It's a bit (or very) gross to be deep frying potatoes and grilling beef at 8:15am in the morning, but that's what I found myself doing for Practical #018 (Cote de Boeuf Grillee) with Chef Benoit. It was actually a very busy lab, and we had to be very careful to get everything done. You had to de-bone the beef, including properly tying it up, and and then prepare Tomatoes provencale, and cut up potatoes for pommes mignottes (basically perfectly cut French fries). Oh yeah, and the super messy Beurre Marchand du vin, which is a red wine butter which is really just a ploy to force students to have to buy new jackets because they got stains on it. And those Chef Jackets are $50 each!!!
The end result was pretty good, even though I was told to prepare my meat as "Bleu", which is even less cooked than rare. Basically warm in the middle, but not cooked. Yikes. I went back to the grill after he graded it and cooked it for another 15 minutes or so. I did struggle a bit with finding the articulation when de-boning, but I think I understand it now. I had no problem tying the meat, which was good.
Lesson #019 demonstration was by Chef Benoit as well. It focused on Pocher, to poach / cook something in a large amount of liquid. You can pocher "A Froid", from cold water, such as potatoes, proteins, dry vegetables.. this is EXPANSION cooking. If you pocher "A Chaud, from boiling water for things such as eggs, green vegetables (A l'anglaise), rice, fruits.. that is CONCENTRATION cooking.
Reminder: Court Bouillon is cooking in a liquid + Acid + Garniture Aromatique for approximately 20-25 mins. Marmite is also a consomme simple.
The dishes were Petite Marmitte Henry IV (soup with poached chicken in chicken stock, veal, beef and veg - Practical #19), Blanquette de Veau a L'ancienne, Riz Creole (Veal with white sauce, a French classic - DO NOT DEVIATE FROM RECIPE!) and Truite Pochee au Court Bouillon, Beurre Fondu (trout in .. you guessed it: BUTTER!). None of the dishes were particularly appealing to me.
The demonstration was a bit off because we had a fire drill in the middle of the class, which really sucked because that meant we didn't finish until later (15 mins before the next class), and I had to go directly from the demonstration to the practical, since I was helping the Sous-Chef bring the ingredients up. Pain in the ass. And tomorrow I am the Sous-Chef.. what a great way to end Hell Week..
Practical #019 went VERY smoothly. Despite poaching 3 different kinds of meats, the class pretty much all finished on time. Everything turned out well for me, although my soup was slightly under seasoned. My veg was perfectly cooked, my meat was tender, broth was clear, and my accompanying sauce was the perfect consistency (a la Nappe)! Good way to end a Friday... although it's not over yet.. tomorrow is HELL lab. Turning 70 turnips for the duck. Yikes!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
So French food isn't THAT bad...
Today was a double demo day, and started with Demonstration #017 and Chef Gilles. Everyone was really out of it, since we didn't get out of class until around 11pm. We're thinking that last night was mostly a hazing, and realistically, no one would actually be able to turn that much veg and finish everything. Anyway, back to today.
We were e-mailed the list of dishes that we will be expected to be able to do for our final exam. There are 13 recipes, and we have only done 3 of them so far. Obviously, since there are 12 more lessons left, this is heavily weighted toward the later practicals. Practical #023 is also the mid-term, which is a written exam.
Chef Gilles was the head Chef of a 2 or 3 Star Michellin restaurant before, but I don't think he's a particularly good teacher. Perhaps it's a language barrier thing, but he has some difficulty answering people's questions, which I think is a fairly important thing for an educator to be able to do. Lesson 17 focused on the sauter and frire techniques.
Sauter is using high temperature, in fat, in a pan, with the goal of achieving a brown/golden color. Portion sizes are small, ie. you wouldn't Sauter a leg of lamb. Frire (deep frying) is also high temperature in fat, but the item is (usually) smaller and SUBMERGED. Cooking with both techniques is a concentration technique.
Someone asked about deep frying turkey, and Chef Gilles made a funny face and ignored it.
Terminology:
Paner a L'anglaise - putting an item (ex fish) in floor, eggwash and bread crumbs
Meuniere - the wife of a flour mill workman
historier - carve vegetable
Dent de loup - carving a lemon, with minimum 5 teeth
Manchonner - to show the bones by peeling back the meat around it
Marquer - Flatten (fish) lightly to make a design and also so it doesn't curl.
The dishes performed were Beignets de Gambas (deep fried shrimps / shrimp fritters), Steak au poivre (Saute sirloin steak with pepper), sole meuniere (sole with lemon and parsley butter) and practical 017, Merlan frit Colbert (breaded and fried whiting).
The shrimps were okay, but I prefer tempura shrimp. The Steak au poivre was okay, the sole was tasty, and I didn't like the deep fried fish at all.
Practical #017 was the Merlan Frit Colbert, and the real difficulty was in preparing the fish. You begin by habiller the fish, which means to remove the gills, etc. Since this is a small fish, you cut down the spine on both sides, the with scissors, snip it out, and remove the centre. Then you flatten it out, and paner a L'anglaise and deep fry the sucker. This was served with Beurre Colbert, so I had to do a reduction of the veal stock to a demi-glace, and then incorporate it into butter, but I had a lot of difficulty getting the butter to emulsify, but I finally got it, however, didn't season it enough. Anyway, it turned out well enough. It was fun using a commercial deep fryer, but you have to be very careful... Chef Benoit was the teacher, and he was actually very helpful. A useful technique is to take your scissors apart and use the non-cutting slide to scrap the fish. It worked like a charm.
Lesson #018 was with Chef Benoit as well and dealt with Griller technique. It is a technique that applies to smaller (portion size) pieces. It is NOT what we usually refer to as BBQ which generally involves using a lid.
Are exposed to direct (radiant) heat (gaz, electric or live coals). Food is exposed to high temperature, and quick coagulation of proteins and sucs carmelization (The Maillard reaction). Obviously, this is a concentration cooking method.
Gratins
Complete (all ingredients raw) -> cussion + coloration
Leger (cooked) -> color (cheese only)
rapide (cooked) -> color (bread crumbs, clarified butter)
Leger and rapide are the finishing stages.
There are three ways to cook eggs:
In Shell - a la coque, mollet (soft boiled), cuit dur (hard boiled)
Out of shell (non-mixed) - poche (poached), Frits (fried), sautes, auplat, cocotte
Out of shell (mixed) - brouillies (scrambled), omelettes
The term baveuse refers to omelettes cooked perfectly. (moist, juicy, just a bit runny).
Desosser - to remove bones
Papillotte - a little hat made of parchment paper to dress a bone.
The dishes for this demonstration were by far the best so far. They were Cote de boeuf grillee, beurre marchand de vin (Grilled beef rib with shallot / red wine butter - also tomorrow's practical), Gratin dauphinois (delicious gruyere cheese and creamy potatoes), Oeufs mollets florentine (soft-boiled eggs with Spinach and Mornay sauce), and Rouget grille (Red snapper with anchovie butter). All of these were really tasty, and for the first time, no leftovers from this lab.
