Chef Basics

So Spring Quarter has ended. This was the latest cuisine class I took. We went through the regions of America, hence the name American Regional. I really found it fascinating and was surprised to see the kinds of cuisines and influences from other cultures right here in our own country. Granted I shouldn't be that surprised but it is interesting how many foods are out there and where they came from. These journals are from the weeks of class and also included are pictures of the dishes I made.

American Regional
Journal Week 1

On Thursday I saw a different way to filet a fish going down the spine. It was interesting and I will have to investigate how to do this more often so that I know two different ways to filet a fish. Broke down a chicken also for the next day where we just needed to cook. It was a way for us to get back into practice. Definitely something I need work on. Although I still cook at home I am not always practicing skills.

On Friday I honestly don’t know what happened. I felt I had somewhat of a game plan when I went into class, but by the end of the period I found myself lost with time. I started off okay getting my salad together, though my concasse tomatoes were mush. I fried up my chicken tenders and put them on top, but they were under seasoned as was just about everything else I cooked except possibly the fish and I need to cook the skin longer so it was crispy, my skin was soft. I checked the temperature several times on all my chicken and allowed for carry over cooking but the grilled wings were under cooked, the fried chicken just barely cooked and the seared breast seemed a little to pink for me. The potatoes came out okay, but not what I had planned.

I tasted a few things my table partner made and it was good, but I didn’t taste anyone else’s food in the class, and I should have. I need to make a point of that next week, and not be discourages because the food I made didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.

American Regional
Journal Week 2

On we cooked our first menu. I worked on the Clam Chowder. It came out a bit thick, Chef told me how to thin it out, something I should have known. The recipes for the most part came out pretty good. The funny thing is, I had a plan and things didn’t go the way I had hoped, though the meal came out okay. Was surprised that there wasn’t much left overs.



On Friday we had a pretty good turn out. I did not have a plan of what I was going to do and things ran a lot smoother. We even had a different class mate on our team and then later an extra team member. We took the challenge of Fish and chips, which most of the class did and it was pretty good. I think it ended up having too much batter on it after tasting it. We made a Braised Short Ribs, and to go with it I worked on the swiss chard, and made noodles from scratch for the first time. I was pretty impressed at how easy they were to make and how they came out. All in all Chef said we did very well with our food and working together as a group. I noticed within the group, we all get focused on what we are doing, and then check everyone else when done to see if they need any help. No one seems to have an attitude or wants to do it all. Everybody seems willing to do their fair share and then some which makes for some good team players.



American Regional
Journal Week 3

We cooked half of our Deep South and Floribbean menu. I made the Pulled pork sandwich with slaw and BBQ sauce. It was the first time I made a pulled pork and it was pretty simple. Cutting it up helped the cooking time. I have made BBQ sauce before but not by using spice and I think it came out pretty good. I had to thicken it up with a slurry. The buns I over toasted, I usually place them in the oven and let them toast, this time I tried it on the grill. Chef Morris commented that the pork was a perfect balance of meat and sauce and didn’t need to have any more sauce, or it would over power the meat. Also when plating, need to think simplistically. We were thinking how to finish off the plate and the best way to do it was a simple pickle spear. One more thing, apparently our group really works well together. The only thing I can think of, is that we talk about what we are going to do, focus on that and check with one another throughout the time to finish the meal. We check each other’s food, taste it, give comments on it, clean as we go, and then move on. Apparently we need to stay together as as group as long as possible.

These first few pictures didn't come out that good, but it's something. In week 2 we made Coo-Coo which is like Palenta with okra.



Along with it we made Ensalada de Aguacate y Pina. Translation, an avocado and pineapple salad.



And we also made a Yuca Mufongo with cilantro aioli. Yuca is a kind of potato.



In week 3 we made a Pepperpot Soup with lean beef stew meat, jalapeno pepper, kale, callaloo, taro root, yam, okra, and shrimp.



And a Sopa de Frijol Negro, which is a black bean soup.



And finished with Fried Plantains.



Week 4 we made Pozole Blanco using hominy, pork neck bones, and pork stew meat.



And Mole Verde con Hierbas using white beans, jalapeno chiles, and goat meat (yes goat meat), epazote, and hoja santa leaves.



In week 5 we combined all we made on one plate. We made a Pavo con Salsa de Achiote (turkey) with Pickled Red Onions (which we put on tortillas), Mole Negro, and Arroz Blanco con Verduras (white rice with vegetables).



