going to start on my resume, and start making a lit of restaurants that I would like to work for, even the ones that are a bit out of my league. I am also going to read a few more chapters out of my “Serve Safe Sanitation” book for school, which is already making me a bacteria nut.

Until later, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 14 - Last days and Banana Loaf

2005-08-12T17:50:00.000-04:00

I must say, that this week has been one of the strangest weeks of my life. It was the last week at my job, a job that I have been at, or should I say “had” been at for 4 ½ years. That’s the beginning of my adult life. That is one reason why I didn’t post this week, the other is because I managed to get a nasty cold, and was laid up in bed on Wednesday burning off the fever. Ick. Now that I am well, and today is/ was my last day at work, I really don’t have much to say at the moment, but I wanted to talk about the banana loaf that I made on Monday night. J It is my mother’s recipe, and it came out just the way I love my banana loaf.

As I was running out the door, Monday morning I went to grab a banana for breakfast, and realized that the bushel had seemed to pass its peak. The only thing I can think to do with almost bad bananas is banana loaf. I think I am turning into my mother.

Banana loaf:

2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
3 Tablespoons milk
1 cup masked bananas
2 cups of sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts

Mix together sugar, eggs, shortening. Sir in the milk and bananas. Sift and stir in the flour, soda, powder and salt. Then blend in the nuts. Throw into a 9x5x3 loaf pan and bake at 350o for 50 to 60 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy.

Right now I am going to run off and enjoy dinner with my friends. Chris and Mat are taking me out to a nice sea food joint. I’ll let you know what I think later.

Until then, Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 13 - The State Fair

2005-08-08T18:43:00.000-04:00

Music fest has come to town, and as a local, I fled Bethlehem as the hordes of tourists came in to see the show. Music fest usually means slow traveling around the city, It means that you probably won’t be able to get to your favorite restaurant, and that you won’t be able to find a parking spot. Music fest means a week at home, staying out of sight and relaxing. So this weekend was relaxing at the lake, and the weather was great. We had planned on having a Tuscan dish for an early dinner, and then head out to the Sussex county fair for some hick fun. Although everyone decided that they would rather eat fair food, so dinner was cancelled. My friend and I enjoyed a tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwich by the lake before we jumped in for a swim. After the swim we headed out to the fair. The dish was supposed to be tuna, with red onion, brochette and canolini beans with sage. It’s a easy and quick dish to put together, and very refreshing in the summer. I first experienced it in the town of Luca, Italy, where I also had my first bite of real parmesan cheese, oh what a delightful dinner that was.

Tuscan Tuna:

One can of Progresso Tuna in Oil, per person
1 red onion
A couple of sprigs of sage
Olive oil
Canolini beans
Tomatoes
Fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar
garlic
Bread
Mozzarella

The beans:

Rinse the beans and in a bowl toss with olive oil, and chopped sage. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let chill in the refrigerator.

The Brochette:

Dice the tomato, a real feat I know, but do your best. Mix the tomatoes with chopped basil, vinegar, olive oil, pinch of salt, pepper, and finely chopped garlic. Cut the bread into slices, and place on a baking sheet. Spoon the tomatoes onto the bread and then cover with shredded mozzarella. Set into preheated oven at 350o until they are golden.

Tuna:

Open can of tuna, squeeze out some of the oil, scoop tuna onto plate, and put a slice of red onion over it.

Then finish the plate off with the Brochette and beans.

Eat and be merry.

I will have to make this dish soon so that I can show you what it looks like.

Onto the fair:

I really enjoyed the vegetable competition; some of the veggies were so amazing looking. Like a rippled tomato, I had never seen a tomato that looked like that, and baskets of the most amazing looking vegetables, made me just want to take one home and start cooking. There was also a flower show, and some of the arrangements were just gorgeous, I saw the perfect roses, they looked like they would taste delicious, perfect sunflowers that breathed warmth into the air, and other vibrant colors.