A short note about the Cote de Boeuf Grille.. it's accompanied by tomatoes that are baked with garlic and parsley, and also "french fries", and you have to make the "butter" ... so it's not easy at all. I actually want to eat the end result, so that's some motivation.
So overall, French food, when it looks an awful lot like steakhouse or breakfast foods, isn't so bad overall. Still way too much butter though! Maybe this is the way for them to lift our spirits a bit after kicking us down a flight of stairs blindfolded in #016! Everyone seemed happy today. Tired but happy.
Lots more to learn.. Sometimes it's hard to really enjoy this because things are moving so fast, but this is an incredible experience. I'm glad I'm doing this.
We were e-mailed the list of dishes that we will be expected to be able to do for our final exam. There are 13 recipes, and we have only done 3 of them so far. Obviously, since there are 12 more lessons left, this is heavily weighted toward the later practicals. Practical #023 is also the mid-term, which is a written exam.
Chef Gilles was the head Chef of a 2 or 3 Star Michellin restaurant before, but I don't think he's a particularly good teacher. Perhaps it's a language barrier thing, but he has some difficulty answering people's questions, which I think is a fairly important thing for an educator to be able to do. Lesson 17 focused on the sauter and frire techniques.
Sauter is using high temperature, in fat, in a pan, with the goal of achieving a brown/golden color. Portion sizes are small, ie. you wouldn't Sauter a leg of lamb. Frire (deep frying) is also high temperature in fat, but the item is (usually) smaller and SUBMERGED. Cooking with both techniques is a concentration technique.
Someone asked about deep frying turkey, and Chef Gilles made a funny face and ignored it.
Terminology:
Paner a L'anglaise - putting an item (ex fish) in floor, eggwash and bread crumbs
Meuniere - the wife of a flour mill workman
historier - carve vegetable
Dent de loup - carving a lemon, with minimum 5 teeth
Manchonner - to show the bones by peeling back the meat around it
Marquer - Flatten (fish) lightly to make a design and also so it doesn't curl.
The dishes performed were Beignets de Gambas (deep fried shrimps / shrimp fritters), Steak au poivre (Saute sirloin steak with pepper), sole meuniere (sole with lemon and parsley butter) and practical 017, Merlan frit Colbert (breaded and fried whiting).
The shrimps were okay, but I prefer tempura shrimp. The Steak au poivre was okay, the sole was tasty, and I didn't like the deep fried fish at all.
Practical #017 was the Merlan Frit Colbert, and the real difficulty was in preparing the fish. You begin by habiller the fish, which means to remove the gills, etc. Since this is a small fish, you cut down the spine on both sides, the with scissors, snip it out, and remove the centre. Then you flatten it out, and paner a L'anglaise and deep fry the sucker. This was served with Beurre Colbert, so I had to do a reduction of the veal stock to a demi-glace, and then incorporate it into butter, but I had a lot of difficulty getting the butter to emulsify, but I finally got it, however, didn't season it enough. Anyway, it turned out well enough. It was fun using a commercial deep fryer, but you have to be very careful... Chef Benoit was the teacher, and he was actually very helpful. A useful technique is to take your scissors apart and use the non-cutting slide to scrap the fish. It worked like a charm.
Lesson #018 was with Chef Benoit as well and dealt with Griller technique. It is a technique that applies to smaller (portion size) pieces. It is NOT what we usually refer to as BBQ which generally involves using a lid.
Are exposed to direct (radiant) heat (gaz, electric or live coals). Food is exposed to high temperature, and quick coagulation of proteins and sucs carmelization (The Maillard reaction). Obviously, this is a concentration cooking method.
Gratins
Complete (all ingredients raw) -> cussion + coloration
Leger (cooked) -> color (cheese only)
rapide (cooked) -> color (bread crumbs, clarified butter)
Leger and rapide are the finishing stages.
There are three ways to cook eggs:
In Shell - a la coque, mollet (soft boiled), cuit dur (hard boiled)
Out of shell (non-mixed) - poche (poached), Frits (fried), sautes, auplat, cocotte
Out of shell (mixed) - brouillies (scrambled), omelettes
The term baveuse refers to omelettes cooked perfectly. (moist, juicy, just a bit runny).
Desosser - to remove bones
Papillotte - a little hat made of parchment paper to dress a bone.
The dishes for this demonstration were by far the best so far. They were Cote de boeuf grillee, beurre marchand de vin (Grilled beef rib with shallot / red wine butter - also tomorrow's practical), Gratin dauphinois (delicious gruyere cheese and creamy potatoes), Oeufs mollets florentine (soft-boiled eggs with Spinach and Mornay sauce), and Rouget grille (Red snapper with anchovie butter). All of these were really tasty, and for the first time, no leftovers from this lab.
A short note about the Cote de Boeuf Grille.. it's accompanied by tomatoes that are baked with garlic and parsley, and also "french fries", and you have to make the "butter" ... so it's not easy at all. I actually want to eat the end result, so that's some motivation.
So overall, French food, when it looks an awful lot like steakhouse or breakfast foods, isn't so bad overall. Still way too much butter though! Maybe this is the way for them to lift our spirits a bit after kicking us down a flight of stairs blindfolded in #016! Everyone seemed happy today. Tired but happy.
Lots more to learn.. Sometimes it's hard to really enjoy this because things are moving so fast, but this is an incredible experience. I'm glad I'm doing this.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Half done Hell week
Today did not go smoothly, and it's a struggle for me to get the motivation to write this, but I have to get it done so I don't fall behind...
Day started poorly. I had to get the oil changed on my vehicle, so I woke up early and went to the dealership for 7am. Unfortunately, since I didn't have an appointment, they couldn't get me in.. I told them I didn't mind waiting until 11am, and they still said no. Stupid Acura.
So I went home, slept for a bit, and then went to meet a friend for coffee, and got to school for noon. Practical #015 was run by Chef Benoit and went very well. My salmon came out perfectly cooked, my Beurre Blanc was about to break because I put in a lot of butter that didn't, and my timing was spot on, I finished right on time. Even my potatoes (turned to Anglaise shape) came out nicely. My Jardiniere vegetables were so okay, but my Batonnette cuts were just a tad too large.
Side note: What does turning a vegetable mean? It means to carve a vegetable to a certain shape. For example, carrots can be turned into 3 fingers wide tiny footballs with 7 sides. It's stupid, and a waste of time, but it's a part of French cooking. Mushrooms can have their tops carved.. etc. Look at the pictures for a better idea.
picasaweb.google.com/harvardcook
Demonstration #016 was taught by Chef Gilles. I don't like his teaching style, and he didn't even finish the demo in 2.5 hours. Fair enough, he does multiple dishes, but he had an assistant turning vegetables the entire time, and even she didn't finish. The class was about butchering, and he demonstrated how to butcher a lamb shoulder, as well as some pork. Warning: The pics are a bit gruesome...
