Day 43: Deli

Today we were basically a deli. We mass produced sandwiches, each of which were amazing. As I have mentioned before, the class is geared for 15 people. Since we only have 5 people we get 3x the amount of food we need. Today was particularly ridiculous since we each made 3 types of sandwiches, and we made 6+ of each sandwich type. 

I was in charge of making the Reuben, egg salad, and salmon BLT. In addition we had chicken burgers (freshly made), turkey clubs, croque monsieur and deviled ham and cheese. These sandwiches in my eyes seem very simple. When you are on the other end making them, there are a lot more moving parts then I ever realized. Between cooking the meats, to toasting the bread, and slicing the veggies, there is a lot of work that goes into a sandwich. All of the prep was worth the wait because we created a full spread of delicious sandwiches. 

Day 42: Breakfast Part II

Today we made breakfast breads! This included pancakes, waffles, french toast (wow I just got hungry), crepes, granola, and oatmeal. Today was a ton of fun! We started by making each batter and then cooking the pancakes and french toast on the grill. The trick to having the best french toast around is using nutmeg! I am a huge nutmeg fan, and having it on your french toast is delicious.

Next up we made crepes. In order to make these, you need a teeny tiny pan, and a very small amount of batter. After swirling the batter around to coat the pan, you form a very thin layer and flip. We then rolled each crepe off and filled it with different fillings. We made one with goat cheese and herbs, the other with caramelized apples. Both were amazing!!

Oatmeal was pretty self explanatory, but the money maker was the granola we made. First we toasted up lots of different oats and grains. Then we coated it with sugar, honey and a few other ingredients. Lastly we tossed in some dried fruit such as cranberries and mango. We mushed everything together on a sheet tray and let it rest for an hour, until hard. Then we chopped it all up and had the best granola ever! Aside from egg day, this was the only other day we ate something that made sense to eat at 10am, therefore we ate it all up. 

Day 41: Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

The next two days are breakfast cookery. Since brunch has become a huge phenomenon, especially in NYC, it is important to learn these techniques. We were given around 10 trays of eggs and put to work. We made every type of egg that I have ever heard of- scrambled, omelet, fried, over easy, sunny side up, hard boiled, soft boiled, eggs Benedict, and poached eggs. I usually stick to scrambled or omelets so I took advantage of all that we were cooking and taste tested all of the different types. Lets just say that I haven't had eggs since this day of class. Below is a picture of two out of 10 of the eggs we each prepared:

Now we all know that I am not very strong. However, since I started school, in combination with the heavy lifting I do daily while working at Eataly, I have gotten pretty strong. It just so happened that I realized this the day we were cracking 100 eggs.  I continuously cracked eggs so hard that they broke all over the table. Keep in mind, I have never in my life broken an egg wrong so I found it hysterical that of all days, I was too 'strong'. I understand why some people wouldn't classify this as a way to measure your strength, but I honestly believe this was the day that proved I had gotten stronger.

Day 40: Falafel

Today we made legumes! I am not a huge fan of beans, but with legumes came falafel!! It also worked out that I got to make the falafel recipe!

First off I pureed all of the ingredients in a blender. During this time, canola oil was being heated up in a huge pot. Once it hit the appropriate temperature I brought over the mixture and used a melon scooper to drop little balls of falafel mixture into the oil. They deep fried until golden brown and were then left to drain. After making around 50 falafel balls, I made a tahini sauces out of yogurt, tahini paste, and lemon juice. Now that everything was made we assembled pita pockets with sliced onion, lettuce, tomatoes, a few falafel balls and tahini.

For those Mamoun's fans out there, I am confident to say that this falafel is close competition!! Next time I cook Middle Eastern fare, this will be on the menu! 

Day 38: Puree, Souffles, Timbales

The next class we learned about advanced vegetable preparation. We learned how to take basic vegetables and turn them into presentable side dishes that compliment a dish.

Carrot timbales: These are pureed carrots placed into a mold. They look kind of silly but on a plated meal they will look good next to a fancy piece of protein.

Broccoli Souffle: A very light, fluffy side dish. Souffles need to be cooked at the perfect temperature, for the perfect amount of time to work. At that point they pop up and look like they do below!

Potato Gratin-This was by far my favorite and I had to walk away before eating the whole tray. It is sliced potatoes mixed with heavy cream and milk then topped with Parmesan cheese and Gruyere cheese. They are cooked in the oven and then placed under a broiler to give it a crispy final touch. 

In addition to these three dishes we made regular mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and glazed carrot and turnip torne. A torne is a special shape that you cut the vegetable into. It is extremely difficult and needs a lot of practice. So much practice that I have had to cut up tournes on the couch while my friends were over hanging out. It is an 8ish sided, oval shape that you cut into things such as potatoes and carrots. It seems like we are on a break from practicing tournes so I can finally give my hands a rest, phew. 

Day 37: Spa Day

This lesson was geared to teach us about super healthy cooking. Our chef told us a story about a woman coming to eat at Le Cirque and ordering poached fish. Although this was not on the menu, they were instructed to make it per her request. He was still in his early years working the grill, but volunteered to make the poached fish, earning himself a promotion. Dietary restraints, on top of particular people, lead to this spa style cooking being offered on many modern menus. Although they may limit some delicious things, these methods will be really helpful especially with the evolution of food and diet in today's food culture.

 Most of these dishes were very flavorful for being so light in fat content. We began by making Paupiettes of Sole. This is sole rolled up with a leek fondue tucked into the center. It is then shallow poached, and finished in the oven. A pan sauce is added to accompany the fish, giving it a lot of flavor, yet still very healthy (just revisited the recipe and saw there is cream and butter, oops) !