On week 6 we made Sopa de Fideos Aguada, a tomato noodle soup.



Then we made fresh corn tortillas and were allowed to play with the presentation. So we minced up some goat meat, peppers, onions. Wrapped in a tortilla and made a tomatillo salsa to go over it with pico de gallo.



On week 7 we made Churrasco y Chimichurri (marinated flank steak) with Roast Corn, Pepper, and Garlic Flan. And sauteed Spinach and Red Onions.



And finished off with a Rice Pudding in a Lace Cookie Basket topped with a Cinnamon Creme Anglaise and Raisins.



I have really enjoyed the class. I do a lot of Americanized Latin cooking at home and now I get a chance to experiment with traditional spices and methods. A new favorite spice I have started playing with is Ground Cumin it really makes the dish and gives it that authentic taste. Not really a fan of the Coo-Coo, or the Fried Plantains. Love the Cilantro Aioli and learning how to make my own tortillas.

All of these presentations were group efforts. I personally made the Coo-Coo, Pepperpot Soup, Arroz Blanco con Verduras, Mole Negro, sauteed Spinach and Red Onions, Mole Verde con Hierbas, Sopa de Fideos Aguada, pico de gallo, and the Cinnamon Creme Anglaise. Granted the whole group (3 people at my table, sometimes just 2) was involved in the prep work. Each table has their own recipes they do. Two groups do the same. Then we go over it at the end of presentation.

I'm a little behind still, trying to find a balance with everything. Seems like when I'm home I just want to sleep. I'm supposed to do homework at school while waiting for kitten to finish classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have Computer Apps on Weds and so far it seems to be a decent class, but I can see where it can get complicated. Thurs I have Latin Cuisine, start our first menu tonight...looking forward to it. Saturdays and Sundays are Garde Manger. Basically fixing foods for banquets and what not. Cold food, sandwiches, soups, salads, hors derves, and curing meats. I'm actually excited about the class. I'd like to intermingle the different cultures and combine them in with the Garde Manger, especially for catering purposes. Have Caribbean food with an Asian presentation. So in Garde Manger we did several things as groups. Our main focus was breakfast. My group fabricated turkey's where others worked on bacon, corn beef, roast beef and I can't remember the rest., We made a breakfast sausage and had to have breakfast with it, so we had biscuits and gravy, potatoes, sausage and scrambles egss with orange juice and milk.



I will try to have tonight's cuisine up in a few days.

Quick entry. Final grades from last quarter; Baking B+, Pastry B-, Nutrition A. Started Spring Quarter today, first class computer apps. The job is going okay barely 20 hrs a week though. Good for going to school, not good financially. Have Latin Cuisine on Thursdays, and Garde Manger on Sat and Sun.

So these are the plated desserts we made this past weekend. A little more involved than I figured we would do. First is the Ocean Breeze, we had to make three plates of each and the other is a lemon raspberry tart.




Here are some of the other plated desserts.

Still a few weeks behind but slowly catching up. Word about new job, is that I'm supposed to start training on the 10th and 11th and the place opens on the 12th with a limited menu a soft opening. The position they have set a side for me looks to be expediter. I really wanted to cook, but I need to know this position too. Just have to see how it turns out. As for school, I have two more weeks for this quarter. As of midterms I have two B's and an A. I'm hoping to bring up the B's. The next things we did in class were laminated doughs which had to be left over the weekend to be finished the following weekend. Laminated dough is a dying art form. People usually will buy the product rather then make it because it is a long drawn out process. Laminated doughs make danish's croissants, puff pastries, cream horns, bear claws, and things of that type.

Puff Pastry Dough:
Flour and salt in bowl with a paddle attachment. Cut your butter in to get a mealy consistency like pie dough. Mix on speed 1. Add water and egg together. Turn off. Dig a well in flour in the middle feel around if large chunks of fat in flour break it up, add water mixture. Dough will come out sticky, very soft dough. Make your burrage (butter block). Take butter, 1.25 oz cake flour and bread flour, roll it in between two pieces of parchment paper the size of half sheetpan. Tag it and put in cooler. Take dough roll it out in a rectangle ¾ of a full sheetpan. Tag it and place in cooler. Both for about 15 – 20 minutes.



