Lesson 36: Steaming & Salmon En Papillote

Today we made a variety of seafood dishes as we learned the cooking technique of steaming.  I have not had a lot of experience with steaming, so I loved learning how to cook more healthily without losing flavor.  In fact, steaming just brings out the natural flavors of whatever you are cooking and everything tasted fantastic!  It was nice leaving the kitchen today without feeling greasy, smelly, and weighed down haha!

We made four dishes today: Clams with saffron and tomatoes, Mussels steamed in white wine, Salmon en papillote, and Steamed Chinese Sea Bass with sticky rice and vegetables.  

I am still getting used to the taste and texture of shellfish like clams and mussels, so I wasn't in love with these dishes.  The sauces were really good though!  We served the clams with croutes that were topped with a parmesan butter (mmm!)

I feel like I spent like two hours fine-julienne'ing vegetables for the salmon.  Dicing and slicing is so therapeutic to me, that I sort of zone out and go through the motions.  I julienne'd far more than what was needed, but I definitely got my knife skills for the day!

Matt and Robert worked together fabricating the HUGE salmon (shown above) for our en papillotes.  I love love loved this dish!!!!!  It was so easy, flavorful and adjustable for any fish and veggies.  We cut out parchment paper in the shape of a big heart.  I placed some veggies in the crease of the heart and sprinkled a little salt on top.  Next, I placed the seasoned salmon on top, and topped it with more veggies (we used a mix of leeks, peppers, squash, zucchini, and snow peas).  I also sprinkled on some minced shallot and sprigs of thyme.  The final touch was a bit more salt, and a drizzle of olive oil and white wine.  I sealed up my individual salmon-veggie dish and placed it in the oven with the 15 other salmon packets in the oven.  In about 8 minutes, it was done!  I cut into my pouch and could smell all of the wonderful aromas flow out.  I usually don't like salmon that much, but this fish was done perfectly and had soo much flavor for having so little ingredients!  I can't express enough how much I loved this simple piece of fish.  I wish I knew how to make this in college because this is the perfect single-serving healthy supper!

I can't wait to experiment with this cooking technique using a variety of fish, veggies, and herbs.  There are so many possibilities!

The Steamed Chinese Striped Bass was another delicious and flavorful dish!  The soy sauce marinade was perfect for this flaky, delicate fish.  The veggies were steamed to perfection and the rice was so sticky that we couldn't even get it all out of the steamer--just stuck to everything!

We ended the day with some extra knife skills... Extra hard knife skills that is.  We learned out to tourne a potato.  This is the most difficult type of cut and took us all by surprise as we made our first attempts to make this 7-sided cylinder.  Here's a picture that I google-imaged of a tourne-cut... Obviously my first attempts were not picture worthy!

I'm going to need a lot of practice on this one, and Chef made sure to give us all some extra potatoes to bring home to practice on.  I think I better set my alarm clock a little earlier than usual so I have time to carefully make my second attempt without cutting my thumb off!  Wish me luck!

On another note (before I get watch Chef Academy and head to bed!)  I made use of my leftover eggplant and lentils from Friday and made a wonderful lunch for my mom and I yesterday.  Instead of making another casserole, I baked a spinach tortilla and spread on some organic salsa, then layered on some eggplant and lentils.  I sprinkled on some goat cheese and baked it in the oven until it was hot and the cheese melted.  I added some cayenne pepper since I love everything nice and spicy!! :)

Lesson 35: Stewing Peter Rabbit

Yesterday our class had our final lesson on stewing, with some interesting items on the menu.  My group decided to divide up the recipes like we did yesterday, to avoid confusion and get everything done faster.  Matt made the stewed rabbit legs with broccoli rabe and prosciutto (pictured above).  I was very excited about this dish because I have never tried rabbit before and my grandpa told me his mother used to make it for him when he was younger.  Thankfully there was plenty leftover to bring home for my grandpa to try and he loved it!  I was so happy to bring back a childhood memory for him through food.  I also really enjoyed the rabbit and was surprised to find that it tasted exactly like chicken.  