Next we poached a whole fish in what is called a court bouillon. This is a flavorful liquid that the fish is submerged and cooked in. We then paired the fish with an emulsion sauce-saffron aioli- to contrast the flavors. I am not a huge aioli fan but this was really delicious. So delicious that our chef ripped off a piece of the baguette on the counter and started dipping away.

His name is David, after David Trahan 

Poached Salmon with a side of cauliflower 

For the vegetable portion, we steamed whole artichokes and paired it with a vinaigrette. I added minced rosemary to the vinaigrette since I am a huge rosemary fan, giving it an extra hint of flavor.

Day 36-It's Steamy In Here

We learned how to steam during lesson 36. I love steaming mussels so I had a firm understanding on how to steam mussels and clams prior to class. However, we learned some new techniques that I have never heard of. We made a Papillote of salmon. This is when you basically wrap a bag around the fish that is accompanied by vegetables. You place it in an oven, and it steams it self up. It is generally served in the paper at the table so the guest can inhale the flavor when the 'bag' is sliced open.

We also made steamed Chinese Striped Bass with Vegetables and Sticky rice. Talk about delicious. The bass was marinated in garlic, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. In order to steam this, we used a 3 tier steamer. Each tier held one item, either the fish, veggies, or rice, and sat elevated on top of boiling water. The steam soaks into each layer, cooking all 3 layers through. The rice was my favorite part because it was the bottom layer. All of the juices from the veggies, and fish dripped down giving it a ton of flavor, and sticky rice is as much a food group to me as prosciutto and pizza are.

Clams with Saffron and Tomatoes

Parmesan crisps that accompanied the clams:

Papillote of Salmon

Steamed Chinese Striped Bass with Vegetables and Sticky Rice

Mussels Steamed in White Wine

 

Eataly!!

I got a job at Eataly!!!! For those of you who don't know what Eataly is, it is the new Mario Batali and Joe+Lidia Bastianich Italian marketplace. It sells specialty foods, has numerous restaurants, and a cooking school. It reminds me of a cleaner, more Americanized version of the mercado in Florence, Italy that I used to frequent when I studied abroad there.  I have been dreaming about getting a job at Eataly since I first heard about it coming to New York, and have been receiving google alerts daily letting me know about job opportunities.  All of the job ads requested a lot of experience so I planned to wait until I graduated to apply. In the mean time I stumbled upon a recruiter at our school's career fair who was looking to hire culinary students.

Soon after the fair I was hired into the fresh pasta department to do sales. Getting the position was a culinary dream come true. The market had only been open a few weeks and I had already been there 8 times, so getting paid to be somewhere I loved was just unreal to me. Now back to the job-- we have a huge selection of fresh, flat and filled pastas that are made daily by the production team that stands behind me. I then sell the pasta to people who come by.  I have the opportunity to recommend sauces, cooking instructions, and dish ideas to guests that come to buy pasta. I am convinced there is a sign somewhere that says we are giving away free pasta because people flock to our department in masses.

Until I graduate, I am not eligible to work in the back of the house, however this turned out in my favor. My boss has amazing experience and has been teaching me a ton about food, even if I don't get to cook at work. I am also getting to interact with the 10000s of people that come into the store daily and share my food knowledge with them.  It is by far the most fun job I have had yet, and I am already learning so much about the food industry.  The last little perk is that I have unlimited access to prosciutto, which to anyone that knows me, you now understand why I love my job so much.

I am working everyday except Monday and Saturday from 2-8, come stop by!!! 

Day 34 and 35: Stewing

Stewing is great because it is basically a 1 pot meal. You can combine meat, vegetables, and the sauce all in one pot and feed an army. On the other hand, stews tend to have heavy flavors so these are dishes that I either loved, or could handle never eating again..sorry chef.


Provencale Lamb Stew-

Blanquette of Veal:

Ratatouille:

Chicken Stewed in Red Wine

Chicken Tagine with Couscous

Braised Rabbit Legs with Red Onions, Prosciutto and Broccoli Rabe 

Stewed Korean Short Ribs

The winners go to Korean Short Ribs and chicken stewed in red wine. Surprisingly enough the rabbit was another favorite!

Day 32 and 33: Braising

The 2 days of braising were two of my favorites. First reason is because we made my favorite dish to date. This was the braised chicken thighs with mushroom and balsamic vinegar. A dish that will be repeated time and time again in my kitchen.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinegar-The flavors were heavy on the vinegar and mushrooms, and the meat was so tender it melted in your mouth.

Braised Red Cabbage 

Braised Lamb Shanks with juniper and rosemary

Second reason I loved braising was that all of the food you see below was made by just 3 people. Two of my classmates were out and since we already have a record breaking small class of 5 people there was a second where I thought we weren't going to make all of our dishes. Instead our chef pushed us along resulting in the spread below. With so much leftover I headed uptown to my dads office where my dad, brother, a few coworkers and I had a grand feast:

My tall classmates Juan and Anissa that help me reach all of the high equipment 

Osso Bucco-this is a bonus meal because it is both the osso bucco meat, as well as bone marrow

Whole Fish Braised-2 huge red snappers that I so boldly pulled the intestines out of: 

Braised Beef Cheeks-We had a long debate about which cheeks these were exactly. We concluded that we should ignore the imagination and just eat because they were so delicious:

Braised Fennel Wrapped in Bacon-anything wrapped in bacon is good, so fennel lovers or not, this was great: