American Cuisine Week 4: Tex-Mex Cuisine

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I gave in.  I HAD to do the dessert this week.  I love making cookies.

And, of course, there were difficulties with this recipe as well.  First we didn’t have softened butter, so we had to get some softened.  Then the butter was too soft.  So the too soft butter was put in the freezer. (And it took far too long to get to where I wanted it, if you want my opinion.)  While that hardened up a little, I helped my group members do any prep work they needed for the recipes they were working on.

When I finally got the cookies into the oven, I was afraid they would flatten out and not stay in ball form.  They did flatten out a tiny bit, but after looking at pictures on the internet, they turned out exactly how they are suppose to (THANK THE LORD!).

After much discussion with a few group members, we decided to present them with a cup of coffee.  These cookies are probably my favorite thing so far this quarter.

American Cuisine Week 3: Cajun Cuisine

Roasted Eggplant and Oysters

Well, once again, we didn’t have all the ingredients we needed.  No eggplant.  Not initially at least.  After I had already started working with the zucchini that was provided, eggplant magically appeared.  I decided to use both in this recipe to give it my own little touch (because I love both eggplant and zucchini).  

It took a while to shuck the oysters.  I had never done it before but I was determined to learn.  And I have been making a point of not making the dessert each week (even though I really, really, really want to).  In my eyes, this was the most difficult recipe because we had to shuck the oysters.  I’m glad I learned though.  That is definitely a skill that is comparable to riding a bike:  once you learn, you never forget.

The oyster dish was surprisingly delicious.  I’m not exactly a fan of shellfish but forced myself to try these.  I think the thing that turns me off the most is slurping them out of the shell.  When you’re eating them as part of a dish, it’s hard to tell they’re even there.

(That's a Muffaletta on the left)

Mini Burgers!

I was sitting at Cosi this afternoon doing homework with Erin.  I finished everything and was reading through my Google Reader and saw a post about burger joints on a blog that I read.  Of course, this inspired me to make burgers for dinner tonight.

And then I started to go through some old posts that I had "starred" in Google Reader and found some more recipes (the intention was to find side dishes).  I started making a grocery list: ground beef, burger buns, onion, bacon, tomato....you know....the basics.

As I continued reading my Reader, the list grew.  Soon, I decided to make Pistou-Crumbed Creamed Spinach.  (Which, by the way, is DELICIOUS.)  And then I found a recipe for a green sauce that accompanies this chicken recipe.  There was this plantain recipe too. (Which I didn't end up making because Harris Teeter didn't have the right plantains.)

And of course, I'm sitting in Cosi getting all excited...mouth watering and everything.  OMG, I'm drooling. Like, I literally could not sit still because I was so excited about the delicious dinner I was about to have.

Anyhow, as it turns out, Cara is pretty damn good at making burgers.  Caramelize some onions.  Grill some bacon in the cast-iron grill pan.  Toast some slider buns.  Make some burger patties, throw them in the grill pan (with a little bit of bacon grease)....cook each side for about 4 minutes.  Throw everything together.  Plate.  Eat.  Satisfaction.  OMG I want more.

It's been awhile since I've actually cooked a full meal.  Totally worth it.  And all those veggies.  I feel so healthy.  What made it even better was that I got to play catch up with an old friend too!  (Two old friends if you count the fact that Mark came over after Abby and I had already finished eating.)

Sorry, no pictures.  We ate everything before I had a chance to take pictures.

There's one burger leftover for tomorrow's breakfast...because, yes, I do eat non-breakfast foods for breakfast.  I am awesome like that.  Thanks.

Spice, Sweet, Tropical, Healthy, AND Delicious!

Tonight, I decided I should probably cook something instead of buying something.  I also decided that I'm too lazy to head to the store...I've called it a day already.  So what do I have in my cupboards?

I've got all this random stuff.  I found some coconut milk..which made me thing "ooh!  coconut rice!"  But, of course, I don't have rice.  I DO have pasta though!  What else should I use?  How the F do I have pineapple?  Why do I have all this random stuff?

So here's what I ended up using...

1 can coconut milk
1 can cubed pineapple
Crushed red pepper
Saffron
Ground ginger
Salt
2 whole cloves
Some leftover turkey from class
Golden raisins
Frozen stir-fry veggies (I picked out the carrots and sugar snap peas b/c I don't like the other veggies (these were mainly just to add color anyway))
Mirin (a Japanese rice wine)
And some vanilla flavored vodka (which I probably could have done w/o but I thought it might add an interesting flavor)
Sesame oil

I think that's all I used.  Hah...didn't write it down as I was doing it.  Whatevs.

Anyways, I mixed the coconut milk and juice from the can of pineapple (saved the pineapple pieces for later) in a saucepan along with probably about 1/4c crushed red pepper, about a 1/4tsp crushed saffron, a pinch of ground ginger, a dash of salt, the cloves, maybe about 1/2 c of Mirin, and a splash of the vanilla vodka.

I let it come to a boil then I threw in the pasta (I used mini fusilli...but the type of pasta doesn't matter) and cooked until the pasta was al dente.

While the pasta was cooking, I diced about a cup of the turkey breast (about 1/4in dice) and sauted it with some of the pineapple in a pan that was preheated with about 1tbsp sesame oil.

I mixed some of that into the pasta while it was still cooking.  I then used a slotted spoon to separate the solids from the liquids in the pasta pot and put the solids into a separate bowl.