The recipe that I worked on was the Chicken Tagine with Cous Cous.  Matt helped me prep in the beginning of class, since my recipe had a ton of ingredients to be measured out.  This was a great recipe that I can't wait to make again at home.  There were so many components that added great flavor and texture to the dish.  I even cooked the chicken stew in a tagine, a cooking device typically used for Moroccan stews.  Here is a picture of one (I google imaged it because I forgot to take a picture during class..)

We weren't sure if the one we had in class was suitable for searing meat or sauteeing vegetables, so I prepped the stew in a small rondeau pan and transfered the whole thing to the tagine and put it in the oven to cook.  Like I said, this stew turned out fantastic!  After browning and removing the chicken legs and thighs from the pan, I added sliced onions, tumeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and a pinch of saffron.  I added some water, honey, cinnamon sticks, chickpeas, dried dates & apricots and added it to the chicken in the tagine.  While the stew finished cooking in the oven, I sauteed some zucchini and yellow squash in the same pan that I made the onion and spice mixture.  The chicken took only another 20 minutes to cook and I removed it from the pan.  I transfered the sauce/dried fruit mixture to a medium pan and reduced and seasoned it with some salt and a little more honey.  I added the squash to the sauce at the very end and poured it over the chicken and cous cous. 

Henry took charge of the vegetarian dish of the day: Turkish eggplant and lentil stew (although it was more like a casserole than a stew).  Unfortunately there was a little mishap with some eggplant being dropped on the floor, so our casserole was not able to bake (we still put it together and will bake it on Monday).  I tasted the other groups' casserole and really liked it.  It was sweet from the pomegranite mollasses that we drizzled over the lentils.  The breadcrumbs on top added great crunch and the tomato/onion mixture spread between the lentils and eggplant added an extra layer of flavor.   There was some extra eggplant and lentils that I was able to take home.  I want to try and recreate this recipe at home with the addition of goat cheese!

Allison and Al (yes, names get very confusing in this class..especially when the three of us are working in the same group) worked on the Korean Short Ribs.  These were slow cooked for the entire class and turned out amazing.  My family was very happy with the huge spread of food I brought home last night!

I'm definitely ready for a relaxing weekend after the intense week of cooking!

Lesson 34: Coq Au Vin & Ratatouille

Today was our first lesson on stewing.  Like braising, stewing involves cooking tougher cuts of meat for a long period of time in liquid.  The result is a tender juicy meat in a flavorful, rich sauce.

We made four classic recipes today.  Since my group had four people, we just divided up the recipes so there was no confusion and we could each work on our own thing (we also helped each other out with various components of the recipes).  I chose to cook the ratatouille.  I was a bit torn because I knew I should have chosen one of the meat recipes to get more experience fabricating and cooking different cuts of meat, but I have always wanted to make a ratatouille and was really excited to try out this recipe.  

I started out by cutting all of the vegetables in a medium dice (eggplant, peppers--green, yellow, & red, yellow squash, zucchini, onion, shallot, and garlic).  I salted the eggplant and let it rest on paper towel to get rid of the bitterness. [It sat for about 30 minutes, then was rinsed and dried]   I sauteed each vegetable individually in olive oil and added it to a large pot.  I added canned crushed tomatoes (about 20 oz), a sachet d'epices (various herbs & spices in cheesecloth), salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, and fresh basil.  The mixture simmered, covered for about 20 minutes, until all of the vegetables were tender.  I enjoyed it even more when I got home and added some crushed red pepper flakes and parmesan.  This would be great over pasta!

In the meantime, Henry was busy fabricating a chicken for the Coq Au Vin.  This is another recipe that I have been dying to try.  After browning the chicken in rendered bacon fat, the chicken was simmered in a mixture of brandy, red wine, chicken stock, tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.  

The stewing mixture was then strained and reduced.  Blanched onions and sauteed mushrooms were added in at the end.  We could definitely taste the red wine in this dish... but hey, I do like my red wine!

[The other] Allison worked on the Provencale Lamb Stew.  The lamb was browned with garlic and Herbes de Provence.  White wine, veal stock, canned chopped tomatoes, and orange rind were added to cover the meat.  The lamb stew roasted in the oven for an hour or so--until the lamb was tender.  The sauce was passed through a food mill before it was served over the meat.