After looking at the horticulture we moved on towards the food tents, and saw a vendor that was making ice cream on the spot. They has redesigned a John Deere engine from 1903 to churn ice cream, it made quite a bit of noise, and we just had to try the ice cream. I had vanilla and peach, which were very good, but not as good at the purple cow in Easton. We were also going to watch some cows get milked, but moved on before the show started. There were rows of prize winning beef cattle, and I kept looking at them thinking, “my god, I’m looking my food in the eye”, it was a little hard to stay around them. The impersonal ness of a slab of meat, and meeting the source, is kind of daunting. But I survived.

The best part of the day was the demolition derby though. No food involved, but highly entertaining. I had never experienced one before, and this being my first time, I loved it. I never thought watching beat up cars smashing into each other would be considered entertainment, but I was unlike anything I had ever seen. I found myself rooting for cars with funny paint jobs, and actually being disappointed when my car lost. It was a true test of machine against machine. We were sitting so close that we got sprayed with dirt, and I didn’t even care.

And now, I am sitting back, thinking about what to make for dinner, maybe I’ll find some ripe tomatoes and see what happens.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 12 - Carbonera

2005-08-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

Half day Fridays at work, just make the summer perfect. After I left the office, I headed home for a quick nap, and then back out for an oil change. Got to keep the car running. all went well, and when I returned home, I took last nights prep work out of the fridge and made myself a bowl of Carbonera. The workers lunch, comprised of left over breakfast, is a favorite of mine. I have watched my father make it for years, and recipes vary, but here is the one that I grew up with, and the one that I love the most.

Carbonera:

Three eggs
Romano cheese
Pinch of salt
Fresh basil
A bit of ground pepper
One chopped clove of garlic

6 strips of bacon (more or less according to your preference)
Pot of boiling water
Some spaghetti

The bacon:

In a pan on medium heat, cook the bacon to your desired level of cooked. Crispy or not. But keep the grease! Put the grease aside in another bowl, your going to want it later. After the bacon cools, cut into bits.

The egg:

In a bowl, beat the eggs, salt, pepper, chopped basil, and garlic. Cook in a pan until cooked, and then take off the heat, let it cool and then cut the “omelet” into strips.

The pasta:

Boil water, cook pasta, drain the water.

In a pan on medium heat, throw in the bacon grease, bacon, egg, and spaghetti, mix well and then plate.

Sprinkle a bit of fresh chopped basil on the dish and enjoy.

I sat back and enjoyed my lunch on the balcony, Riley was eating my basil plant, and I didn’t really care. This dish always makes me just not care about anything.

After lunch, I met a friend for a drink, and then we sat back on her deck and enjoyed the cooling air. On the drive home, there must have been 15 hot air balloons in the sky. That is the great thing about growing up so close to Hunterdon County, the balloons from Clinton, NJ. As I was driving along, listening to Louie Armstrong sing about the sunny side of the street, I watched a balloon land in someone’s yard, and the chaser, (a person who drives around with a case of champagne chasing the balloons) pulled up and handed the family who’s property the balloon landed on a bottle of champagne. That’s customary, sort of an apology for dropping in unexpected. But seeing this, reminded me of a girl who I was friends with when I was very young, her family had a hot air balloon, and one night I was outside with my family and I hear someone call my name. I look around, but don’t see anyone, and then I look up, and there she is with her parents about to land in our back yard. I would like to go up in one of those some day, when I have enough money of course.

Well I head out, with my memories, for the night.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 11 - Outside my window and a missed meal

2005-08-04T20:07:00.000-04:00

Outside my window, the heat wins another battle, and I hide in the shelter of my air conditioning. Although, I am not alone, a juicy peach sits on a plate next to me, half eaten, a glass of Sangiovese sits in front of me, a lit cigarette smolders in the ash tray to my left, and the prep work is done for tonight’s dinner. Pam was right, this wine is a good wine for relaxing in the evening. The smell of fresh basil wafts threw my apartment, and I had just chased Penny off from trying to steal a piece of bacon. That little scamp will stop at nothing, sometimes I think she is more dog than cat, to date she has made off with broccoli, the insides of a Wegman’s sub, a piece of chicken off my mother’s dinner place, tuna off of a sandwich, and she likes to chew on bones. Now she is resorting to stealing my bacon… extreme measures must be taken, no matter how cute you are, don’t mess with bacon. Unfortunately Penny is just too cute, so I give her a piece of bacon anyway.

