I MADE IT THROUGH MY FIRST QUARTER OF CULINARY SCHOOL!

On the first day of class this week we made the following recipes:

Rosemary Grilled Shrimp

Grilled Vegetables

Southwestern Black Bean soup

Pork Chimichurri Kabobs

The second day of class we had a dry run of what our final is going to be next week. Here’s what we did (For the actual final we only did chicken chardonnay) We had two hours to complete all of the following dishes (most of the class was about ½ hour behind including myself.) Luckily these are all recipes we have already done in class because I do not have any pictures from this night because I was to busy cooking!

Roasted Chicken w/ Pan gravy

Chicken Chardonnay w/ chardonnay sauce

Cream of mushroom soup

Whipped Potatoes

Glazed carrots

Broccoli with Hollandaise sauce

ON TO THE NEW STUFF:

Rosemary Grilled Shrimp

Serves 6

finished shrimp on skewers

2 sprigs Fresh rosemary

½ # Shrimp, 16-20 count (approximately 9 pieces), peeled and de-veined

Salt and Black Pepper TT

½ tsp. Minced lemon zest, yellow part only! (optional)

Olive oil as needed

1. Strip the rosemary leaves from the stems and chop the leaves.

2. Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper.

3. Toss the shrimp with the rosemary and a small amount of oil (and zest if desired) until the shrimp are lightly and evenly coated with oil and the rosemary is evenly distributed. Allow the shrimp to marinate for 1- 2 hours.

4. Preheat the grill. Arrange the shrimp on the grill and cook until the shrimp are cooked one-third of the way through and have attractive grill marks, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Turn them and repeat. Remove the shrimp from the grill when they are still slightly underdone in the middle; carry over will continue cooking them. Do not overcook the shrimp or they will be tough and dry.

You may use rosemary stems as skewers if you like. If you use bamboo skewers, soak them first, and wrap the ends lightly in foil to help slow down burning.

shrimp on the grill grillin!

NOTES: The shrimp was super easy, after simply tossing it with rosemary, salt and pepper and some olive oil – we let them sit for about 20 min and put them onto skewers. Each side grilled for approximately 2 min on each side.

If your shrimp is frozen it is best to defrost them in cold water.

When shrimp is fully cooked they turn pink.

If using wood skewers – make sure to soak them in water beforehand.

Grilled Vegetables

plated grilled vegetables

½ red bell peppers, seeded and halved

¼ yellow squash (about ½ pound total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

¼ zucchini (about 3 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

½ Japanese eggplant (6 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

2 mushrooms

2 green onions, roots cut off, trimmed to 3” length

1 oz. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 t. balsamic vinegar

¼ garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

¼ teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1 pinch finely minced fresh rosemary leaves

1. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat).

2. Brush the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the oil to coat lightly.

3. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.

4. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly browned/charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers; 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms; 4 minutes for the green onions. Arrange the vegetables on a platter. The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they've been placed on the hot grill.

Dressing

2 T. canola oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. garlic

2 T. parsley

2 T. basil

2 T. rosemary

salt and pepper TT

1. Whisk all except salt and pepper together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the herb mixture over the vegetables. Serve the vegetables, warm or at room temperature.

veggies on the grill grillin!

NOTES – The veggies were super easy as well. The most important part is cutting them to a big enough size that they don’t fall or shrink too much but not big of size where it takes to long to cook all they way through.

Southwestern Black Bean Soup
yield 2 qts

finished black bean soup

½# Dried black beans, soaked

Sachet:

1Bay leaves

1 ½ t. Dried thyme

5 ea. Peppercorns, cracked

2 1/2 qts. Vegetable stock or water

2 t. Canola oil

2 oz. Onion, diced

1 ea. Garlic cloves, minced

1 T. Anaheim chile, diced

1 t. Jalapeño or serrano chile, minced

½ t. Cumin, ground

½ t. Coriander, ground

½ t. Dried oregano

Salt and pepper TT

Lime wedges as needed

Fresh cilantro, chopped as needed

1. The night before, soak the beans in a large amount of water, under refrigeration. Drain.

2. Combine the beans and stock or fresh water in a medium stock pot and bring to a simmer.

Add the sachet.

3. Sauté the onion, garlic and chile in the oil. Add to the stock pot.

4. Stir in the cumin, coriander and oregano.

5. Simmer the soup, uncovered, approximately 2 to 3 hours. The beans should be very soft, just beginning to fall apart. Add additional water or stock if necessary.

6. Puree about half of the soup, LEAVE THE REST AS WHOLE BEANS!!!!

7. Then stir the puree back into the remaining soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

NOTES: For this dish we used pre soaked beans- they still took FOREVER to cook. Our barley cooked in time – in fact probably only have of the beans really did. We ended up mostly serving the broth – so that chef could taste the flavor.

With this dish you have to have A LOT of time to cook the beans. Do not add salt to the beans because this can slow down the cooking process and keep them hard.

Pork Chimichurri Kabobs

Serves 4

finished Kabobs

Chimichurri is a thick, fresh herb sauce from Argentina, where it is traditionally served as an accompaniment to grilled meats. In this recipe it is used as both a marinade and a sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce:

4 Garlic cloves, peeled

¼ # Onion, chopped

1 ½ oz. Fresh lemon juice

2 T. Dried oregano, crushed

1 large bunch Fresh parsley, minced (The whole bunch!)

6 oz. Olive oil

2 oz. Sherry wine vinegar

1 t. Salt

¼ t. Red pepper flakes

½ t. Black pepper

1# Pork loin, boneless, trimmed

1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until the ingredients are thoroughly blended, but not pureed. The mixture should be slightly coarse.

2. Cut the pork into 3/4-inch (2-centimeter) cubes and place them in a non-reactive pan or Ziplock bag. Add only three-fourths of the chimichurri sauce and stir thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Reserve the remaining sauce to serve with the kabobs!

3. Remove the pork from the marinade, discarding any marinade left in the pan. Arrange the pork on eight skewers. Cook on a hot grill, turning as necessary to cook thoroughly and brown evenly.

Serve with black beans and rice and the reserved chimichurri sauce.

Variation:

Use boneless, skinless chicken or cubes of lamb shoulder meat in place of the pork

pork on the grill grillin!

NOTES: There were a few things that we could have adjusted in our sauce. We used to much oregano – and instead of using dry we should have used fresh.

Our meat was cooked really well. I tried a tiny piece of this as well – and it was okay – kind of chewy.

To go with our pork and shrimp we made a an ORANGE SALSA

It consisted of diced oranges, limes, onions and chopped parsley and garlic with lemon and lime juices. It was pretty tasty!

"salsa of the sun"

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Serves: 16 Serving Size: 8 oz

¼ # Onion yellow, diced

2 oz. Celery, diced 4 oz

2 oz. Leeks, diced 4 oz

1 ½ # Mushrooms, diced

2 oz. clarified Butter 3 oz

1 qt. cold Chicken stock

3 oz. prepared Roux, blonde

½ t. Salt

White pepper to taste

1 C. Heavy cream, heated

1. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter on high heat, until golden, in small batches.

2. Lower heat and add in all the batches of mushrooms, the onions, celery, and leeks

and sweat until soft.

3. Add the chicken stock, heat and add the roux, stir to dissolve the roux, bring to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Strain the veloute and puree the solids until completely smooth, adding some of the reserved liquid only if needed to puree the mixture.

Return the puree to the veloute and simmer for ten minutes.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Heat the cream and add the cream to the soup. Thin with stock as necessary.

6. Garnish just before serving.

NOTES- This soup was good – pretty simple to make. Mine ended up a bit to thick – I added cream in the end but forgot to add more stock to thin it out. It also needed a bit more salt. Sorry no picture :(

That is it for this quarter! Next quarter I am taking Intro to baking and intro to pastry!! It will be a fun 11 weeks get your workout plan in order so you can enjoy all the yummy sweets!

FAMILY DAY

In week 9 (just two weeks to go before finals!!) we prepared for “family day”. This means that on Tuesday we prepped all the dishes that we served to our family and friends on wed. On wed we had 3 hrs to finish cooking, clean and get set up for our friends and family that arrived at 9pm. As a class the following dishes were split up amongst the 4 groups in class.

Coq au Vin

Chicken Pot au Feu

Korean Braised Short Ribs

Italian Braised Pork

Steamed Rice

Ratatouille

Polenta

Poached Chicken w/ Tarragon - Chef Demo

Since this was a very meat heavy meal Chef said that I could make a vegetable dish – so I decided on Ratatouille and Polenta - which we did in a previous week.

Our table did Korean Braised Short Ribs, Ratatouille, Polenta, and Steamed Rice

My friends that joined me for "family day" Christiann, me, Dana, and Michelle

Coq au Vin serves 4-6

Bouquet garni:

1 Carrot stick, 4 in.

1 Leek, split, 4-in.(piece

1 sprig Fresh thyme

1 Bay leaf

3 C. Red wine

6 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 ea. Chickens, 2 lb. 8 oz.-3 lb.

AP Flour, for dredging

Salt and pepper TT

2 oz. Clarified butter

4 oz. Brandy

1 C. Chicken stock

4 oz. Bacon lardons

18 Pearl onions, peeled

10 Mushrooms, medium, quartered

Beurre manié as needed

8 Large triangular croutons

1. Bring wine to a boil with bouquet garni and garlic and cook until the scent of alcohol is gone. Do not boil dry! Let cool.