Matt worked on the final dish, Blanquette of Veal.  This recipe was the most in-depth and required the most work.  I helped him prep a bit in the beginning and helped finish off the sauce at the end.  Unfortunately, since we finished this dish last, it was not even plated and I didn't get a picture :(  .. It was wonderful though!!

The veal cubes were blanched before starting the stew.  Large chunks of celery and carrot were added to the pot, along with 2 pieces of onion studded with cloves and bay leaves, and about 40 oz of veal stock (to completely cover the veal).  After simmering away for over an hour, a blond roux was made to thicken the strained stewing liquid.  Braised pearl onions and mushroom caps were added to this thickened mixture.  At the very end, we added a final thickening agent of heavy cream, egg yolks, and lemon juice.  This sauce was creamy and rich, yet tasted fresh from the lemon juice.

All of the dishes we made today were perfect on top of some buttered egg noodles!

I am super excited for tomorrow's recipes (more stewing).. It's supposed to snow tonight into tomorrow morning, so I am praying the commute won't be too horrible!  

Lesson 33: Beef Cheeks & Osso Bucco

Today I had beef cheeks for the very first time.  All I can say is MMMMMMM!  Our braised beef cheeks turned out amazing.  Just like yesterday, we seared the meat and removed it from the pan before adding the vegetables (mirepoix), liquids (red wine and veal stock), and herbs.  The cheeks continued cooking in the oven for another 2 hours.  The meat was so tender and flavorful.  My mouth is drooling thinking about the sauce that was reduced and finished with butter.. mmm mmmm!!!!!  I couldn't help myself from taking some french bread and dunking it into the extra sauce in the pan :)

Another wonderful dish that we made was the Osso Bucco.  After braising in a liquid of veal stock, white wine, san marzano tomatoes, mirepoix, garlic, and herbs, the veal shanks were perfectly falling off the bone and perfectly flavorful.  I brought home lots for my brother and dad to try!    The shanks were finished off with a gremolata of minced garlic, parsley, and lemon rind.

For the vegetables today, we braised fennel and endive.  I was not too excited about these vegetable choices, but after braising them in wine and stock..and adding bacon to both dishes, they were actually wonderful!  Here is a picture of the braised fennel, which included bacon lardons, onions, and garlic:

The endive was actually wrapped in the bacon while they cooked and also included a mixture of onions, carrots, and garlic:

The very last dish that we made today did not get the credit it deserved.  We were all so excited about the flavors that the beef cheeks and osso bucco brought to the table, that the whole red snapper dish ended up sitting off to the side going unnoticed.  We braised a whole red snapper in a mixture of tomatoes, onions, garlic, olives capers, jalepenos, fish stock, and oregano.  All good flavors, right?  Well, it just didn't measure up to the other dishes.  I had a taste and just wasn't feeling it.  Perhaps if it was the star dish of the day I would have appreciated it more, but most of us just pushed it off to the side and forgot about it.  We had bigger and better things to eat!    Here's a picture of our poor fish:

Looks great right?  You can see its little mouth sticking out on the right side... Looks kind of sad because nobody's eating it :(

Lesson 32: Braising

I'm going to try and make this post quick because I'm  EXHAUSTED (and am excited to watch last night's episode of Chef Academy that I DVR'd!).  Today we had our first lesson on braising.  I really enjoyed braising, mostly because it's pretty hard to mess up.  Everything always turns out really tender and succulent.

The first recipe we started was the lamb shanks with juniper and rosemary.  We simply seared the shanks and set them aside.  Next, we browned the mirepoix, juniper berries, and tomato paste.  After adding some red wine, rosemary, and veal stock, we added the shanks back in and finished cooking them in the oven.  We took them out when they were super tender and falling off the bone.  It was amazing.  