The three dishes demonstrated were Navarin D'Agneau Printanier, Carre de Porch braise Nivernaise and Boeuf a la Mode. Chef Gilles managed to finish the first two in about 2:45 and the third one not quite.
Practical #016 was supposed to be the big kick in the ass, the start of the really hard practicals. The dish was the Navarin D'Agneau Printanier, a Lamb stew. So we had to butcher the lamb ourselves for the first time (which was actually not TOO bad), and then turn vegetables. Enough for 4 people. So 3 carrots each, 3 potatoes, 3 turnips. For those mathematically inclined, that's 36 turned vegetables. That's in addition to all the other veg you have to do, such as green beans, peas, pearl onions.
So the timeline is something like 1:15 to butcher the lamb shoulder, braise it, put it in the oven, then cook all those vegetables an hour, and then 15 minutes to pull it all together, including reducing the sauce from the stew. Not very realistic to turn 36 vegetables. My rate is slightly under two minutes per vegetable, so that puts me at 72 minutes to turn those vegetables, if they were ready to be turned. ie. cut to the right size, and peeled and washed. That doesn't even include cooking.
In the end, Chef Gilles was screaming at everyone to bring their dishes and threatening to give everyone zero so I rushed myself and got my plate out first. My carrots were too salt, my presentation wasn't perfect, but the lamb was cooked well and even though I only turned 19 vegetables (8 potatoes, 6 turnips and 5 carrots), they were done properly. What was frustrating is that most people had an extra 10-15 minutes and weren't penalized. I could have reduced my sauce better (mine was way too running) and done a better job with presentation if I had an extra 10 mins. Oh well.. if I get this dish for my final exam, I'll cut down my time on the turning and try and do everything else perfect. I spent at least 40 precious minutes on the turning, and way too much time on the butchering. I had enough meat for two stews.
Oh well, another day down.. more than half done! There are only 30 lessons for Basic Cusine...
Day started poorly. I had to get the oil changed on my vehicle, so I woke up early and went to the dealership for 7am. Unfortunately, since I didn't have an appointment, they couldn't get me in.. I told them I didn't mind waiting until 11am, and they still said no. Stupid Acura.
So I went home, slept for a bit, and then went to meet a friend for coffee, and got to school for noon. Practical #015 was run by Chef Benoit and went very well. My salmon came out perfectly cooked, my Beurre Blanc was about to break because I put in a lot of butter that didn't, and my timing was spot on, I finished right on time. Even my potatoes (turned to Anglaise shape) came out nicely. My Jardiniere vegetables were so okay, but my Batonnette cuts were just a tad too large.
Side note: What does turning a vegetable mean? It means to carve a vegetable to a certain shape. For example, carrots can be turned into 3 fingers wide tiny footballs with 7 sides. It's stupid, and a waste of time, but it's a part of French cooking. Mushrooms can have their tops carved.. etc. Look at the pictures for a better idea.
picasaweb.google.com/harvardcook
Demonstration #016 was taught by Chef Gilles. I don't like his teaching style, and he didn't even finish the demo in 2.5 hours. Fair enough, he does multiple dishes, but he had an assistant turning vegetables the entire time, and even she didn't finish. The class was about butchering, and he demonstrated how to butcher a lamb shoulder, as well as some pork. Warning: The pics are a bit gruesome...
The three dishes demonstrated were Navarin D'Agneau Printanier, Carre de Porch braise Nivernaise and Boeuf a la Mode. Chef Gilles managed to finish the first two in about 2:45 and the third one not quite.
Practical #016 was supposed to be the big kick in the ass, the start of the really hard practicals. The dish was the Navarin D'Agneau Printanier, a Lamb stew. So we had to butcher the lamb ourselves for the first time (which was actually not TOO bad), and then turn vegetables. Enough for 4 people. So 3 carrots each, 3 potatoes, 3 turnips. For those mathematically inclined, that's 36 turned vegetables. That's in addition to all the other veg you have to do, such as green beans, peas, pearl onions.
So the timeline is something like 1:15 to butcher the lamb shoulder, braise it, put it in the oven, then cook all those vegetables an hour, and then 15 minutes to pull it all together, including reducing the sauce from the stew. Not very realistic to turn 36 vegetables. My rate is slightly under two minutes per vegetable, so that puts me at 72 minutes to turn those vegetables, if they were ready to be turned. ie. cut to the right size, and peeled and washed. That doesn't even include cooking.
In the end, Chef Gilles was screaming at everyone to bring their dishes and threatening to give everyone zero so I rushed myself and got my plate out first. My carrots were too salt, my presentation wasn't perfect, but the lamb was cooked well and even though I only turned 19 vegetables (8 potatoes, 6 turnips and 5 carrots), they were done properly. What was frustrating is that most people had an extra 10-15 minutes and weren't penalized. I could have reduced my sauce better (mine was way too running) and done a better job with presentation if I had an extra 10 mins. Oh well.. if I get this dish for my final exam, I'll cut down my time on the turning and try and do everything else perfect. I spent at least 40 precious minutes on the turning, and way too much time on the butchering. I had enough meat for two stews.
Oh well, another day down.. more than half done! There are only 30 lessons for Basic Cusine...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Minus one...
Well today started off as a bit of a bummer. One of the students (the lazy Greek guy) dropped out of the course because it was too difficult. So starting with 12, we are now down to 10. Oh well.. he really wasn't "cutting" it (pun intended) and this is definitely not for everyone.
Demonstration #14 was taught by Chef Benoit, and was still on potage. First, consomme. Consomme can be simple or marmite (combination of chicken/beef/veal stocks) is a clear "Bouillon".
Clarificaton involves a "raft" and the goal is to intensify flavours, remove particles/impurities to make it as clear as possible. In our consomme today, the nutrients with come from the Boeuf Hache (ground beef), aromatics from the G.A., and clarifying: egg whites and the blood from the meat. You start with all incredients from cold, then apply heat. The proteins with coagulate slowly. Do not disturb once 85% done, except to create a hole in the middle.
Bisques have three rules:
1) Made with Crustaceans
2) Thickening agent is rice or cream of rice
3) Must be spicy (but not too spicy, we are not doing Thai food -CB)
Clarifier has three meanings: clarify butter, ie. brea down, clarify using a "raft" and separating egg yolks /whites.
Braiser: means to sear, add garnature aromtique & liquid, cover and put in oven to cook slowly.
The demo was pretty cool because Chef Benoit broke down a live lobster in front of us. Basically, he pulled the claws off first, and then made a slit all the way down the spine, and then through the skull. You can see the pictures in my photo gallery. The potages that he made were the consomme (practical 14), bisque de homard (lobster bisque), soupe a l'oignon gratinee (French Onion soup, which is remarkably easy but takes some time), Potage Bortsch polonais (Polish Bortsch, which is kinda weird to be learning at a French cooking school but oh well - it demonstrates braiser quite well).