Folds and Turns:
Lay out your dough, peel butter off burrage, any butter stuck on paper scrape it off and lay on one side of dough. More folds and turns the better. Single book fold. Rectangular shape. Take one end and fold over butter, locking in the butter. Then start to roll it out. If you're even with the force on your rolling pin, you'll come out with a nice product. Then turn your dough 90 degrees either clockwise or counterclockwise but you have to continue that rotation. Then roll out dough again into a retangle, then do a double book fold, which is taking one end and folding into the middle, take the other end fold into the middle meeting the others edge, then fold that looking like a book closing. Turn that 90 degrees in the same rotation. Continue process one more time, put into cooler to relax for 20-30 minutes, then pull out and continue whole process three or four more times.

These are what we made the following week.





These were all tasty but the best was the ham and cheese croissant. Even Chef commented several times how good they were.

Sunday we made ice cream and sorbets.

We made a chocolate and macadamia nut ice cream and a raspberry lime sorbet, both came out really nice.

I have made a lot of different things an haven't really been able to keep up on when some of these were made and don't have pics for everything. Classes seem to be getting longer, but and less product being brought home. Finals are around the corner. I have been trying to do some volunteer work, and last week i was told I was hired finally at this Bar and Grill I mentioned before, but as of today I haven't heard when I'm to come in and start playing with food to find out position I will be doing.

Pound Cake:
Butter and 42 oz of sugar go into mixer first using the creaming method, speed 2 for five minutes. After its creamed add egg yolks in two stages on speed one. After yolks are incorporated add flavoring. Alternate flour and buttermilk in four stages each. After second stage of each one, stop it and scrape the bowl down. After last stage stop it again and scrape down bowl and get to bottom. Turn it on one more time to make sure everything is incorporated. Turn off, scrape batter out. Wash out bowl. Add egg whites to mixer put on speed three, whip egg whites add sugar in three stages to make common meringue. When meringue is at soft peak, fold half into batter. Then can put rest back into mixing bowl. Bring all of it together nice and smooth, then spread it out onto a sheet pan. Take thumb run across edge of pan. Place in oven 375f for 25-30 minutes.

Butter Cream
If you use strait butter in your butter cream it will melt. You need some shortening to provide some body; support. Butter goes into bowl with a paddle, start speed one, turn up to speed two. Let it go about five minutes. Get it nice and smooth then feed in shortening in a couple of stages. Add in 10x sugar in one shot. Turn it back on five minutes. Turn off and scrape down, let it go for 10-15 minutes. Take egg whites and sugar and whip over a low simmer to 110f to make Swiss meringue. Take off stove, put on machine with whip attachment to cool down. One it cools down, start to feed in your butter mixture and let it whip for another 10-15 minutes.

Challah Bread:
After dough is out of bowl, take it and roll it into a tube, cut off about six even pieces to roll separately. Roll dough with fingers closed moving across the dough to get even length. Do not want thick in middle, skinny on end or vice versa. After you have three even rolled out dough, take the dough and braid it. Keep your ends slightly loose so the you can combine the ends as to make a reef. Egg wash it and place it in oven. Not bad for a group of guys.




Cinnamon Dough
Have to maintain a square or rectangular shape. Have to know when you’re too thick or thin in some areas. Roll it out just past the size of a half sheet pan. Flour table and roll out. Take your filling and spread out all over dough starting about two inches down from the top. Take egg wash and spread over two inches not covered and roll from the bottom up. Bottom is your center. After rolled up. Cut about an inch off and place in circular pan side by side all the way to the center.






Struddle
Lay out parchment paper. Sprinkle sugar over paper. Take phyllo dough and make your base. Brush melted butter on base, then take another sheet of dough and start to overlap. Brush butter again on dough. Going to overlap dough 12 and 12 middle will be thicker. Brush each side with butter before placing a new sheet of dough, it is your glue. Take you filling and place along the bottom of your dough. Roll from the bottom up, when you get to the edge you can brush butter across to help seal it. Then place seam side down. Score the top with a knife, brush with egg wash, then sprinkle some sugar over the top. Place on a sheet pan and place in oven.





Lady Fingers
Yolks and sugar whipped up to ribbon stage. Whites and sugar whipped up to make stiff common meringue. Fold yolks into whites. Then fold in sifted bread flour in stages. Pipe out onto sheet pan 3-4 inches long, dust with 10x sugar, place in oven.



Crepes
All liquid ingredients go in except butter. Eggs, egg yolks, water, milk and whisk it together. Feed in flour while whisking, trickle in butter. Batter is nice and thin.

