She was pouting that I had run out of cinnamon graham crackers, but then got too quiet. When I turned around I busted her trying to make a break for it. Notice one of her shoulders are free from the harness. I think if she had gotten both shoulders free she would've clobbered me with a board book.
Friday was the final for our proteins class, super fun night. Everyone was scared to death about what dish they would yank from the toque of destiny. There were actually two toques, one with dishes and one with presentation times - so it was possible to draw two braises (long cook time) and the first presentation time (you're screwed).
I pulled presentation slot #11, giving me three hours. And for food I got poached salmon a la nage, and sauteed airline chicken breast with veg tagliatelle and tarragon sauce. I could make everything on burners, no deep fry or convection oven needed. I stashed some extra whole butter in plastic and on ice so it could be cold for the tarragon sauce; none of my sauces have broken and I was going to lose my shit if I broke one on finals night.
I sliced my knuckle pretty decent with a mandoline while cutting tagliatelle. A couple choice burns while basting the chicken breast. But overall I did well, stayed organized and served two good dishes on time, both were 18 out of 20, two As. The salmon needs to be cooked medium, which has been a wildly moving target for me and my friends. Due to different cut sizes of salmon and varying cook times, no one has nailed the sweet spot yet. Mine was a bit overcooked (yet for a normal salmon it was just south of fully cooked), and my friend R did his two minutes shorter than mine, but chef said his was undercooked. This poach is elusive as hell.
Staged at Fino again last night, loved it. Huge flavors! We were busy, we started the night with a 45 top. Keeps me on my toes. The next few weekends are booked at home, so I let them know I can come back as soon as May 15th. My school friends need to get up on a stage, this experience on the Fino line is so valuable.
Last night L and I knocked out two 20s with our BBQ shrimp, dirty rice, and steamed mussels. An awesome night, and we ate the hell out of it afterwards. This seafood week hasn’t really produced much by way of yummy snacks, but last night’s was a good dinner for us.
Tonight is our final, we have a written test and a practical test. The written is the classic diagram of a cow and we have to label the cuts of meat, and we have to identify various birds, and roundfish, flatfish, lean meats, fatty meats. 40 questions in all, he said. Then we have to make two of six possible dishes for grading: roast lamb, fried chicken, hanger steak, poached salmon, beef bourginon, and one other dish, I forget. And of course, the dishes are in French so they sound better, and they have sides and sauces too.
Next week, we’re on to baking. I will be able to bring home more snacks to the fam then. For the past few weeks, I haven’t been keen on bringing these proteins home, in case they stay at an unsafe temp for too long.
And tomorrow night I’m staging at FINO again! Looking forward to it.
More info on how the finals go tonight.
Stove Monkeys was established in 2007 by Matthew Mytro and Anthony Lynch. As young, energetic chefs they were proud to represent themselves as culinary professionals but were limited outside of the kitchen. Inspired to create a line of clothing that could be worn by chefs as everyday street wear, Stove Monkeys was born. Their passion continues to grow as does their clothing line…so don’t go anywhere… you might get left behind….Check it out: stovemonkeys.com
Stove Monkeys purpose is to provide the culinary industry apparel that will bestow a sense of camaraderie amongst culinary professionals, students, and foodies throughout the world.
As progressive chefs, we are concerned with sustainability and health. We carry these beliefs into the production of our apparel by utilizing eco friendly printing materials and recycled products where available.
The past two nights have been great. Last night was grill night, and L and I made bacon wrapped quail with madiera sauce and ratatouille, and grilled balsamic honey glazed chicken breast with a vegetable Napoleon. Each dish was high in prep work, and our mise en place took forever, especially with the ratatouille - all those small dice, which I actually did in a brunoise, a tad smaller than it was supposed to be, although my cuts were consistent.
The Napoleon is a riff on the dessert; we made a layered tower of grilled portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper, grilled zucchini, topped with browned mozzarella cheese. The mushroom grilled so well, very yummy. And L made the glaze while I grilled the breast. Grilled quadrillage on the skin side, flipped it, grilled more, then finished in the oven.
We scored perfect on the chicken, and we got an 18 on the quail - my pinche ratatouille went cold, and our presentation wasn't perfect on the plate.
The night before, we sauteed chicken breasts served with a vegetable tagliatelle (which means rat tails), and sauteed duck breasts with quinoa, sugar snap peas, and a blackberry gastrique. We dominated; a 20 on the chicken, a 19 on the duck. The duck tasted so good.
Also last night, our buddies in bakery made eclair, macaron, and creme puffs. So right after we were through cooking, these yummies showed up and we inhaled them all.
Tonight is deep frying night, should be fun.
New meats, new techniques, and new partners. This week I'm with L, my Filipino friend who loves his Glock and loves him a 5 Hour Energy shot.