I have skipped tai chi today, the heat was pounding on me at I couldn’t bring myself to get all sweaty on this fine day. The air conditioner is making so much noise, that I kind of wish it were cooler outside, so I could have the windows thrown open, and just enjoy the fresh air. However the air out there isn’t too fresh today, it is heavy and rank, and I refused to smoke my after work cigarette, because my lungs were just to angry. So I went to Wegmans, and slid threw the isles, smelling all the fresh fruit, taking in the aroma of the just baked bread, stood over the basil a little longer than necessary, day dreaming about Italy, and imagining that there I could sit outside and enjoy the day.

Outside my window, a car drives by, with rap music playing so loud, that my knees are vibrating. The beater honks its horn, and of courses its for my annoying neighbor who likes to throw loud drunken parties into the wee hours of the morning during the work week. But soon the car drives off and I am again enjoying Charlie Musselwhite’s harmonica. Blues and summer seem to go hand in hand, well, to me blues and anything go together, but today its especially enjoyable to sit back and let my eyes glaze over just a little.

Well my company just arrived, and dinner tonight won’t be happening, due to gastrointestinal issues. No worries, I put everything away, and it’ll make lunch tomorrow.

Now I sit back and finish my wine, and have a conversation with my friend.

Until tomorrow with recipe in hand, Bon Appetite.

Cookin No. 10 - Crepes for the day

2005-08-03T08:52:00.000-04:00

After Monday, I got the bad craving for zucchini, and I was thinking about doing something for that night, however when I got home, a strange desire to clean came over me. So Monday was spent scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting, and reorganizing. Thanks to this website: http://www.lifeorganizers.com/, I was able to find the inspiration to get up and run around like a mad woman. Most of the advice the site gives on cleaning is kind of obvious, but sometimes it is good to have a little inspiration, a little push in the direction you really don’t feel like going in.

Back to zucchini, I decided that after tai chi yesterday, I would have A over so I could try out my zucchini and crepe idea on him. I was moderately surprised at how well this came out, mainly because the only recipe I even looked at was the crepe recipe. For the crepes I used a recipe for manicotti, because A is lactose intolerant, and manicotti doesn’t call for milk.

Zucchini Crepes:

Manicotti:

1 cup sifted flour
1 cup water
1 T. olive oil
2 eggs
Pinch of salt

Beat everything together.

Using a crepe pan (or a flat skillet), heat on medium heat and melt a pat of butter. Pour batter onto the pan, if you want big crepes then use a large spoonful, if you want smaller crepes then use a smaller portion.

Zucchini inside (for two people, makes 4 crepes):

1 Zucchini (Take the skin off the zucchini, and then keep using the peeler to make long strips of zucchini.)
2 chopped shallots
Pinch of salt
Grated Romano cheese

In a sauté pan, heat a small portion of olive oil and then throw in the shallots. Let them cook for about 30 seconds or until they start to appear translucent, then add the zucchini and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the zucchini starts to seem like its melting. Take off the heat, put keep near the stove. Start to make the crepes.

Cook the crepes only one side, put the zucchini onto a portion of the crepe, sprinkle the Romano cheese over it and flip over the other half, and let cook.

Plate and enjoy.

The nice this about this dish was that the zucchini took on a different flavor with the Romano cheese. It was a very light dish, which was good for a hot day.

You will notice that I am trying to make this blog much more visual. So when I can, I am going to try to take pictures of my dishes, hopefully they come out ok.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 9 - Spice and Orange makes chocolate go round

2005-08-01T09:44:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, I headed to Long Island for my brother’s bridal shower, well, it was mainly for Kim, but he got some cool stuff too. My cousin Carolyn, her daughter Kassidy, my mother and I piled into the car and headed out way too early, in hopes to beat the traffic. We beat it all right; we beat it 2 hours early. No worries though, we got some coffee and chatted for a while.

