This is our class and our judges after we got the news. We all passed! Of course, Mark and I pulled #1 (we plated simultaneously and first), and we pulled the harder combination: fresh pasta with fennel cream and roasted mushrooms, and a rack of lamb dish with braised artichokes, polenta with goat cheese, a …
Month: December 2011
Day 119 – Last day prior to the final, some fun with the boys, and a new knife!
I love my new Kikuichi slicer! It was a present from Bobbie and Mark. Ahhhh, so nice of them. But, you're not suppose to gift knives because it severs the bond between the knife and the knife owner. So, I had to give them each $1 in exchange for my Christmas gift. The knife is …
Continue reading Day 119 – Last day prior to the final, some fun with the boys, and a new knife!
Day 118: Goulash, “stuffing” dumplings, and Perfect Edge Cutlery
I have to say my favorite things about this last week of culinary school have been the "off" menu items Chefs Udo and Jae have taught us/made for us. Today, Chef Udo made some nice and spicy goulash and some sort of dumpling made of bread (forgot the German name) that resembled stuffing mix when …
Continue reading Day 118: Goulash, “stuffing” dumplings, and Perfect Edge Cutlery
Day 117: 3 days and counting for Team Moustache
It was another pasta day for me, and a very successful one. I really like that dish and it's pretty simple once you get comfortable making fresh pasta. I have to say that Chef Udo's method of rolling out pasta works for me and I'll follow that far into the future. Using semolina to dust …
Continue reading Day 117: 3 days and counting for Team Moustache
Day 116: One last practice on fish, making a ladyfinger cake, and learning we have 8 potential dishes on the final
Today was a good day of cooking! Although I don't like monkfish, I hope one of the dishes I pull for the final is the monkfish. It's super easy to prep and it's hard to overcook that fish, as it's not one you want to undercook. The chances are 1 in 4, since we learned …
Day 115: 4 days left of school!
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson And, I don't mean leave a trail of food on the floor, as I was doing today. Still working on flipping ingredients inside the large sautee pan. I'm excellent at flipping …
Days 112, 113 and 114: Jaegerschnitzel, spaetzle, and the restaurant heats up
I'm bummed I didn't take pictures, as the process of making spaetzle was really cool, if not a bit difficult for a first-timer. Chef Udo said he would help us make a couple of German dishes for our class family meal on Wednesday. So, he had Tomas make jaegerschnitzel and the dough for the spaetzle. …
Continue reading Days 112, 113 and 114: Jaegerschnitzel, spaetzle, and the restaurant heats up
Day 111: Banana tart (round 2) and sushi with friends
Today, was the last day on patissier prior to the final exam. I was on banana tart. I am getting much faster at both making pastry shells and rolling them out, although I don't think I've yet dialed in on the perfect pastry crust. Hopefully, one day I'll get there! Don't have much to add …
Continue reading Day 111: Banana tart (round 2) and sushi with friends
Day 110: 2 weeks left of school and the importance of breakfast
I'm back on desserts for 2 days. Everything went just fine with my dessert today, save my ice cream wasn't quite as frozen as I would have liked it to be for service. That's not what irritated me. I'm not going to rant on why I'm irritated as I already "caused a commotion" (as my grandmother …
Continue reading Day 110: 2 weeks left of school and the importance of breakfast
December 4 Sunday thoughts
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J.R.R. Tolkien I think those three things, and creating/doing them with family and friends, are really what I live for. Carnet and I fell in love over good food, music, and laughter. And, without really …
Salty Apron 