Day 46 and 47: Plating 3 and 4

Day 3 of plating we made some really gourmet dishes. We started by making a Duck Roullade. Roullade is the french word for 'roll'. We rolled the duck around a piece of foie gras and spinach. We plated it with a fennel sauce, and some vegetables. Very serious.

Above are vegetable timbales, another one of my favorite dishes. It is made of roasted zucchini, Chinese eggplant, tomatoes and yellow zucchini. Then a puree of goat cheese and herbs is placed between each layer of vegetable. These are baked together making a really amazing dish. We also made little crisps out of a cheese based paste, which is a little added bonus on any dish. 

Roasted Poussin with Wasabi Mousseline Potato 

First we roasted Poussin which is a baby chicken. Then we made Wasabi Mousseline Potato which is a very smooth, almost mash, but more mouse-like consistency. We used the pan sauces to draw on the plate and make it look pretty. This was so good!

Last up we made braised short ribs over polenta with roasted tomato. I love anything braised, especially when its short ribs, even more when its on top of polenta. 

Day 45: Plating 2

We continued practicing plating today. These days are really awesome because we are making really complex recipes, and then focusing as much time on the presentation. I personally made the foie gras pudding which was extremely complex, and extremely delicious. It contains foie gras, croutons, and a ton of other ingredients to give it a pudding like consistency.

Rabbit legs with a foie gras pudding and a black currant sauce.

Sauteed steak in a pan sauce

Sauteed salmon with a citrus vinaigrette salad

(this one is my favorite of the day) 

Day 44: Plating Begins

On day 44 we began mod 3. Mod 3 starts with learning how to plate. We were taught the importance of color, texture, balance, and white space when placing food on the plate. Our new Chef, Karen is amazing at plating and taught us so much on day one. We began by making tuna carpaccio served with micro-greens, horseradish mayo and fried capers. I warn you now, I am more creative than artistic so no judgements on the first few days. 

Below is a sauteed scallop with turnip puree, a potato disk and fried leeks. 

Last piece for plating was sauteed sole over a warm vinaigrette salad. 

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!