The house that the party was at was beautiful, when I get older and ready to take on the responsibility of a mortgage, I would love a house like that. Hard wood floors, open and spacious front room, a good size dinning room, a really nice kitchen with a good amount of room to spread out, a nice enclosed patio, and a very well shaded small yard. Enough of that, onward to the food…

Lunch was catered by a Panini joint down the road, and they were very good panini’s on a ciabatta bread. Very nicely grilled vegetables and chicken on mine, and a good fresh arugula salad to top. Mmmm arugula. On ciabatta bread, I had first encountered this bread by name at wegmans, and it happens to be the bread I love to make my mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich on. It is usually a bit flatter than most bread, and always had a good solid crust. However, ciabatta is really a bread of many verities, but always the same slipper shape. Most people believe the ciabatta originated in Lake Como, Italy, however there is a gentleman at Pan Technology, (a school in Italy devoted to bread, everything bread, and how to make it better), who claims to be the inventor of ciabatta. Regardless of who made it first, ciabatta is good bread.

For desert there was an ice cream cake by carvel, chocolate chip cookies, fruit salad, and Chile Orange Truffles. I was so full from the lunch that I bypassed the cake and cookie, and grabbed a fruit salad, and one truffle. See I made the truffle, so I had to have one. I got the recipe for the truffles from: http://www.browniepointsblog.com/, and I have to say, they were wonderful.

After I let the truffles cool in the refrigerator and scooped them out, I found that the ones I made were too large, this recipe is very rich, and the next time I make them, I will defiantly have to cut them down in size, so that they can be enjoyed even on a full stomach. The recipe was easy to follow, and very easy to make, there were something that I will have to try again. The spicy part of the truffle was cayenne pepper, and it left such a hint of a bite, that if the person didn’t know what it was, they were a bit confused. It was a wonderful addition though, and I think I’ll put cayenne pepper in more chocolate now.

As for now, I am contemplating what I should make for dinner. Something very fresh, I think I’m in the mood for zucchini.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 8 - Got the Mojo Rising

2005-07-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

The severer heat has finally come to an end. Last night, the sky opened, and a ton of rain fell downward in the course of 5 minutes. After that, a sweet breeze came to the rescue, and my family and I sat on the back porch eating a wonderful meal. My father made a stake with Mojo sauce, (pronounced mo-ho). Apparently mojo is the name for several types of sauces that originated in the Canary Islands. The main base ingredients of all mojo sauces consist of, olive oil, loads of garlic, paprika or chili powder, along with cumin and a form of acid. Vinegar, lemon, orange or lime. The mojo that my father made was made with oranges. Mojo is usually used on pork dishes, but some mojo sauces contain more sweet ingredients like mango and those accompany fish dishes.

Last night, the mojo was poured over steaks, and grilled onions were pilled on top. The side dish was my favorite, Glazed fennel… mmm mmm mmm. Fennel is a great vegetable/ herb that tastes like licorice, it’s very refreshing when its served cold, and very tasty when its glazed like last night. Fennel also has some medicinal properties, fennel tea can help with indigestion, and stimulate the flow of breast milk.

So I found a Bobby Flay recipe for some mojo, I will have to try this with some pulled pork. Yumm.

Mojo

3 sour oranges
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and separated
Salt
Chopped fresh oregano leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the oranges down the middle and squeeze the juice. Mash a head of garlic in a morteros (a thick bowl with a mashing paddle used in Latino cooking). Add a little salt to the garlic (more than a pinch, less than a teaspoon). Add the sour orange juice to the mixture. Add oregano and pepper, to taste. Brush the Mojo Sauce on the food as it is cooking.

*This recipe is not my own.

Enjoy

Last night was also great because I got my uniform jackets. My mother, who knows that I would do a horrible job at hemming my uniforms, has offered to do them herself. Which I am so grateful for, because not only will they look nice and professional, but it will also save me the agony of sewing by hand, (she has a sewing machine). So the jackets are done, and they look wonderful. That wonderful mother of my even washed them a whole bunch of times, so the fabric is soft. I tried on the jackets, with my aprons, and looked at myself in the mirror. A great sense of pride and excitement washed over me. I can’t wait until I wear that uniform every day.