I took out about 1/4 cup of the sauce and mixed it with about 1tbsp cornstarch to make a slurry to thicken the sauce a bit.  I put the slurry back in the sauce and added the leftover pineapple pieces.  I simmer that while I cooked the frozen veggies in the microwave.  When the veggies were done, I picked out the pieces I wanted and threw them in with the pasta.  And then at the very last minute, I threw the golden raisins into the sauce pot (because I forgot about them until then) and let them cook for about a minute or 2.

Transfer sauce to bowl of pasta, mix, serve, eat.  Spicy....sweet....tropical....delicious....healthy!

Got my fruits, veggies, breads, and meats.  No dairy...but I think I eat enough cheese to last a lifetime.

Anyhow, here's a crappy picture...

Gazpacho

It's suppose to be a golden gazpacho made with yellow beefsteak tomatoes.  But, alas, we had no yellow beefsteak tomatoes in class tonight so it ended up being an orange-colored gazpacho.  Apparently all that money I'm putting toward school doesn't actually buy anything we need for class.

On a happy note, the gazpacho I ended up making turned out delightfully.

I substituted Roma tomatoes for the yellow beefsteak tomatoes, added half a jalapeno to give the soup a kick, and threw in some basil leaves while I was at it.  And instead of garnishing with sour cream and diced green bell pepper (the pepper that I hate most), I garnished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some basil chiffonade and a sprinkle of bacon (because everything tastes better with bacon).

Things actually went right for me in class tonight.  I'm only working the lunch shift tomorrow.  And I've got the entire weekend off to do as much HW as possible before my next class.  AND, on top of that, my friends are awesome with all the encouragement to continue on with my AA.  (For all who have given input and encouragement, thank you.)  Things are starting to look up!

<3

American Cuisine Week 2: Floribbean Cuisine

Ceviche of Gulf Shrimp with Floribbean Slaw

Well, my group’s ceviche didn’t turn out so well.  The shrimp began to “cook” but by the time we had to present, it was definitely not even close to being done.  I wouldn’t even let Chef try the slaw that was underneath the shrimp.  Instead, I brought over a side plate of the slaw for him to try.

Chef suggested putting the ceviche back in the refrigerator overnight to see how it turned out the next day.  I think the oil we put on it at the last minute stopped the shrimp from cooking.  It’s too bad too.  I was looking forward to trying it.

Our Floribbean Slaw had papaya in it to add a bit of a different flavor and because there was no yellow squash.  I think we were missing a few other ingredients as well, but we made due with what was available to us and the slaw turned out fantastic.

Golden Gazpacho post to follow...

Get the Hell Out of Dodge

I'm reconsidering the path I'm taking in school.

I enjoy culinary arts VERY much...but I'm wondering if going through the trouble of getting an AA is really worth it.  Why don't I just get my diploma (certificate?) in baking and pastry and call it a day?  Cheaper, faster, and probably more fun.

Or maybe it's just this quarter that is wearing on me already.  The kitchen we're in this quarter is so cramped with people and the setup is terrible.  I literally have to walk 3 yards toward either end of the room just to get to the other side of the table where the refrigerators are and then  I have to walk 3 yards back toward the opposing side of the room to actually REACH the other side of the table.  There are never enough ingredients for the recipes we're making and well...the kitchen is lacking in small bowls, smaller pots and pans, and well...just about anything else you could think of that you need.

Supposedly the kitchen is set up for the a la carte class...to be like a kitchen line.  I bet those students hate the classroom too.

It shouldn't be so hard to get through one recipe.  Oh, we ran out of an ingredient?  Either do without or wait 30 min for the instructor to go find more.  Usually we are made to do without.  Terrible terrible terrible.

Maybe it's the whole lack of energy from not having a day off since last Monday (4/5) and the anger of not having time to REALLY focus on my homework between last week's classes and this week's classes is what was doing it for me.  Luckily, I have the whole weekend off.  Let's pray that the R&R this weekend will do the trick and bring me out of this slump.  Otherwise, I am seriously considering just getting my diploma (certificate?) and getting the hell out of dodge.

Ok.  I need to get out of this mood.  It's been with me since the beginning of the quarter...which was last Tuesday (4/6).  Any suggestions on how to do that?

American Cuisine Week 1: Southern Cuisine

Banana Pudding

I was actually kind of surprised at how simple the banana pudding turned out to be.  The toughest part (for me at least) was figuring out presentation and how to brown the meringue on top without putting the glass in the salamander.

I ended up piping the meringue onto parchment paper on a sheet tray (multiple times) and placing the sheet tray in the salamander.  I then chose my best meringue and very carefully peeled it off the parchment with an icing spatula.

For garnish (on the plate), I tried to caramelize some bananas but my attempt didn’t turn out so well and if I’d have tried a second time, I would have been late presenting. I do think the decision to put the Banana pudding into a glass was an excellent decision.  It turned out beautifully.

Finished product photos

Here are my most recent truffles:
(Left to right: coconut, raspberry, honey peanut butter)

And a product of my laziness - After Dinner Mints (or my version of Andes Mints).
(Basically, I got lazy after making a peppermint ganache filling for peppermint truffles and decided to just sandwich the filling between a layer of tempered chocolate and a layer of semi-sweet chocolate ganache.):

In the words of Chef Marco Pierre White...

"A lot of the best chefs have done Pastry, Michel Roux of the Waterside Inn among them.  Why is Pastry so important?  Because it is all about science, and the knowledge of culinary science is vital.  A precise measurement of that ingredient mixed with a certain amount of that ingredient produces this result.  It's chemistry." (page 41 of his memoir, "The Devil in the Kitchen")

THAT is why I'm in it and why I'm so intrigued with Pastry.  The why and the how of it all...it fascinates me.