In between these classes I got my mid-point evaluation. The two major things are that I have to make sure that my vegetables are cooked well (which is simple enough, just add extra and make sure they arent underdone) and to turn better (which I knew, and have been practicing). Chef Gilles was the person who gave the feedbac, which is silly since he only taught us twice, and Chef Benoit taught 10 lessons, but whatever.
Practical 14 was the consomme and went super smooth. I unfortunately a bit over salted (for the second time). However, I finished exactly on time and Chef Benit said that my brunoise cuts were perfect, broth was crystal clear and my technique was impeccable. His words, not mine.. so that was nice to hear.
Demonstration 15 was again by Chef Benoit and dealt with butter, which I am so sick of. Beurres Composes (Compound butter) and Beurre Montes (butter sauces).
We also talked about Marinades (Liquid + Acid + G.A.) which can be crue (raw) or cuite (cooked), or instantanee (instant). There may be a tenderizing effect, but not necessarily. Dry rub does not count as a marinate.
Chef Benoit showed a couple different butters - Beurre Maitre d'Hotel (parsley), Beurre Marchand de vin (redwine and shallots), Beurre Colbert (glace de viance + taragon), Beurre d'anchois (anchovies mushed to a paste), Beurre D'escargot (shallots, garlic, pepper, pastris, parlsey).
The two beurre montes were Beurre Blanc (to be served with the salmon tomorrow) and Beurre au Porto (port butter sauce).
The dishes that were presented were the Salade de poissons marines (raw tuna, salmon and scallops "cooked" with lemon juice and flavoured with salt, pepper, tomatoes, chopped basil, shallots and olive oil) and salmon with beurre blanc and potatoes cut to anglaise.
Okay, my new Ipod touch arrived today so I'm going to play with that instead of writing more.
Demonstration #14 was taught by Chef Benoit, and was still on potage. First, consomme. Consomme can be simple or marmite (combination of chicken/beef/veal stocks) is a clear "Bouillon".
Clarificaton involves a "raft" and the goal is to intensify flavours, remove particles/impurities to make it as clear as possible. In our consomme today, the nutrients with come from the Boeuf Hache (ground beef), aromatics from the G.A., and clarifying: egg whites and the blood from the meat. You start with all incredients from cold, then apply heat. The proteins with coagulate slowly. Do not disturb once 85% done, except to create a hole in the middle.
Bisques have three rules:
1) Made with Crustaceans
2) Thickening agent is rice or cream of rice
3) Must be spicy (but not too spicy, we are not doing Thai food -CB)
Clarifier has three meanings: clarify butter, ie. brea down, clarify using a "raft" and separating egg yolks /whites.
Braiser: means to sear, add garnature aromtique & liquid, cover and put in oven to cook slowly.
The demo was pretty cool because Chef Benoit broke down a live lobster in front of us. Basically, he pulled the claws off first, and then made a slit all the way down the spine, and then through the skull. You can see the pictures in my photo gallery. The potages that he made were the consomme (practical 14), bisque de homard (lobster bisque), soupe a l'oignon gratinee (French Onion soup, which is remarkably easy but takes some time), Potage Bortsch polonais (Polish Bortsch, which is kinda weird to be learning at a French cooking school but oh well - it demonstrates braiser quite well).
In between these classes I got my mid-point evaluation. The two major things are that I have to make sure that my vegetables are cooked well (which is simple enough, just add extra and make sure they arent underdone) and to turn better (which I knew, and have been practicing). Chef Gilles was the person who gave the feedbac, which is silly since he only taught us twice, and Chef Benoit taught 10 lessons, but whatever.
Practical 14 was the consomme and went super smooth. I unfortunately a bit over salted (for the second time). However, I finished exactly on time and Chef Benit said that my brunoise cuts were perfect, broth was crystal clear and my technique was impeccable. His words, not mine.. so that was nice to hear.
Demonstration 15 was again by Chef Benoit and dealt with butter, which I am so sick of. Beurres Composes (Compound butter) and Beurre Montes (butter sauces).
We also talked about Marinades (Liquid + Acid + G.A.) which can be crue (raw) or cuite (cooked), or instantanee (instant). There may be a tenderizing effect, but not necessarily. Dry rub does not count as a marinate.
Chef Benoit showed a couple different butters - Beurre Maitre d'Hotel (parsley), Beurre Marchand de vin (redwine and shallots), Beurre Colbert (glace de viance + taragon), Beurre d'anchois (anchovies mushed to a paste), Beurre D'escargot (shallots, garlic, pepper, pastris, parlsey).
The two beurre montes were Beurre Blanc (to be served with the salmon tomorrow) and Beurre au Porto (port butter sauce).
The dishes that were presented were the Salade de poissons marines (raw tuna, salmon and scallops "cooked" with lemon juice and flavoured with salt, pepper, tomatoes, chopped basil, shallots and olive oil) and salmon with beurre blanc and potatoes cut to anglaise.
Okay, my new Ipod touch arrived today so I'm going to play with that instead of writing more.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Hell week
Chef Gilles started off Hell Week by running a Taste seminar. There are four major taste senses in the mouth, sweet, salty, acidic and bitter. Sweet taste buds are found at the tip of your tongue, salt and acid are found at the sides of your mouth, and bitter is found near the back of your throat as a last "defense" in case you don't want to eat something. The reason why salt brings out flavour is that it makes your taste buds more receptive to flavours. You burn your tongue easily with liquids because they get down to your nerve endings below your taste buds more readily. Babies tend to consume sugar/sweet easily based on instinct. It's important to serve great wines in large glasses so that you can smell them as well. It makes a huge difference. We then smelt some things like violet, honey, hazelnut, apricot, vanilla and garlic extracts trying to figure out what they were.
Overall, this was pretty much a waste of time. If you're really interested in how taste works, google it.
Today was supposed to be first feedback/evaluations. It was annoying because they were so disorganized so I won't get my evaluation until tomorrow. They only got through half of them.
Demonstration 013 was taught by Chef Benoit. It was on Les Potages, which by official definition is "Both hot or cold liquid preparations, which can both clairs or lies (thickened)". They are usually served at the beginning of a meal.
Terminology
Potager - vegetable garden
Classifcations of Potages
a) Potages Clairs -> consomme
b) Potages Passes -> reduced to a puree
* Fresh veg - Potage Parmentier, Julienne D'Arblay
* Dry veg - St. Germain, Conti
c) Potage Tailles -> Cultivateur (Paysanne cut, from the first lesson)
d) Cremes & Veloutes (not to be confused with sauces) - Dubarry, Chsisy, Agne's Sorrel
e) Soupes - regional specialty, served with bread on the plate (ex. French Onion soup)
f) Potages speciaux: Bisque (made with shellfish), Potage Germiny, Borscht
In a Veloute, egg yolks are added as thickening agent
Common types of potages
Parmentier - person who introduced potatoes to the new world. Leeks / Potatoes
Crecy - carrots
St. Germain - Split pea
Clamart - Fresh peas
ourangelle - fresh beans
Argenteuil - Asparagus
Dubarry - Cauliflower
Essau - lentils
Choisy - lettuce
Conde - dry beans
Florentine - Spinach
St. Hubert - Wild game
Cardinale - Something that gives red colour
When we were going this, I made Chef Benoit snort when I said "CHICKEN!!!" when he asked what St. Hubert was.. LOL. Another funny moment was when Chef Benoit was explaining that a lot of dishes are named after the mistresses of the French Kings, and when it was asked if that was socially acceptable he said "Obviously. If you didn't agree with the king, your head would end up in the pot. Not a big deal, we are French".