As I was laying in bed, I was thinking about how strange it is that I would choose this as my career. I was never a good cook, when I first moved out on my own, I lived on macaroni and cheese. But something changed with the first meal attempt, aside from the fact that it was undercooked, and tasted pretty bad, I thought, “I better start paying attention to my father. I should be good at this, I grew up with this. I better start paying attention”. And I did, and here I am, going to culinary school. My favorite job was waitressing anyway, so I knew that I would love being on my feet, and running around. I could care less about the pain or the stress, I love the environment of restaurants. I’m laying in bed thinking, “who knew” with a goofy grin on my face.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 7 - Viva La Brownie

2005-07-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

This Saturday was a blast, a culinary blast, to be precise. My parents hosted a engagement picnic for my brother, who will be marrying my soon to be sister-in-law in October. I’m really happy for him, and Kim, (his bride to be), and I got to meet her family for the first time on Saturday. Like Kim, they are down to earth people, from Long Island. Kim’s mother, Rene is a fun loving person, her father, Jeff is a real riot, and her sister, Tara is really nice and easy going. The rest of the family was full of nice people too.

The menu:

Cold shrimp
BBQ Ribs with a dry rub
Sweet corn salad with cilantro, red onion and jalapeño pepper
Roasted peppers
Roasted halves of baby eggplants, also known as shoes
Tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad
Deviled eggs
Roasted rosemary potatoes with fresh orange

We feasted. Three long tables were set up outside to house us, and we just ate, and drank sangria. My father, the culinary genius behind the picnic had started to prepare for the day at 5:45 in the morning. Crazy man. But I know that he loves it, nothing would have made him happier than to cook all that food for everyone. And nothing made us happier than to eat and enjoy it.

In true Italian fashion, after dinner we sat back, refilled our glasses of sangria and lit some cigarettes, rubbing our bursting stomachs. The weather had calmed down from blistering hot, to a nice cool breeze. A conversation on politics started up among the long island people, and I just smiled at my father and told him that everything was perfect.

Personally I don’t think that politics should be discussed at the dinner table. Why ruin the nice relaxed feeling you get after a good meal, with arguing over who is ruining the country, and who could make it better? Maybe I’m a eating purist, I’ve been called worse.

After a few hours of digestion, it was time for desert. This is where I came in. a few years ago, my friend Chris and I formed a recipe for brownies, after eating them for the first time, we deiced that their proper name should be, Damn Good Brownies. Since that evening in the kitchen, after the food fight was subdued, the recipe has evolved into a monster. My parents requested these brownies to be made for the picnic. Until this occasion, Chris and I were happy to divulge the secret of our recipe, however with the popular demand, we have decided that it will now be classified information. More on that later. For now… the brownies:

Damn Good Brownies
Sweet cream ice cream from the purple cow creamery in Easton
Sautéed berries with triple sec and brandy.

Now normally I would use turkey hill ice cream, but this being a special occasion, I called in an order to a creamery near by. The purple cow makes their own delicious ice cream, and they have a fabulous selection. I was thinking, that instead of vanilla ice cream, which sometimes can be a little over powering to the other flavors of a dish, I would try out their sweet cream flavor. Sweet cream is ice cream before any flavors are added, so its just cream and sugar. It tastes a bit like whipped cream flavored ice cream. Makes sense right. So I thought that the nice subtle flavor of the sweet cream would go well with the brownie and fruit. It did.

The berries:

Cherries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Blueberries
½ cup of sugar
Splash of triple sec
Splash of brandy

Cut the cherries in half and pit them, then slice the strawberries into ½ inch thick slices. Add all the berries to a pan on the stove at medium heat. Add the triple sec and brandy and let them cook for a while. After a minute, add the sugar and stir. Keep them on the stove until the raspberries are mush, and the cherries are a deep color. Let cool for a moment and then spoon over the brownie and ice cream.

Eat and be Merry

Nothing special about this dish, but people loved it. They raved about the brownies. And I have decided to bring the brownies back. For too long the brownie has been over looked. If someone tries to make the brownie gourmet, it comes out like some mound of colossal chocolate. Almost too much chocolate (that statement coming from a confirmed chocola-holic). The brownie turns into some peasant that was gussied up for a ball, and the outfit is all wrong. Other times the brownie is ignored, just something to hold onto at a family function, just another plane desert that someone threw together at the last minute. It never gets raved about.