Tirmisu
Whip cream to a soft peak. Put gelatin sheets down side of bowl in ice water and let it sit. Cream Cheese in mixer for 15 minutes, need it nice and smooth, creamy. Stop and scrape bowl while mixing. Put zest in with cream cheese. Whip pasteurized eggs and granulated sugar on stove over simmering water to 138 f so sugar melts, whip it cool to ribbon stage. Feed into machine with cream cheese in stages. Then fold into whip cream in stages. Once filling is made, take gelatin and squeeze all water off of it, place gelatin in a bowl and place it over simmering water and melt it down. Take some of filling and temper it into the gelatin to balance out the solution. This will activate the gelatin. It is going to seize up, put it back over simmering water to thin it out. Pour gelatin into filling while stirring it in.

Building it into a hotel pan. Soak lady fingers in simple syrup and sit side by side on bottom of pan. Lay half your cream on top nice and smooth, then another layer of lady fingers and the rest of your filling. Let it chill in cooler.





Mousse
Whip cream to soft peak. Melt down chocolate. Eggs, egg yolk, and sugar on stove over simmering water to 138 f. Put in mixer to cool it down.
Once cooled down, fold chocolate into eggs, fold whip cream into chocolate. Texture will become lighter. If flavoring with alcohol the alcohol will be tasted. Add about a pinch of salt to help bring out flavor of chocolate or use tsp of vanilla.






Not much to say, barely enough time to post all of this. Enjoyed most of the desserts and breads. I am enjoying this class more than I thought, but still not interested in taking it as a major.

Genoise Cake
Melt butter on stove put off to side. Start a pot of water on stove to a rolling simmer. Whisk eggs and sugar over simmering water, bring to 100f. Put in mixer to cool down medium speed 10-12 minutes. As the eggs cool down they will start to get thicker and get to ribbon stage. You can tell ribbon stage when eggs are thick and pale and when you whip it up you can form a figure eight in the batter before it sets. When it gets to that stage take it off the machine and start folding in sifted dry ingredients. With your butter do not pour directly into batter it will deflate your batter. Take some of your batter and pour into the butter. Then fold it back into batter. Lightly spray parchment paper on bottom of pan. Pour batter into pan place in oven.



Sponge Cake
Take eggs yolks and 1/2 sugar and put in bow to make ribbon cake, and egg whites and 1/2 sugar in stages to make French/Common meringue. Fold yolks into whites. Fold in dry ingredients last. Spread onto sheet pan, make sure it is spread evenly. Place in oven 10-12 minutes 375f.



Butter Cream
Butter, Shortening, 10x sugar in mixer, when mixing make sure to crape down bowl. Bring water to a rolling simmer put granulated sugar and egg whites in bowl over water, whisk and bring to 110f to make Swiss meringue. Whip it cool. Take meringue and put it into mixer with butter cream. (Put gelatin in Swiss meringue you have marshmallows).

Roulage
Take the sponge cake, turn it over, take off paper, put in thin layer of butter cream. Then roll long ways tight. Lift off paper, then lay seam down. Layer with butter cream. Smooth out, then decorate with piping.



I took the leftover sponge cake and butter cream and made this.

Two weeks behind, but here it is.

On Saturday we made Pretzels:
Sponge method on pretzels. Activate your yeast first with warm water 75f-80f, stir it up a little. Take flour, salt and sugar and pour into mixer. Yeast feeds off of sugar. When yeast starts to bubble in water you know it’s alive. Dig a hole in the middle of the flour mixture to pour in your yeast, then cover it up. Let sit for ten minutes. Put milk and butter on stove, just long enough to melt the butter. After ten minutes pour milk and butter into mixture and mix for about 5-6 minutes with a dough hook. Take another bowl, brush some olive oil around bowl, then place dough in bag it and tag it place into proof box, for about 45 minutes. We put cinnamon and sugar on them, they came out pretty good.



Next we made pizza dough:
Activate your yeast. In bowl put in your flour, salt, olive oil and honey then pour in activated yeast. Strait dough mix, everything goes in. Turn on mixer speed 1 for 3 minutes, the speed 2, for 5 minutes. When it comes off test it for the window pane test. Stretch out dough of bin all directions to thin enough to see your fingers through it, if it breaks it’s not ready.