Last night was roast whole chicken with mushroom dressing and gravy, and half a partially deboned Cornish hen with batonned celery root/carrot in anise burre blanc over a horseradish cream sauce. Our birds both came out juicy as can be. It was easy to take the temp of the chicken and pull it when it hit 160; the hen was harder, at that size of a bird chef said the thermometer can lie to you so you must also get to know doneness by the feel of the meat. Which sounds like an awesome way to give someone samonella. But ours came out perfect.
For both birds we let them rest 15-20 minutes before carving and presenting. Chef said chicken should be served just above room temperature, and it will do some reheating from the sauce. Other teams had some juice loss, or some meat that looked underdone. Theirs didn't rest long enough, but our timing was good. The only things we missed were A) too much negative space on our chicken plate and B) the horseradish sauce was a little too thick.
Tonight is saute: duck breast, chicken breast.
We made a veal blanquette and the veal/veloute combination ended up looking like some of the pale wet dog foods I get for Salado. Which was the desired effect, it needed to be as white and monochromatic as possible, and as we plated it with rice pilaf it was a very very pale plate.
Beef bourguinon was delicious. We made a hell of a sauce for our beef to braise in. My partner eats almost no salt so I have to taste and season for salt levels; any salt is too much salt for her, and this French cuisine is like creamed salt lick after creamed salt lick.
With dishes like beef bourguinon, I'm wondering how it could be tweaked to be vegetarian friendly. Thick chunks of root vegetables, some tempeh chunks, something. The wine is there foremost to cut into the collagen in the meat, break it down and tenderize for the braise to be effective, but maybe there's a way to pull out more of those rich wine flavors in a different method, kinda fudge and back into the bourguinon flavor profile.
In any case it was good and so cool to think about how these techniques originated from the peasants. Culinary study is unique, I'm very happy.
Also on Friday, I dropped off resumes at Olivia and Asti, looking for staging opportunities.
Okay it took a few days but beef juice and I clicked tonight. Tonight was braising night (oh yes its braising night, and the feelings right, oh yes its braising night oh what a night), we did beef short ribs and osso bucco, which is a veal shank. Both tough cuts of meat, needing hours in a braise to gelatinize, soften, fall off the bone.
The osso bucco paired with a risotto and was topped with a gremoulade (anchovy, lemon zest, parsley, garlic) and brunoised veggies. My brunoise is getting good, knife cuts were rough for me at first but I'm getting the hang of it. I did the osso bucco, and it came out quite well. Chef found it to be tender, my sauce nappe (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon), he did say my risotto was done but not creamy enough.
The short ribs were executed by A; I cut the veggies for it and also sliced the beef thinly on the bias when complete. She made the sauce, seared and braised the ribs, plated the dish. Chef loved it, and gave us the first 20 (perfect score) that he has given our class to date.
My partner is insane. Last night we were doing rack of lamb and veal cutlets. The sauces for each dish require veal stock, the rack of lamb actually needing a demiglace so you have to reduce the stock. So we're busy as hell and she's a mumbler, I don't do well with low grade human white noise speak up if you want to be heard, and every time I deduce what she's saying, she's always asking me where the beef juice is. Beef juice, beef juice, then she trots off to wash dishes, then comes back and hints for a cigarette.
There's a restaurant term called in the weeds, defined as the state when not only is one fucked, one knows one is fucked, prays for an extra minute to get caught up, but that minute never comes. And A, who henceforth shall be known as beef juice, creates this feeling wherever she goes.
Our food actually ended up okay. The veal was not sweet like chef's was, but it was okay. And he said we nailed the rack of lamb. Thoroughly enjoyed making that lamb. Frenching it, searing, breading. Its just a cool shape and satisfying to cook, feels creative. If only beef juice didn't drive me crazy in the process. I work hard at staying organized before, during, after cooking. Beef juice works hard at taking a giant poop on my mise en place and mumbling all night. Very ready to switch partners.
Like literally, like prison riot. Last night we were doing a stuffed roast pork and a roast beef, and I had the pork. My group had 3 people, one dude who was brand new to our class. Anyway something happened and one thing ate another and before you know it we're presenting two porks to chef to taste. No beef. No clue no beef. My partner A had hacked the fat off of he pork that I thought was beef, and I was so busy checking temperatures that I totally spaced on identifying the meat's color. Massive duh no shit moment.
Anyway tonight we're doing a rack of lamb, watch me turn in a roast gerbil.
Tonight starts our proteins class. Half my class is going to baking, other half is proteins, pretty sure I'm going to proteins.
The last two weeks were such a whirlwind, I'm glad I took notes because I completely forgot about some (most) of the soups, sauces, and veggies I even made. Carrots vichy, gratin a dauphinoise, poached eggs, sauteed spinach, consomme soup, cream of mushroom soup, shrimp bisque, garlic mashed potatoes, perfect pommes frites, ---- this list doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the dishes we did.
I did however pull a perfect score on my consomme soup during our practical final exam. Consomme is witchcraft. Love it. Witches with cauldrons, ever wonder what they're making? Consomme.
Posts
All Comments