Some tips on serving potages. Always serve the bowl 3/4 full. Be careful when laddling the soup by having contact with the bottom of the laddle until you are ready to lift. Hard to explain.
The potages that were presented were:
Veloute Agnes Sorrel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agn%C3%A8s_Sorel
(which is a chicken broth based potage with Beef Tongue!!)
Potage Conti (lentil and pork belly potage)
Creme de moules au Safran (Safron mussel potage)
Potage Julienne D'arbly (practical lab - Potato Leek potage)
Interesting about Safron is that it is extremely expensive. Spanish Safron is the best, and is made by taking the pistol of the Crocus flower. It can go up to $7000 /kg! Be careful with American safron as it is sometimes sawdust infused with Safron flavour. (Looked this up, not sure if he's on crack or not)
Practical #013 of Potage Julienne D'arbly went fairly smoothly, but the end result wasn't perfect. My julienne cuts of carrot, turnip and leeks weren't quite small enough.. but the potato leek potage turned out ok consistency and seasoning wise. My croutons wren't properly cooked crispy enough because I didn't add enough butter.. oopsies.
Oh and at 3PM we had the class photo. Hopefully they don't charge us $50 for the picture.. Wow, 9:15pm and I wanna go to sleep...
New pictures up to lesson 013 are up... two demos and 1 practical tomorrow. Wednesday is gonna be stupid.. we don't start until noon, but have class until 10pm! And it's the nasty lesson 016..
Overall, this was pretty much a waste of time. If you're really interested in how taste works, google it.
Today was supposed to be first feedback/evaluations. It was annoying because they were so disorganized so I won't get my evaluation until tomorrow. They only got through half of them.
Demonstration 013 was taught by Chef Benoit. It was on Les Potages, which by official definition is "Both hot or cold liquid preparations, which can both clairs or lies (thickened)". They are usually served at the beginning of a meal.
Terminology
Potager - vegetable garden
Classifcations of Potages
a) Potages Clairs -> consomme
b) Potages Passes -> reduced to a puree
* Fresh veg - Potage Parmentier, Julienne D'Arblay
* Dry veg - St. Germain, Conti
c) Potage Tailles -> Cultivateur (Paysanne cut, from the first lesson)
d) Cremes & Veloutes (not to be confused with sauces) - Dubarry, Chsisy, Agne's Sorrel
e) Soupes - regional specialty, served with bread on the plate (ex. French Onion soup)
f) Potages speciaux: Bisque (made with shellfish), Potage Germiny, Borscht
In a Veloute, egg yolks are added as thickening agent
Common types of potages
Parmentier - person who introduced potatoes to the new world. Leeks / Potatoes
Crecy - carrots
St. Germain - Split pea
Clamart - Fresh peas
ourangelle - fresh beans
Argenteuil - Asparagus
Dubarry - Cauliflower
Essau - lentils
Choisy - lettuce
Conde - dry beans
Florentine - Spinach
St. Hubert - Wild game
Cardinale - Something that gives red colour
When we were going this, I made Chef Benoit snort when I said "CHICKEN!!!" when he asked what St. Hubert was.. LOL. Another funny moment was when Chef Benoit was explaining that a lot of dishes are named after the mistresses of the French Kings, and when it was asked if that was socially acceptable he said "Obviously. If you didn't agree with the king, your head would end up in the pot. Not a big deal, we are French".
Some tips on serving potages. Always serve the bowl 3/4 full. Be careful when laddling the soup by having contact with the bottom of the laddle until you are ready to lift. Hard to explain.
The potages that were presented were:
Veloute Agnes Sorrel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agn%C3%A8s_Sorel
(which is a chicken broth based potage with Beef Tongue!!)
Potage Conti (lentil and pork belly potage)
Creme de moules au Safran (Safron mussel potage)
Potage Julienne D'arbly (practical lab - Potato Leek potage)
Interesting about Safron is that it is extremely expensive. Spanish Safron is the best, and is made by taking the pistol of the Crocus flower. It can go up to $7000 /kg! Be careful with American safron as it is sometimes sawdust infused with Safron flavour. (Looked this up, not sure if he's on crack or not)
Practical #013 of Potage Julienne D'arbly went fairly smoothly, but the end result wasn't perfect. My julienne cuts of carrot, turnip and leeks weren't quite small enough.. but the potato leek potage turned out ok consistency and seasoning wise. My croutons wren't properly cooked crispy enough because I didn't add enough butter.. oopsies.
Oh and at 3PM we had the class photo. Hopefully they don't charge us $50 for the picture.. Wow, 9:15pm and I wanna go to sleep...
New pictures up to lesson 013 are up... two demos and 1 practical tomorrow. Wednesday is gonna be stupid.. we don't start until noon, but have class until 10pm! And it's the nasty lesson 016..
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Whisk away!
I spent the better part of Saturday napping and generally being lazy. I did manage to get Fridays lessons in, as well as clean and sharpen my knives. I also practiced turning some turnips. I can do about 5.5 in ten minutes, so considering we are "supposed" to do 70 (yes SEVENTY) for lesson 016... it's gonna be a rough road. I heard from some of the senior students that the most anyone did last time was in the 50s, so I am going to do my best not to worry too much about it.
What I am worried about is getting proficient at whisking. After some internet research, I learnt a couple of interesting things:
- Whisk in the largest bowl possible, bigger motions enhance the amount of air being added.
- You cannot whisk in plastic bowls.. there is a property that prevents the egg from raising. Ideally use metal bowls, or alternatively ceramic.
- Hold the "balloon" whisk like a pencil, use mainly your wrist motion, an keep the rest of your arm as relaxed as possible.
- Always have the bowl against something sturdy like a table. If you hold it, you are fighting the force with the other arm.
So I spent some time whisking water in a plastic bowl because that was all I had. I practiced whisking with my left hand, which is a challenge, but necessary when my right hand gets too tired. I'm not good at it by any means, but I figure if I actually spent a couple minutes per day whisking with my left hand, I could become reasonable at it.
Of course if I ever need to do any whisking in the real world, I'm gonna go out and buy an electric mixer!
Today if I get the motivation, I'm going to try and find some metal bowls... Mostly need to rest though. Hell week coming up!
What I am worried about is getting proficient at whisking. After some internet research, I learnt a couple of interesting things:
- Whisk in the largest bowl possible, bigger motions enhance the amount of air being added.