So I want to bring the brownie back, it will be a brownie revolution, an appreciated desert, something that can stand proudly next to the crème Brule and be admired. This is why I’m keeping the recipe secret, because Chris and I have decided to undergo the adventure of revitalizing the brownie, and so there is much testing to do. Don’t worry dear friends, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. It is not my usual practice to keep recipes from the world, I always maintain that they are free to be shared, because they wouldn't grow if you kept them to your self, and that is still true here. DGB won't grow just yet, but after a few months of testing, we will set it free.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 6 - Cold Cereal and laughter

2005-07-20T14:43:00.000-04:00

Not much cookin happen here. Unless you count the bowl of cereal I shoved down last night before I headed out to do laundry. Just incase, I’ll give you the recipe:

Cold Cereal:

1 cup of milk, I use 1%
You favorite cereal (I used Kashi autumn harvest, and raisin bran)
One clean bowl
One clean spoon

Pour the cereal into the bowl. I like to pour one cereal at a time, and then mix then together with my hands. Add milk.

Grab you spoon and enjoy.

Aside from that, I have just been getting ready for school. I am beginning to find myself at the point where I can’t wait to leave work, and find myself in a kitchen, completely confused and overwhelmed. Sweat running down my face, my uniform seems to heavy, and I’m staring at the barrel of potatoes that I have to peel. That just sounds like fun. Laughing and enjoying everyone in the kitchen.

I have been listening to old Prairie Home Companion shows, it’s a radio show that is broadcasted on NPR. Its like having a good friend next to you, and I can’t help but have a big smile on my face. If you have never heard the show, you should give an ear for a moment. http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

Well, there was actually no point to my ramble today. I want to keep updates consistent, so look at this just as a filler entry.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 5 - Spindini or something like it

2005-07-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

Ah. A nice hot muggy day.

Things have been a little busy lately, but everything is moving along perfectly. I have 6 weeks left before school starts, and its crunch time. Got to get myself prepared to leave a job that I have been working at for the past 4 ½ years, have to find a new job… hopefully in a kitchen somewhere…

Aside from all of that, I have pretty much stayed out of the kitchen this week, though I have had dinner out on the town almost every night.

Wednesday night was awesome though. My father, who is my main inspiration for cooking, made something wonderful. I grew up in an Italian household, and my father was the cook. He has made his mistakes, I won’t ever forget the first time he ever made hummus, I refused to eat hummus for about 6 years after that, it was, to say the least, horrible. But most of the things that come out of his kitchen, his domain, are just superb. Like the rolled eggplant that he made on Wednesday night. He likes to call it Spindini, or Rollatini… I call it scrumptious.

Spindini or Rollatini:

A lot of good sauce
One eggplant
One egg
Some chopped basil
A handful of grated Romano cheese
Small container of ricotta
Fresh mozzarella
Salami sliced thin

First the good sauce. However you make your red sauce, then go for it. I don’t really have a recipe for it, I usually just imitate what I have seen done in my family for years. It consists of my big cast iron pan, two cans of San Marsano Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, salt, sugar, fennel seeds, ground pepper and an onion. I cook the garlic and onion in some olive oil until they begin to look translucent, then add the tomatoes, basil, salt, sugar and fennel seeds. The fennel seeds give the sauce a slight meaty flavor, without the meat.

Then the egg plant. Slice the eggplant about ¼ of an inch thick, long ways. Grill or broil the slices, until they are brown and almost cooked. Then lay out the slices, and lay the salami on top. In a bowl, beat one egg, chopped basil, some grated roman cheese, ricotta and mozzarella until everything is mixed together. Then plop a layer of the mixture on top of the eggplant and salami. After that, roll the eggplant and place into a covered container with the good red sauce. Bake in the oven at 350o for 40 minutes.

Plate and enjoy.

I know that this is not a conventional recipe, but nothing in my family is written down, we usually talk in terms of handfuls and pinches. If you have any specific questions about this dish, comment and I’ll try to answer your questions. I can tell you now, that if you like eggplant, then you will love this dish.

On to today.