2. Cut each chicken into eight pieces, and add to the cooled marinade, with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Let sit for as long as you can. Overnight is best.

3. Remove Chicken from Marinade. Save marinade.

4. Rinse Chicken and pat dry. Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

5. Heat the clarified butter in a braising pan; brown the chicken.

6. Add the brandy and ignite. When the flame dies, add the marinade with the bouquet garni and garlic. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

7. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender, approximately 40 minutes.

Adding small amounts of stock as needed.

8. In a separate pan, sauté the bacon until the fat begins to render. Add the onions and saute until they begin to brown. Add a bit of olive oil if necessary. Cook the bacon and onions covered, over low heat, until the onions are tender. Add the mushroom and cook them until tender.

9. Remove the chicken from the pan and adjust the sauce's consistency with the beurre manié. Strain the sauce through a china cap and adjust the seasonings.

10. Add a very small drizzle of red wine and a monter of butter.

Return the chicken to the sauce to reheat gently.

11. Spoon the bacon, onions and mushrooms onto a serving platter, leaving any fat behind, place the chicken over them and ladle the sauce over the finished dish.

Serve with triangular croutons.

NOTES: If you cook the chicken too quickly, it will come out stingy.

You will know if its cooked just right because it will melt in your mouth.

The "croutons" should be triangular shaped pieces of toast. The chicken may turn purple from wine marinade.

Chicken Pot au Feu

Serves 4 to 6

Garnish Vegetables: (see preparation notes below)

1 # Carrot

1 ½ # Potato, Waxy

1 # Turnip

½ # Leek, white only

1/3 # Celery, heart

6 0z. Green Cabbage

Mirepoix: (Use trim from Garnish vegetables!)

8 oz. Onion, chopped

6 oz. Carrot, chopped

4 oz. Leek, chopped

4 oz. Celery, chopped

4 # Chicken, dark meat

Kosher salt TT

Bouquet Garni:

4 sprigs Thyme, fresh

6 sprigs Parsley, fresh

1 tsp. Black pepper, coarsely cracked

2 ea. Bay leaves

Tied in leek leaves, celery stalks or carrot slices.

1. Place chicken in a small stock pot and pour in cold water to cover. Bring just to a boil, skim, and pour out chicken into a colander. Rinse quickly with cold water and shock in an ice bath.

2. Using trimmings from garnish vegetables, wrap all of the mirepoix into cheesecloth to be easily separated when chicken is finished.

3. Season chicken with salt and place back into a clean stock pot. Cover with cold chicken stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add mirepoix and bouquet garni, skim as needed. Cook over very low heat for 1 hour or until chicken is very tender and pulls away from the bone.

4. Very carefully remove chicken from the pot and cool slightly. Discard mirepoix. Place garnish vegetables, each in its own cheesecloth wrap, into broth and continue to simmer until each is tender but not falling apart. Remove vegetables from cheesecloth and cool when done.

5. Strain broth and adjust seasonings. Reheat chicken and garnish vegetables in broth and transfer to a large bowl or platter. Serve broth on side with Dijon mustard and toasted bread.

Garnish Vegetables:

· Tourne carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Save carrot trimmings for mirepoix.

· Trim leek and celery hearts so that the base holds layers intact, halve or quarter depending on size. Save trimmings for mirepoix.

· Cut cabbage into 1 1/2 inch squares.

NOTES – I have mentioned this thing called a tourne before – it is defined as a 7-sided football shape – that is approximately 2 inches long and has blunt ends. For this dish this table had to make something like 80 tournes of carrots, turnips, and potatoes. As other classmates finished prepping their meals they helped with the tournes.

Pot au Feu translates into Pot of Fire.

In French cuisine it is classically done with a beef short rip.

just out of the oven

Korean Braised Short Ribs (Kalbi Jim)

serves 4

5 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, grated

3 scallions, finely chopped

1 Tbs. sesame seeds, crushed or whole

1 Tbs. dark sesame oil

1/2 Asian pear, peeled and finely chopped

3 # English-cut short ribs (sometimes called thick-cut), rinsed in cold water

2 small potatoes, (waxy-type best) cut up into large chunks

2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths or ½ cup baby carrots

1. Cook the potato chunks starting in cold water, until just tender. Drain and leave out to cool.

2. Cook the cut carrots in rapidly boiling salted water until tender. Shock and set aside.

3. Score the ribs so that they absorb more of the braising liquid.

4. Mix all the marinade ingredients (spices and liquids) together.

5. In a large pot over high heat, put in the ribs and pour the braising liquid over them. Mix well, making sure all the ribs are covered. The liquid should come to about one third to half the level of the ribs in the pot.

6. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and turn on the flame.

When it begins to boil, turn to a low simmer.