- You cannot whisk in plastic bowls.. there is a property that prevents the egg from raising. Ideally use metal bowls, or alternatively ceramic.
- Hold the "balloon" whisk like a pencil, use mainly your wrist motion, an keep the rest of your arm as relaxed as possible.
- Always have the bowl against something sturdy like a table. If you hold it, you are fighting the force with the other arm.
So I spent some time whisking water in a plastic bowl because that was all I had. I practiced whisking with my left hand, which is a challenge, but necessary when my right hand gets too tired. I'm not good at it by any means, but I figure if I actually spent a couple minutes per day whisking with my left hand, I could become reasonable at it.
Of course if I ever need to do any whisking in the real world, I'm gonna go out and buy an electric mixer!
Today if I get the motivation, I'm going to try and find some metal bowls... Mostly need to rest though. Hell week coming up!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Week two - DONEZO!
So I've some how managed to survive yet another week... Next week is the killer 6 days in a row. These 11 hour days are really starting to drain me, and we only had a 4 day week! I'm also done 12 out of 30 lessons, so before I begin my recap of Friday, I'll reflect on how I feel overall about the school and the course in general thus far.
First of all, I've gained an appreciation for the trade of cooking. It's very hard work and long hours, and for the most part not very well paid, so you have to have a real passion for food. You truly have to put in your time to get any good at this, and make a lot of mistakes (which I definitely have) along the way. Also, you have to apprentice to get anywhere. I compare this with the field that I work in, IT, and it's completely different. I work in a comfortable climate-controlled cubicle and make a "healthy" wage for banging away at a keyboard. I'm paid, to use the french term, to "mijoter" ideas, so I can sometimes just be there reading and thinking about ideas... at least that's what I claim when my boss catches me staring off into space. Yes, I did spend over four years of studying at the post-secondary level with the goal to put myself in this position, but I look around me at work, and very few people can say they LOVE what they do, and they'd do it even if they say, won the Lotto MAX jackpot split six ways. I actually believe most of the Master Chefs would still work in the culinary industry if they "made it big".
The course is called intensive for a reason. My blog posts have become more and more technical and short form out of necessity. With 3 sessions per day + prep for labs + clean up, I"m putting in good 11+ hour days. A lot of the information being provided is new to me, so it's a lot for me to digest and internalize. I can understand why Ottawa doesn't offer the later courses at this rate, because quite honestly, I think it would be a waste of money to compress that much information into intensive courses. Apparently Paris is going to offer the Intermediate level soon, but some of the Chefs here don't agree with it.
The class has 11 students in it. There are two Europeans (Russian guy who takes a lot of pictures, and Greek guy who is really struggling and asks ridiculous questions), the Psychiatrist, an IT girl, a Mining company exec Retiree, a Jewish female engineer, a female Gatineau public servant, a young big mouth silver spoon kid, military guy who has worked in a kitchen, ex-RIM engineer who wants to change fields, and me. The only person I see continuing and completing Le Diplome Cuisine is the guy who wants to change fields. The rest of us are doing this for personal development reasons, and after this month is over, we go back to our regular lives. This makes for an interesting dynamic... Personally I only care about getting through this thing. Most of us are high achievers, so there is a competitive streak, but as cheesy at it sounds, I'm only competing against myself. There is no bell curve, and there is the correct way to do things, which is what you are judged against. Some of the later level students have said that they never give out 80%, so don't worry about it... just learn as much as you can. Each practical, the Chef walks around and takes note of how you are doing, and obviously evaluates your final result. There are a number of categories that he grades you on, out of 5. He rarely gives a 4, and 2.5 is the threshold of whether or not it would be possible to serve in a restaurant or not. So most people hover in the 2s.. and if you got a 3 or 3.5, you did something right. So yeah, its not marked easily....
French cuisine in general is very finicky and I am definitely not used to this much butter. It's everywhere.. Sometimes I feel like I'm sweating it. The recipes that we've done so far aren't really my thing, but the "real" cooking didn't start until the fish, so I believe it'll get better once we get to the lamb (which I also don't particularly like) and the frogs legs (which I haven't tried before, but heard taste like chicken) ... so I would have to say I don't like the food so far, but the process is what's important right now.
So I guess the real question is, "Am I having fun?". It's definitely been very difficult physically and mentally to go through this, but I'm happy I'm doing this. I do feel overwhelmed at times, but this is one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life, so I am not complaining. With the tuition that I paid for this course, I could have spent a month globe-trotting the world in style, but been there, done that, and this is (at times anyway) a lot more enjoyable. If you stop learning, you grow old. Since I'm going to be 32 soon, I am fighting this like crazy! Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program...
The day started with Practical #11 and once again Chef Benoit. Poulet Poche Sauce Supreme (Whole poached chicken served with a white creamy sauce). We were each given whole chickens, and expected to habiller (dress) and brider (truss) chicken. It's not that complicated once you do it, but it's quite gross patting down the chicken, plucking any excess feathers, cleaning the inside cavity. You then tie it together with kitchen twine and a needle, through the thigh skin, then the ribs, then between the two bones of the chicken wing and then the skin flap. Look at the pictures for a better idea. You then boil it in cold water with a white mirepoix of leeks, onions, carrot, cloves, celery and a bouquet garni. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to Ecumer the top as soon as any grey foam (impurities) go to the top. If you let it simmer with that nasty foam on top, it will make bad flavour.
Sauce supreme is derive from Veloute de Volaille (Fond Blanc + Roux Blanc) and then adding reduced cream. I made the rough with 30g of butter, 30g of flour, and you cook it until the gluten breaks down and smells like "cookie dough". I then shocked it by putting it in the fridge. When the Fond Blanc from the chicken was ready, I added it to the Roux and whisked like a mad man. Next I slowly added the reduced cream, and salt and pepper.
The chicken is served on a bed of Rice Pilaff, which is very easy to make, provided you follow the recipe EXACTLY.
Time: 17-19mins at 400F in oven
Quantities: Liquid = 1.5X rice
DO NOT STIR once liquid is in.
Cover with Two lids (paper lid and regular lid)
First, suer some ciseler onions that are very finely chopped. Then NACRER the rice. The rice will become coated in the butter. This prevents it from sticking to the pot. Finally, add liquid and Bouqet Garni and bring to boil. DO NOT STIR!!! Put the two lids on, put in oven, and 17-19 mins it should be perfectly done. Remove the B.G. and then gently lift the rice with a fork, with some butter on top that should be melted in. This rice is too rich for my tastes, but is useful in making shapes.
My dish turned out okay, except my rice had a weird colour to it, since I browned my onions... oops. It was cooked to the right consistency, my chicken was good, and my supreme sauce was okay, but a little thick.
