Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Culinary School #7-Soups and Sauces
Let me start by saying I love soup!! Just in case you didn't know that about me this is my declaration to the soup gods. So I was pretty friggin excited for class #7 to come about because I thought I had this one in the bag...boy was I wrong...that is what I get for being cocky. We made sauces and soups I had never heard of and come to find out last night was also cooking terminology 101....we got hammered on random cooking knowledge and terminology. I think my proudest moment was during the verbal quiz, when the Chef asked the group,"What is the best way to cook a rib eye?" And I responded without thinking,"in a pan." As soon as it came out of my mouth I thought to myself,"oh crap that was me being a smart ass, don't think that was the best timing." However, I got lucky and although you could tell he was trying not to laugh...he was full on laughing. My mouth always gets me in trouble!!!
Let me start by telling you about the grossest part of the night. Yes, misery loves company and so I enjoy sharing those areas of culinary school which are less than sexy. Do you like consomme? I have always loved the rich beef flavor and I have found it delicate, multi-dimensional and intense. However, do you know what consomme is made of? It is a combination of leeks, onions, celery and carrots...ok that part is fine. It is also raw ground beef, egg white and EGG SHELLS!!! You cook it at a low heat and as it cooks the meat and egg shell mixture congeals, allowing you to strain it and get the luscious broth that I love. Sure it still tasted incredible even with that knowledge, but I am still thinking ignorance is a pretty cool thing.
I also fell in love with a new cooking tool-stove top smoker. You take this smoker add wood chips on the bottom for flavor, add a rack and you can smoke shrimp, tomatoes, meat, etc. Last night we did a smoked tomato sauce and it was incredible!! You place the smoker on the burners of your stove and it smokes, but in less time than an outside smoker and its smaller and more portable. Another wonderful birthday idea for those who love me!! Yes, I am still very subtle!!
Now let me share my wonderful terminology lesson:
Let me start by telling you about the grossest part of the night. Yes, misery loves company and so I enjoy sharing those areas of culinary school which are less than sexy. Do you like consomme? I have always loved the rich beef flavor and I have found it delicate, multi-dimensional and intense. However, do you know what consomme is made of? It is a combination of leeks, onions, celery and carrots...ok that part is fine. It is also raw ground beef, egg white and EGG SHELLS!!! You cook it at a low heat and as it cooks the meat and egg shell mixture congeals, allowing you to strain it and get the luscious broth that I love. Sure it still tasted incredible even with that knowledge, but I am still thinking ignorance is a pretty cool thing.
- Fond-tasty brown bits on the bottom of a pan. I know I always thought they were just the tasty brown bits on the bottom of a pan too, but no they have a name.
- Docker-tool used to perforate dough that kind of looks like a lawn aerator.
- Mirepouix-mixture of leeks, celery, onion and carrots often used as soup or sauce base. I just feel so cultured saying that word
- Paillard-chicken or veal that is pounded thin
- Pullet-this is a chicken that is less than a year old. Yes, I know this sounds like a nasty sex term, but it is not.
- Emulsification-combining fat and oil together so they don't separate like in a mayo.
Now for some random knowledge. Did you know?
- You can use salt to put out a grease fire. Considering I am pretty accident prone I wrote that one down.
- You can use grated potato to thicken a soup
- The 5 Mother Sauces of French cooking include: Tomato, Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole and Hollandaise. These sauces were identified in the 19th century...those are some old sauces.
So last night I was responsible for the crepes. I loved making this recipe! I made the crepes mixture in a blender and this was super easy. I learned that you should let the batter sit out so that it has a chance to rest, which allows it to cook more evenly. I loved the crepe pans and this is definitely a must have for my kitchen! I stuffed the crepes with a spinach and shallot mixture, covered with a mornay sauce that I was pretty proud of, rolled them up and baked them in an oven. Heaven!! Just so you know a mornay is a variation of a bechamel but it has cheese added. Seriously how do you go wrong?
We also made a Chicken Vegetable Spaetzle Soup. If you haven't seen spaetzle made before you use a contraption that looks like a cheese grater and you grate the dough into boiling water to create a pasta/rice looking mixture. I asked the Chef if I could use a cheese grater and he just laughed at me...think that was a no.
I also learned about a new vegetable...not as in a newly discovered vegetable, but a new vegetable to me. Celery root!! You peel them and dice them similar to a rutabaga or potato. One thing to know about them is that they do discolor like a potato so you either have to peel them right before using them or soak them in water.
For dessert we made chocolate souffles...thankfully I was not responsible for the souffle as ours was slightly deformed. My culinary school buddy described the souffle as looking like a breast augmentation gone bad...and although I haven't seen one...he does have a point...
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