7. Cook for at least 1 hour (90 minutes – 2 hours is better), stirring occasionally, until the all the water is coked away, and the juices form a glaze all over the ribs. Add in potatoes and carrots at end of cooking time to reheat. With tongs, remove the ribs and veggies from the pan. The goal is for meltingly tender meat that is almost falling off the bone.

Short Ribs marinating

NOTES- These were relatively easy to make. On Wednesday when we cooked them we first seared them on each side and then put them in a big pot with the braising liquid. We cooked them on top of the stove – It was easier to handle this way. Then covered the pan with parchment paper and let me cook!

cooked ribs with carrots and potatoes

I did try a tiny piece of this dish and the flavor was excellent! (I wasn’t a huge fan of the meat, but as most of you know I don’t eat red meat – I didn’t like the texture)

**I have already shared with you the recipe of Ratatouille, Steamed Rice and Polenta – but here are some photos of the tomatoes cooking for the Ratatouille:

tomatoes beginning to stew for the Ratatouille

Italian Braised Pork
serves 4

3 oz. olive oil

1# mirepoix, medium chop

1 ½ t. salt

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

6 juniper berries, crushed

13 oz. red wine

2 pounds pork butt, cut into large, 3-inch diameter slabs, to be sliced after braising

2 ounces pancetta, minced

½ # onion, medium dice

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup white wine

½ cup sugar

2 oz. red wine vinegar

Salt and ground black pepper TT

1. In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil with the mirepoix. Add the salt, crushed garlic cloves, bay, rosemary, juniper berries, and the red wine. Add the pork and cover with the marinade. Marinate overnight, or up to 3 days, refrigerated, turning twice a day if possible.

2. Remove the meat from the marinade. Pass the marinade, saving the liquid, and tying the solids into a cheesecloth “sachet” for use later in the recipe. Set everything aside.

3. In a large casserole, heat the remaining olive oil, then add the pork pieces and cook to sear on all sides, working in batches, and removing the meat once it is seared, setting it aside.

4. Add the pancetta to the pan and sauté until golden. Remove the pancetta and place it with the cooked pork.

5. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic to the pan, and cook until just softened.

6. Add the marinade vegetable “sachet” and liquid and deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the white wine and the cooked pork and pancetta and bring to a simmer. Loosely cover, and cook over low heat for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

7. Remove the meat and keep warm on the side. Reduce the liquid to sauce consistency.

8. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar over high heat until it melts and just turns golden. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar to make a “gastrique”. Pour this mixture into the sauce and heat through.

9. Make it gently sweet and gently sour with a bit more vinegar and a tiny bit more sugar if needed. Degrease the sauce well and adjust seasonings. Slice meat and pour the sauce over it.

NOTES: Braising is done on top of the stove or in the oven. The liquid should be ¾ of the way up the pan. When covering the meat, there should be no space for air to get in – other wise you will be essentially steaming the meat instead.

braised pork ready to be served

Poached Breast of Chicken with Tarragon Sauce

Serving: 2

2 ea. Chicken breasts, single, boneless, skinless, approx. 4 oz. each

1 oz. Whole butter

Salt and white pepper TT

2 oz. White wine

1 cup Chicken stock

1 Bay leaf

1/8 tsp. Dried thyme

1/2 tsp. Dried tarragon

1 oz. clarified butter

1 oz. Flour

4 oz. Cream

Fresh tarragon sprigs for garnish

1. Trim any rib meat and fat from the breasts. Cut the breasts into two pieces, removing the strip of cartilage that joins the halves.

2. Select a pan that will just hold the breasts when they are placed close together. Rub the pan with approximately 1 ounce of butter.

3. Season the chicken breasts with salt and white pepper, and the bottoms of the breasts only with tarragon. Arrange them in the buttered pan, presentation side up.

4. Add the white wine, stock, bay leaf and thyme.

5. Cut and butter a piece of parchment paper and cover the chicken breasts.

6. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce the temperature to poach the chicken.

7. Make a blond roux with 1 ounce of clarified butter and the flour; set aside to cool.

8. When the breasts are done, remove them from the liquid. Thicken the liquid with the roux. Add the cream. Simmer and reduce to sauce consistency.

9. Strain the sauce through cheesecloth and adjust the seasonings.

10. Serve each half breast napped with approximately 2 fluid ounces of sauce. Garnish each portion with a sprig of fresh tarragon

chicken in pan about to be cooked

NOTES – Poached chicken should be clean, and beautiful. It is really good cold to - Really good in chicken salad.

When cooking this dish you want to make sure to cook it presentation side up, tarragon side down.

Make sure it is on medium heat – not boiling. Cover with parchment with a hole in the center to release the steam.

For the sauce use equal parts flour, butter, and cream.

This week I also went to the Santa Monica Farmers Market! If you haven't been you are missing out! Here is a picture of everything i got all for about $15!