My friend AS and I took her little sister to see Charlie and the chocolate factory. It wasn’t bad, but I still love the original with Gene Wilder. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant/ pub in Easton called Pearly Bakers. The food there is good, and they always have good beer. But the part about eating there that made me excited is that I found out they have an opening in their kitchen, and I got an application to fill out, and a recommended time to visit the manager. They don’t have a huge turnover, most people keep their jobs there for years, and I heard that their kitchen is fun, so lets keep my fingers crossed, and yours too if you please.

Tonight I had a beer called the Middle Ages Wailing Wench… a dark hoppy beer, rich flavors, I think there might have been some bitter chocolate in the process, because it had that flavor. Not a bad beer, but I don’t think I would run out and buy a whole case just yet.

Anywho my friends, I bid you a good night, I am going to curl up with a book and enjoy a Dixie beer.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 4 - Sea Salt

2005-07-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

So last night was more of a chill out and watch a movie night. The dish, chicken czar salad. The movie, Tortilla Soup (the Spanish version of Eat, Drink, Man Woman).

Chicken Czar Salad:
(for one person)

1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 large pat of butter
1/2 bag of arugula salad greens
some Briannas Czar salad dressing (I know, I was too lazy to make my own dressing)

Melt butter, rub salt and pepper into chicken breast and place into pan. Sauté until cooked through. Remove, and cut chicken into slices, let the slices cool and add to the salad.

Pop in movie and enjoy.

About salt, I am a bit of a salt snob now-a-days. I use French sea salt, and I have to say, that the taste is noticeably different than regular table salt. Sea salt is much more costly than regular table salt, but that is because of the unique process that goes into creating the salt. In Tibet, salt farmers travel for miles to harvest salt beds. They can only work a few times out of the year, and it takes them about a month of processing to gather the salt. In other cultures, women are the only people who are allowed to cultivate the salt, it is considered bad luck for a man to go near the salt while it is drying in the sun.

French Salt however is usually more unrefined than American salts, and it retains more minerals from the sea. Which means, this kind of salt, really brings out the flavors of meats and other cooked vegetables. I have tried chicken using both table, and sea salt, and I have found that the chicken has more of a delicious and juicer flavor when its cooked with sea salt, compared to the chicken cooked with table salt.

Salt has a very fascinating history. Throughout religions, salt has been considered a very powerful tool. The word “salvation” came from when scriptures of Catholicism were sealed with salt. In Buddhism, salt repels evil spirits, that is why its customary to throw salt over your shoulder when you enter a house after a funeral. Many other cultures consider salt to have spiritual purifying qualities.

Viva la Salt!

Cookin No. 3 - Picnic Fun

2005-07-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a gorgeous day. Hot, sunny with a slight breeze… this means, perfect picnic day!

To make a perfect picnic you need some very key ingredients.

Picnic:

1 Beautiful day
2 or more awesome fun loving people (for this event I used 10)
1 squirt gun per person
1 bucket of water
5 bags of ice
Some beer and soda
1 food dish prepared by each person
2 picnic tables
1 dog (if you don’t have a dog, no worries, I assure you that you will have fun)

You don’t need to cook anything for this recipe, just throw it all together, and enjoy.

+On Sunday the Kung Fu school that I take Tai Chi at, had their summer picnic. It was a pot luck affair, and we had a great time. I think the water guns were what really topped it off. Let me add, that I was the youngest person there, most of my classmates are 40 and over, and I think that we proved that squirt guns are not just kids toys. In the hot hot sun, we stayed nice and cool squirting each other. You can’t be afraid to get wet though, that takes all the fun out of it.

The pot luck dish I brought was a southwestern chicken salad.

Southwestern Chicken Salad:

For 10 people I used:
5 Boneless Chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 cup of sweet corn
1/2 jar of salsa (I used Wegman’s organic, what a great flavor)
1 packet of organic fajita seasoning
1 red onion
2 bags of Arugula salad mix
3 tomatoes quartered
1/3 stick of butter

Melt the butter in a frying pan, and rub 1/2 of the fajita seasoning onto the chicken. When the butter is melted, fry the chicken until it is cook all the way through. Take the chicken off the pan, and cut into strips or chunks (which ever you prefer for you salad). In the skillet add the rest of the fajita mix, black beans, corn, and salsa and cook until the salsa has reduced slightly and everything is mixing well. Let cool.
In the salad bowl, mix the greens, red onion and tomato. Add the cooled salsa dressing, and toss well. After arrange the chicken on top of you salad.