Lesson #12 was once again with Chef Benoit. The lecture was on Sauce Emulsionnee (emulsion sauces), which come in two forms, stable and unstable. Today we are focusing on stable sauces, which are affected by temperature. If you "break" a stable sauce, use a small amount of cold water, and then slowly whisk the broken sauce bit by bit into the water, and it should come back to fully recover you will do it over a bain marie. Salt does NOT dissolve in a fat, you must add it to the liquid first. Always slowly add the fat to the liquid, to give the Emusifiant a chance to work. Emulsifiant (Emulsifiers) used are yolks and mustard. Lectin is the protein often found in egg yolk, but is also found in soy for our vegetarian friends. Chef Benoit went on a little bit of a rant on "trend of bastardized modern vegetarian cuisine" but I forgot to take notes. It was mildly amusing.
Clarified butter is butter that has been melted in a bain marie and has been separated. Butter is composed of three parts, the milk solids (lightest) the Fat (middle part) and butter milk (the bottom). The Fat is obviously what you want, so you skim off the milk solids, and then laddle the Fat into a separate container. Keep it in a bain marie. You lose about 20% of the volume of the butter, but this stuff is liquid gold, and a lot harder to burn.
Pommes Anglaise - potatoes turned to about egg size, boiled in cold salty water, and then LUSTRER (brushed with butter).
Potatoes can be turned to 4 different sizes, from smallest to largest they are: Cocottes (standard veg size - carrot, turnip), Anglaise (egg shape), Chateau (larger) and Fondant (only six sides,compared to the standard 7).
The practical today required salmon filets, so Chef Benoit went over how to butcher a whole salmon. This is a nasty thing that I will avoid doing in the future, but it's something to see it done:
-Wipe down the salmon
-Cut off the various fins. (scissors)
-Using the serated knife, chop right behind head, turn 90 degrees and let spine guide you to the fin. You will be sawing through bone.
- Repeat on other side. There will still be some meat on the bones, scrape off with a spoon.
NOTE: Don't make fish stock from Salmon head, disgusting. Throw it out.
- You now hav, e two large pieces. There is a white part towards the bottom. Chef Knife, cut from the middle to the bottom to remove it.
- Remove the "Pin" bones with a pincer. They go about half way through the meat.
- To remove the skin, use a Chef knife to make a small incision behind the fin and then gently slice.
- Flip over and cut off as much of the silver part as you can. It becomes grey when cooked and doesn't look very appetizing.
160-170g is the standard salmon serving.
When grilling: Rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Always cook the presentation side (the side towards the bones) first.
Back to sauces....
The sauces prepared by Chef Benoit were: Sauce Mayonnaise (egg yolks, dijon mustard, vegetable oil, white wine vinegar, salt/pepper, cayenne pepper), Sauce Chantilly (mayo + cream), Sauce Remoulade (mayo + capers, pickles, parsley, chevril, dijon mustard), Sauce Hollandaise (one of the 5 Mere Sauces), Sauce Bearnaise (derivative of Hollandaise, to be served with the Saumon Grillee) and Sauce Tyrolienne (Bearnaise made with oil instead of butter and with some tomato paste).
Sauce Hollandaise is important as it requires significant whisking and heat control. When whisking above the bain marie, make sure to spin the bowl as well to avoid scrambled eggs around the edges. Always whip to soft peaks.
The practical dish is Saumon Grille, sauce Bearnaisee... grilled salmon, with Bernaise Sauce and 3 cooked Anglaise shaped potatoes and a cool lemon shape for garnish.
Practical #12 went fairly smoothly. I had difficulty getting my Bernaise sauce to lift, but it eventually got there. There's a lot of team work going on for the prep, with one person measuring the amount of liquid, making paper lids, chopping up specific vegetables.. but it's still up to you to do the actual cooking. My final product turned out quite well although I completely butchered the lemon. I was lucky that even though I was one of the people that was asked to butcher one of the whole salmons, by the time it was my turn, I didn't have to do it since we already had enough filets. Hopefully I can dodge it next time as well, since I barely finished my dish. A small note that I hadn't mentioned before... always serve hot food on a warm plate and MAKE SURE ITS CLEAN!
So that was the end of week 2. This weekend I have to practice my turning of turnips. Big week ahead! Chef Benoit suggested we do a Hollandaise sauce at home, but I'm gonna pass. I should buy some metal bowls as well....
First of all, I've gained an appreciation for the trade of cooking. It's very hard work and long hours, and for the most part not very well paid, so you have to have a real passion for food. You truly have to put in your time to get any good at this, and make a lot of mistakes (which I definitely have) along the way. Also, you have to apprentice to get anywhere. I compare this with the field that I work in, IT, and it's completely different. I work in a comfortable climate-controlled cubicle and make a "healthy" wage for banging away at a keyboard. I'm paid, to use the french term, to "mijoter" ideas, so I can sometimes just be there reading and thinking about ideas... at least that's what I claim when my boss catches me staring off into space. Yes, I did spend over four years of studying at the post-secondary level with the goal to put myself in this position, but I look around me at work, and very few people can say they LOVE what they do, and they'd do it even if they say, won the Lotto MAX jackpot split six ways. I actually believe most of the Master Chefs would still work in the culinary industry if they "made it big".
The course is called intensive for a reason. My blog posts have become more and more technical and short form out of necessity. With 3 sessions per day + prep for labs + clean up, I"m putting in good 11+ hour days. A lot of the information being provided is new to me, so it's a lot for me to digest and internalize. I can understand why Ottawa doesn't offer the later courses at this rate, because quite honestly, I think it would be a waste of money to compress that much information into intensive courses. Apparently Paris is going to offer the Intermediate level soon, but some of the Chefs here don't agree with it.
The class has 11 students in it. There are two Europeans (Russian guy who takes a lot of pictures, and Greek guy who is really struggling and asks ridiculous questions), the Psychiatrist, an IT girl, a Mining company exec Retiree, a Jewish female engineer, a female Gatineau public servant, a young big mouth silver spoon kid, military guy who has worked in a kitchen, ex-RIM engineer who wants to change fields, and me. The only person I see continuing and completing Le Diplome Cuisine is the guy who wants to change fields. The rest of us are doing this for personal development reasons, and after this month is over, we go back to our regular lives. This makes for an interesting dynamic... Personally I only care about getting through this thing. Most of us are high achievers, so there is a competitive streak, but as cheesy at it sounds, I'm only competing against myself. There is no bell curve, and there is the correct way to do things, which is what you are judged against. Some of the later level students have said that they never give out 80%, so don't worry about it... just learn as much as you can. Each practical, the Chef walks around and takes note of how you are doing, and obviously evaluates your final result. There are a number of categories that he grades you on, out of 5. He rarely gives a 4, and 2.5 is the threshold of whether or not it would be possible to serve in a restaurant or not. So most people hover in the 2s.. and if you got a 3 or 3.5, you did something right. So yeah, its not marked easily....
French cuisine in general is very finicky and I am definitely not used to this much butter. It's everywhere.. Sometimes I feel like I'm sweating it. The recipes that we've done so far aren't really my thing, but the "real" cooking didn't start until the fish, so I believe it'll get better once we get to the lamb (which I also don't particularly like) and the frogs legs (which I haven't tried before, but heard taste like chicken) ... so I would have to say I don't like the food so far, but the process is what's important right now.
