Aside from almost breaking the $5000 ice cream machine, today was a successful day! I made vanilla ice cream, which was delicious. The secret in the recipe is adding creme fraiche after the custard has cooled and right before you put it in the ice cream machine. It gave it a really nice mouth feel …
Category: Food
Day 93 – Chef Peter’s back!
It was fun having Chef Peter back in the kitchen and also expediting. He has a ton of stories from his time in restaurant kitchens. Not preachy; just life lessons. I like that way of teaching. Tomorrow I move onto patissier with Tomas - that should be fun. I get to pull some sugar, make …
Days 87-92: Menu Project, The Restaurant: poisonnier to saucier, and Chef Udo
Last week we moved downstairs to the restaurant kitchen and changed instructors from Chef Tim to Chef Udo. Bobby and I finished on poisonnier (fish station) on Thursday, which was our first day actually serving customers, and then everyone changed stations when Chef Udo came in on Friday. Friday I played sous chef which meant …
Continue reading Days 87-92: Menu Project, The Restaurant: poisonnier to saucier, and Chef Udo
Days 80-86: The big buffet and Level 5 start
Day 80 was our final day of Level 4 and our second buffet. I loved this buffet! The theme: Spain, with a little Asia and charcuterie thrown in for good measure. I refuse to call it fusion because it wasn't meant to be, but some students really wanted to do Asian, so Chef Ryan was …
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Day 79 – Shepard’s pies and buffet prep
Today's focus was prepping for tomorrow's Spanish-inspired buffet. It's a very ambitious buffet. I'm making 5 dishes solely on my own: Vegetarian Paella, Squash stuffed empanadas with spicy sour cream, roasted wild mushrooms in a shallot-garlic-sherry wine-olive oil reduction, Octopus tiradito (sort of like a ceviche, but the octopus has been "tenderized" in daikon and …
Days 71-78: Many family meals and a white clothes picnic in Golden Gate Park with 3500 people
Okay, I'm lame. I have not posted in 8 school days - yikes. I'd like to say it's because I'm busy - and I am - but I think most people are these days, so I'm just going to say I'm lame. So, what have I been up to? Family meals have been pretty fun, …
Days 67-70: Charcuterie Buffet
Today was the big day - Day 10 of Level 4, which means our big charcuterie buffet. We made several different items from the pig we butchered, a salmon we cold smoked and several different condiments and breads to accompany the foregoing. Pictured at top is one of our featured charcuterie platters. Starting from the …
Days 60-66: Level 4, family meals, a saw and a machete
Day 59 was the midterm and we all passed! It wasn't nearly as nerve racking as I had originally thought it would be. I drew #3, which was a great number. Victor served first, then Bobbie, then me. Mark followed, then Tomas was #5. We all made consomme and the thick-cut pork chops with pommes …
Continue reading Days 60-66: Level 4, family meals, a saw and a machete
Day 58 – Bass en papillote, an Italian-style dinner, and purple cauliflower
As mentioned yesterday, I cooked fish en papillote (parchment paper) today. Anne got the salmon and Rachelle and I got the striped bass for our fishes. I wish we would have had the chance to fillet this sea bass that Level 5 got today: Nonetheless, our dishes were spectacular with salmon and striped bass and …
Continue reading Day 58 – Bass en papillote, an Italian-style dinner, and purple cauliflower
Days 56 and 57 – I smell chocolate
For the past 2 days, I have been smelling chocolate while we cook. It's most definitely from the pastry folks in the pastry program and today it got the better of me. I begged Chef Tomm to include chocolate chip cookies in my menu of salad nicoise and thick cut pork chops with greenpeppercorn sauce …
Salty Apron 