Next, we started on the braised chicken thighs with mushrooms and balsamic.  The chicken was seared and removed from the pan before we sweated the shallots and celery.  Then, we added the chicken back to the pan and deglazed with balsamic and chicken stock that was flavored with dried porcini mushrooms and bay leaves.  In the meantime, we sauteed shitake, cremini, oyster, and portobello mushrooms and mixed in some heavy cream.  After straining the chicken liquid, we added in the creamy mushrooms to make the most divine sauce! (Even better than yesterday's truffle butter mushroom cream sauce)

I thought the braised red cabbage recipe was especially interesting.  I usually don't enjoy red cabbage that is salt-wilted or has a ton of vinegar.  This recipe still has some vinegar (so that the cabbage does not turn  blue during the slow cooking process), but it had a sweeter flavor that I really enjoyed.  The recipe started out with bacon (which is never a bad thing).  Also added in were some apples, onions, red wine, sugar, and red currant jelly (and some water for extra moisture)

The braised leeks were very simple to make.  They were sliced in half lengthwise and braised in a mixture of chicken stock, butter, salt, and pepper.  They were so soft and flavorful!  Unfortunately my dad didn't like them, or else I would love to make these again at home :(

The very last item that hit the table was the moroccan monkfish osso bucco.  I have never had monkfish before and was surprised to see how different it is from every other fish we have worked with.  The tail is the only edible part of the fish and the only part we had to fabricate and trim today.  Monkfish is one ugly fish...and weird.  The bone structure is so different because of the large cartilege that runs down the middle of the fish.  That is why it resembles shanks when we cut it into pieces.  We marinated the fish in a "Charmoula" sauce, which consisted of fresh herbs and spices all blended  up.  We braised the fish the same way we braised the lamb and chicken, by searing the fish then adding the liquids and other ingredients, then adding the fish back into the sauce to finish cooking.  It was extremely flavorful with the addition of tomatoes, saffron, green olives, and preserved lemon.

(sorry this picture is blurry.. my camera was dying..)

Tomorrow we're making a classic dish that I've always wanted to make, Osso Bucco, and continuing our lesson on braising!

I would also like to express my new love for kabocha squash.  I had it for the first time today (my mom roasted it with olive oil, salt, pepper, a spice blend, balsamic glaze, and parmesan shavings).. 'twas amazing!  I've read on several blogs that you can eat the skin, which is very good for you.  I was surprised to find it very crispy and not at all bitter.  My new favorite vegetable :)

Lesson 31: I'M BACK! Roasting II

Isn't January the worst month ever?  The holidays are over and it's just cold!!  It was kind of depressing getting to NYC today and not having holiday music playing as I exit Penn Station into the blistering cold.

Anyways, I was really excited to get back into the kitchen today after the long break!  So excited that I barely slept last night, which made me kind of tired once I got to class (meh).  Once I got started cooking the adrenaline kicked in!

We continued our lesson on roasting today with a new selection of proteins and vegetables.  The first protein we prepared was the poussin.  I have never worked with a poussin before (I actually googled it when I heard we were making it--it's just a baby chicken).  We made a truffle butter and spread some of it under the skins of the breasts.  We also stuffed the cavity of each chicken with thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and salt.  Here's my tiny baby chicken trussed and ready to cook:

(It's a zoomed in pic, so it actually looks like a regular chicken.  It was a little larger than my hand)

We seared the poussin on all sides before roasting it in the oven until the internal temp reached 160 degrees.  Then, we deglazed the pan with brandy and made a red wine sauce with more truffle butter swirled in at the end, parsley and a touch of bone marrow.  The poussin was delicious and was extremely moist and tender.

We served the poussin with roasted cauliflower with curry oil.

Next, we trimmed and tied veal tenderloins.  We also seared the tenderloins before roasting them until they reached an internal temp of 130 degrees.

We sauteed oyster mushrooms in the same pan and flambed with brandy and madeira.  After a bit of veal stock, heavy cream, and truffle butter it became the most amazing sauce I have ever tasted.  It was so rich and creamy--the perfect topping for the tender veal.

We served our veal with roasted carrots that were marinated in shallots, garlic, thyme, tarragon, and olive oil.

I forgot how exhausting a day in the kitchen is until I got on the train with aching feet, my hair in shambles, and my face flushed from the heat of the kitchen and then the rush of the commute.  And it's only MONDAY!!  Tomorrow I have a quiz and then we have our first lesson on braising!