Rolling out pretzel dough. Once it come out, roll dough into long tube to be cut into sections. Cut small sections roll with fingers closed, a long thin rope like dough. Take ends loop to make a circle, twist ends together and press to dough. Form the shape of a pretzel.

Rolling out pizza dough. Take dough out of bowl, place on table with flour. Start to stretch it out. You don’t want to stretch it out too thin. Brush olive oil on sheet pan. After you get dough on pan, stretch it out, but not full length of pan. Make sure there are no bald spots in dough. Once dough is where you want it, you can brush olive oil on dough and place your toppings on. Put in box. This was great. Can't wait to make my own at home.



Then we made our Yeast Rolls. Take dough out of bowl, place on flour on table roll it into a tube. Slice off 1 oz portions of dough. Fold all edges in so that you have a nice smooth piece of dough to work with. Roll with your hand cupped on table. Round the dough, lean on it. Brush with egg wash. Tasted like dinner rolls.



Started on our Angel Food Cake:
Egg whites make or break your angel food cake. Make French/Common Meringue. Whip eggs 70% of the way, make sure eggs are warm by heating bowl with a torch or by hand. Then add sugar in three stages, after first stage add in cream of tartar. Add in sugar in minute intervals.
Stir up dry ingredients, fold dry ingredients into meringue in four stages. Clean pan, DO NOT put anything into it before putting batter in. Pour batter in pan, take spatula and rotate pan to smooth batter. Take pan and tap once on table and place in oven. A little dry for me, but still good.



Then practiced on piping:

On Monday Feb 1, I spent all day at school volunteering for the San Pellegrino Event. In the morning we set up for a water tasting. Moving tables and cleaning glasses and setting the tables. Nothing really major, but something to do, Learned how to polish glasses by turning them upside down over coffee pots with warm water and letting them steam up and then wiping them clean with a towel.




Next I helped a bit with prep in another class for the food sampling of the nights competition. Then I went back to help set up for the event, the judges table. Then I volunteered to be a co mise for one of the competing chef's. There were eight Chef's from different schools. They all had two hours to make one meal, but had to have eight plates. One plate was for pictures, one was for the kitchen judges and the other six were shared between eight other judges. I got to learn a lot from being in the kitchen and watching how preparation was done, and what judges look for when they are judging in the kitchen. Number one, after sanitation, make sure plate is hot. I learned a trick from my Head Department Chair. He told me a lot of insight. I got to taste the prepared meals after the judges had judged them, and some were pretty interesting. I also got to run food to the judges at the judging table, and had a great time talking with the announcer and time judge. I picked out the winner before he was announced. He had a hot plate.




Oh and one of the judges was a contestant from Top Chef, Eli.

On Wednesday I got to go to my reception for making the Deans List. I was very excited. I took a picture of my name on the monitor.



On Thursday we had dinner at the school's restaurant Creations, with a $75.00 gift card I earned for volunteering at the event. The menu was ala carte. We had Bread on the table with an interesting salsa spread..



Then we started with soups. Cuban Style Black Bean Soup with Smoked Chile Mango, Feta Cheese, and Avocado and Butternut Squash Bisque with Caramelized Red Onion and Toasted Pecans. I really liked the black bean soup. The butternut squash was good, just sweet.




Then we had a salad. Arugula Salad with Spiced Pear, Butternut Squash, Ricotta Salata, and a Charred Lemon-Agave Dressing. I enjoyed the salad also, but it was a bit too sweet.



Next we had three appetizers. Ceviche, made with Tilapia marinated in Citrus, Chillies, and Cilantro, Celery Root Gnocchi with Bleu Cheese, Candied Red Onions, and Toasted Walnuts, and Arancini: fried Four-Cheese Risotto with a Arugula-Walnut Pesto.
The ceviche was interesting, but was served cold as it is meant to be and had too much of a citrus taste. Did not care for the gnocchi, but I did like the risotto.





Then we had our main courses, Naturally Braised Chicken Breast stuffed with Mild Mushrooms and Spinach and served with Cheddar Grits and Honey-Pecan Sauce, and Seared Sushi Grade Yellow Fin tuna with Lemon-Orange Tapenade and a warm salad of White Beans, Arugula, and Roasted Plum Tomatoes. The chicken was good, don't like grits, and the tuna was interesting.




Then we topped it off with dessert, Tirimisu, and Molten Chocolate Cake with Rum Raisin Ice Cream and Spiced Cherry Sauce. Tirimisu not my thing, enjoyed the cake though.