So I guess the real question is, "Am I having fun?". It's definitely been very difficult physically and mentally to go through this, but I'm happy I'm doing this. I do feel overwhelmed at times, but this is one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life, so I am not complaining. With the tuition that I paid for this course, I could have spent a month globe-trotting the world in style, but been there, done that, and this is (at times anyway) a lot more enjoyable. If you stop learning, you grow old. Since I'm going to be 32 soon, I am fighting this like crazy! Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program...
The day started with Practical #11 and once again Chef Benoit. Poulet Poche Sauce Supreme (Whole poached chicken served with a white creamy sauce). We were each given whole chickens, and expected to habiller (dress) and brider (truss) chicken. It's not that complicated once you do it, but it's quite gross patting down the chicken, plucking any excess feathers, cleaning the inside cavity. You then tie it together with kitchen twine and a needle, through the thigh skin, then the ribs, then between the two bones of the chicken wing and then the skin flap. Look at the pictures for a better idea. You then boil it in cold water with a white mirepoix of leeks, onions, carrot, cloves, celery and a bouquet garni. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to Ecumer the top as soon as any grey foam (impurities) go to the top. If you let it simmer with that nasty foam on top, it will make bad flavour.
Sauce supreme is derive from Veloute de Volaille (Fond Blanc + Roux Blanc) and then adding reduced cream. I made the rough with 30g of butter, 30g of flour, and you cook it until the gluten breaks down and smells like "cookie dough". I then shocked it by putting it in the fridge. When the Fond Blanc from the chicken was ready, I added it to the Roux and whisked like a mad man. Next I slowly added the reduced cream, and salt and pepper.
The chicken is served on a bed of Rice Pilaff, which is very easy to make, provided you follow the recipe EXACTLY.
Time: 17-19mins at 400F in oven
Quantities: Liquid = 1.5X rice
DO NOT STIR once liquid is in.
Cover with Two lids (paper lid and regular lid)
First, suer some ciseler onions that are very finely chopped. Then NACRER the rice. The rice will become coated in the butter. This prevents it from sticking to the pot. Finally, add liquid and Bouqet Garni and bring to boil. DO NOT STIR!!! Put the two lids on, put in oven, and 17-19 mins it should be perfectly done. Remove the B.G. and then gently lift the rice with a fork, with some butter on top that should be melted in. This rice is too rich for my tastes, but is useful in making shapes.
My dish turned out okay, except my rice had a weird colour to it, since I browned my onions... oops. It was cooked to the right consistency, my chicken was good, and my supreme sauce was okay, but a little thick.
Lesson #12 was once again with Chef Benoit. The lecture was on Sauce Emulsionnee (emulsion sauces), which come in two forms, stable and unstable. Today we are focusing on stable sauces, which are affected by temperature. If you "break" a stable sauce, use a small amount of cold water, and then slowly whisk the broken sauce bit by bit into the water, and it should come back to fully recover you will do it over a bain marie. Salt does NOT dissolve in a fat, you must add it to the liquid first. Always slowly add the fat to the liquid, to give the Emusifiant a chance to work. Emulsifiant (Emulsifiers) used are yolks and mustard. Lectin is the protein often found in egg yolk, but is also found in soy for our vegetarian friends. Chef Benoit went on a little bit of a rant on "trend of bastardized modern vegetarian cuisine" but I forgot to take notes. It was mildly amusing.
Clarified butter is butter that has been melted in a bain marie and has been separated. Butter is composed of three parts, the milk solids (lightest) the Fat (middle part) and butter milk (the bottom). The Fat is obviously what you want, so you skim off the milk solids, and then laddle the Fat into a separate container. Keep it in a bain marie. You lose about 20% of the volume of the butter, but this stuff is liquid gold, and a lot harder to burn.
Pommes Anglaise - potatoes turned to about egg size, boiled in cold salty water, and then LUSTRER (brushed with butter).
Potatoes can be turned to 4 different sizes, from smallest to largest they are: Cocottes (standard veg size - carrot, turnip), Anglaise (egg shape), Chateau (larger) and Fondant (only six sides,compared to the standard 7).
The practical today required salmon filets, so Chef Benoit went over how to butcher a whole salmon. This is a nasty thing that I will avoid doing in the future, but it's something to see it done:
-Wipe down the salmon
-Cut off the various fins. (scissors)
-Using the serated knife, chop right behind head, turn 90 degrees and let spine guide you to the fin. You will be sawing through bone.
- Repeat on other side. There will still be some meat on the bones, scrape off with a spoon.
NOTE: Don't make fish stock from Salmon head, disgusting. Throw it out.
- You now hav, e two large pieces. There is a white part towards the bottom. Chef Knife, cut from the middle to the bottom to remove it.
- Remove the "Pin" bones with a pincer. They go about half way through the meat.
- To remove the skin, use a Chef knife to make a small incision behind the fin and then gently slice.
- Flip over and cut off as much of the silver part as you can. It becomes grey when cooked and doesn't look very appetizing.
160-170g is the standard salmon serving.
When grilling: Rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Always cook the presentation side (the side towards the bones) first.
Back to sauces....
The sauces prepared by Chef Benoit were: Sauce Mayonnaise (egg yolks, dijon mustard, vegetable oil, white wine vinegar, salt/pepper, cayenne pepper), Sauce Chantilly (mayo + cream), Sauce Remoulade (mayo + capers, pickles, parsley, chevril, dijon mustard), Sauce Hollandaise (one of the 5 Mere Sauces), Sauce Bearnaise (derivative of Hollandaise, to be served with the Saumon Grillee) and Sauce Tyrolienne (Bearnaise made with oil instead of butter and with some tomato paste).
Sauce Hollandaise is important as it requires significant whisking and heat control. When whisking above the bain marie, make sure to spin the bowl as well to avoid scrambled eggs around the edges. Always whip to soft peaks.
The practical dish is Saumon Grille, sauce Bearnaisee... grilled salmon, with Bernaise Sauce and 3 cooked Anglaise shaped potatoes and a cool lemon shape for garnish.
Practical #12 went fairly smoothly. I had difficulty getting my Bernaise sauce to lift, but it eventually got there. There's a lot of team work going on for the prep, with one person measuring the amount of liquid, making paper lids, chopping up specific vegetables.. but it's still up to you to do the actual cooking. My final product turned out quite well although I completely butchered the lemon. I was lucky that even though I was one of the people that was asked to butcher one of the whole salmons, by the time it was my turn, I didn't have to do it since we already had enough filets. Hopefully I can dodge it next time as well, since I barely finished my dish. A small note that I hadn't mentioned before... always serve hot food on a warm plate and MAKE SURE ITS CLEAN!
So that was the end of week 2. This weekend I have to practice my turning of turnips. Big week ahead! Chef Benoit suggested we do a Hollandaise sauce at home, but I'm gonna pass. I should buy some metal bowls as well....
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