Dining in Philly

Happy new year!!!  I clearly took the week off from blogging since I was not in class, but I still want to share some good eats from the week!

I spent new years eve and the rest of the weekend in Philly with my sister.  She took me to some great restaurant spots that were all within walking distance of her apt in center city.  When I first arrived on Friday afternoon, we were both starving and headed straight to lunch at the Marathon Grill.  I ordered an omelet with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and goat cheese (with a side of FRIES).  The omelet was pretty good. I love anything with goat cheese mmm!  The fries were perfectly crispy and slightly salty.. nom nom nom!

We went to Tria Wine Bar for a glass of wine before getting ready for the NYE party.  I had a wonderful zinfandel that was very full-bodied and flavorful.  We decided to split the fig and gorgonzola bruschetta for a light snack.  We both agreed that the fig jam was very overpowering and the gorgonzola tasted more like a tart blue cheese.  I would love to go back there because all of the other small plates sounded very interesting!

We had a blast at the NYE party at the crystal tea room!  We were VIP, so we arrived at 8:00 for the extra hour of drinks and hor’deourves (including shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, brie & pineapple bites, and lobster quiche)! 

The next day, we were pretty lazy and ate a late breakfast while watching “The Hangover”—hilarious!  We finally ventured outside around 2 to check out the crazy parade in the city (lots of creepy old men dressed up in weird costumes—I was scared..).  We got a little hungry again and decided to get take-out from a vegetarian Chinese restaurant around the corner.  We split the eggplant and tofu in garlic sauce, which came with brown rice and a side (we chose sweet corn).  There was a lot of food, so it was perfect to split for a light lunch.  I loved the eggplant and the rice was perfectly sticky ;)  .. I wasn’t crazy about the tofu because it was fried and tasted sort of rubbery.  The sweet corn.. well.. wasn’t sweet.

For dinner we went to El Vez, a Mexican restaurant.  I loved the décor and atmosphere.  There was also a great crowd at the bar.  We got there very early for our 8:00 reservation, so we went to the bar and had a Sangria.  The Sangria tasted great and had a little spicy bite to it, but it gave us both heartburn.  I still drank it because it tasted delicioius ;).  After a drink we started getting really hungry so we ordered GUACAMOLE.  Holy wow, this was the best guacamole I ever had.  It was so fresh and had goat cheese, pistachios, and roasted tomatoes mixed in.  After demolishing the guac (and ordering another round of drinks) we were way too full to even consider sitting down for dinner.  However, we weren’t too full to stop at Max Brenner’s Chocolate Factory to grab a chocolate molten cake To-Go, which we ate while watching Julie & Julia :)

The next day we had a lovely brunch at the Continental Café.  I was also impressed with the décor at this restaurant—very chic.  We sat on the top level in cute swinging chairs.  

We were each given a shot-sized lemon granita as soon as we sat down.  I thought this was a great touch and really cleansed my palate.  

I ordered the egg white frittata with tomato, spinach, parmesan, and croutons.  It was the perfect, satisfying brunch with a side of multigrain toast and an oversized mug of tropical green tea.   

My sister had the poached eggs over a smoked salmon hash with dill hollandaise.  

Afterwards, I had a sweet tooth and was freezing walking around outside, so what better way to cure this than another trip to Max Brenner’s for hot cocoa?!  (yes, it was our third trip there in 2 days—don’t judge).  This was seriously the best hot chocolate I have ever had, and was served in the cutest “hug mug” that I just had to buy!

I was a lucky little girl and got to experience one of the best steak houses in Philly—Butcher & Singer.  I had the perfect medium-rare filet mignon.  It was divine.  So moist, flavorful, and succulent.  I usually don’t order steak when I’m out to dinner, but obviously had to when I’m at a top steak house..and I must say, I have never enjoyed a steak so much.  The table shared sides of sautéed mushrooms and onions, along with a large potato pancake stuffed with a creamy sour cream filling.   Everything was delicious, especially paired with a wonderful bottle of red wine!

Now I am ready to get back to school and continue my culinary adventures!!