Eat and enjoy!

+The main thing I have to say about this is, if you are eating outside on a really hot day, like yesterday, leave the salad part out. The Arugula just melted outside, and it looked like a cooked salad. Nice and wilted. People will enjoy the chicken and black beans just as much as they will enjoy it with the salad. So next time I will leave out the lettuce part, and just bring the spicy fun.

This was also a good beer dish. I was enjoying a Dog Fish Head apricot beer during the festivities, and it was very sweet and refreshing. There was also a absolutely delicious ginger peach ice tea with honey and ginseng. MMMMMMMMMM I will get the recipe for you all, because that was just… yumm.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 2 - Tarragon Chicken

2005-07-07T23:45:00.000-04:00

I am always amazed when things come out right in the kitchen. Though, my mind was with the civilians in London who have suffered a great deal today, I couldn't help feel some shame for my joy in the kitchen. Sometimes I think that listening to NPR is like a soap-opera, I am glued to my radio driving to and from work, and on my way home, I cried during the reports of death and causality. I couldn't help but think back to 9/11, that day was like a sour taste in my mouth, today I felt something similar, dread and compassion for the people who have to face the harsh reality, and realize that an arm missing is not a dream. I can imagine how England is feeling, and I certainly hope that humanity is not in a downward spiral.

My heart and prayers go to those who are suffering in the world today...

After a moment of silence, lets go back to the kitchen.
+++

Realizing that I am a little short on cash, I decided to cook a reasonable dinner for A and I.

Chicken in a Tarragon vinegar sauce with string beans and onions.

The chicken:

Two chicken breasts, with the skin and bone
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
3 shallots, chopped
1/4 stick of butterfresh chopped tarragon

In a skillet melt the butter, rub salt and pepper onto the chicken, and then add the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken, on a medium/ high heat until it is brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan, and put it on a plate. in the skillet, add the shallots and sauté` for about 30 seconds, then add the vinegar and reduce to a glaze. After that, stir in the broth, and then place the chicken in the skillet skin facing up, and put a lid on it. Let simmer for about 12 minutes on a medium/ low heat, until the chicken is cook through. Take the chicken out of the skillet, turn the heat back to a medium/ high temperature, and add the fresh tarragon, let the liquid reduce a bit, and then spoon the sauce over the chicken.

The String beans:

1 pound string beans
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 Vidalia onion chopped

Blanch the string beans by adding them to a pot of boiling salt water for about 2 minutes, and then shock them in a basin of ice water. This will bring out the green of the string beans, and make them nice and crispy. In a pan, melt the butter and add the garlic, sauté` until the garlic appears translucent, and then add the onions. Do the same with the onions, and then add the string beans. Add the salt and pepper, and sauté` until the string beans reach your desired level off cooked. Usually about 5 minutes.

Plate and enjoy.

Like I said, I am always amazed when something comes out of my kitchen that is great. It’s as if I wasn't cooking, but someone else took my place. The chicken was so tender and juicy, and the vinegar left a slight bitterness that really made the sauce. The string beans were delicious, and I gave most of the onions to A, who loves onions and butter. If you are not a huge onion fan, you should use about 1/2 of the onion, for the sting bean recipe.

I finished off 1/2 a bottle of Chilean wine, and I’m feeling pretty good and satisfied right now. A simple dish, but a quite excellent dish, I would recommend this as a fall dish, but it was good for tonight.Now the rain begins, and I am going to take my drunken ass to bed.

Bon appetite

Cookin No. 1 - The Begining

2005-07-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

Testing Testing... is this thing on?

oh... oh... hello! sorry didn't see you there.

Aghem. So i'm still setting all this stuff up. But here you will hear about the happenings at culinary school, and working in hell (behind a hot stove). I will also be adding recipies to this site.

Bon apetite