Week 2- Skills

Thursday we made sauces out of the stocks we prepared the week before. Thursday we made a bechamel sauce and a veloute sauce each and as a group we made an espagnole sauce. I got a little frustrated when my onion kept falling apart as I was trying to roast it, but kept plugging along. My sauces all turned out fine and my bechamel was even picked to go to "the table" where people would go to taste good sauces and compare.


Our veloute ended up being made out of fish stock instead of chicken stock. Someone had mislabeled the containers and we quickly realized this as soon as we put it on the stove to cook and a strong fish odor began to waft at us. Chef Harris went and asked to make sure that someone had, indeed, made a fish stock and we weren't just using rancid chicken stock *yuck!*. All turned out well, even after Chef took a spoon of my veloute sauce while it was cooking and before any seasonings were added and literally looked like he almost vomited. Then he pronounces with a thumbs up, "Good!" even as he is grimacing. I had to comment that it was hard to believe someone's "good" comment as they are almost vomiting on me. He said that it was just fishy but it tasted like what it was supposed to taste like at that stage of the sauce. After all the seasonings were added, it tasted fine.
The espagnole sauce turned out ok, too. I know I'm using all these non-committal words like "good" and "ok" and "fine" but that's really how I felt this week. I really think that I just have not HAD these sauces, so I am getting used to the taste. I can't say they were awesome because I have nothing to compare them to. Also, we are tasting these sauces alone and not with food. How many of you open a jar of mayonaise and just eat it with a spoon? Exactly.
I was sous chef again on Thursday. At one point I kind of flipped out on everyone for leaving their dirty dishes on the end of the sink and not cleaning as they went. Then I had to yell again when people CLEANED their dishes, but then left them either in the sanitizing liquid or on the other end of the sink and didn't put them away. I was surprised, again, at how authoritative and LOUD I was able to be. It shocked me as the sound was leaving my body, but it came at a time I was extremely frustrated and it actually was a great release. At the end of class, Chef reiterated that yes, you should be cleaning as you go and no, you shouldn't leave pans at the sink. My pastry classmates jumped in and reinforced the idea, as well. Clean as you go. It makes the end cleaning so much quicker, it keeps the kitchen looking nice, and we get to go home faster. By Friday they got it and did a really great job. At the end of class, they were even commenting on how easy it was to do, and how it DID make cleaning at the end so much quicker.
Friday we worked on emulsified sauces: hollandaise and mayonaise. Then as a group, we made a classic tomato sauce. The tomato sauce turned out great! However, the hollandaise and mayonaise were disgusting. Apparently they were RIGHT, but they were disgusting. Another chef brought his sauce for me to taste and, not thinking or knowing, I took a spoonful of the hollandaise and literally heaved. I had to spit it out in a cup and scramble for a piece of carrot to try and unsuccessfully get the taste out of my mouth. I eventually had to go get coffee to "chase" my tastes with. The mayonaise had a tangy taste due to white wine vinegar and lemon juice. I'm a Hellmann's girl and I HATE the tangy zip of Miracle Whip so that may have been my problem with the mayonaise. Again, it apparently tasted correct, but my palate apparently isn't sophisticated enough yet to enjoy it.
(top clockwise: tomato, mayonaise, hollandaise)



For those of you who are not aware what hollandaise or mayonaise contain, let me give you the short version. Hollandaise is a ratio of 2 egg yolks emulsified with 6-8 oz of butter and seasonings such as tabasco, white wine, lemon juice, and salt. It tasted SO oily. The first time I made it, I wasn't thinking in the chef mindset and was thinking more in the pastry chef mindset and followed the recipe (which called for 8 oz butter) to the letter. This means I used the entire 8 oz of butter. My hollandaise got really thick and kept swirly around the bowl in one mass. No matter how much water I added, it would NOT thin out. Once Chef talked to Chef Ridsdale, Ridsdale informed him that I am a baker. With baking, you have to follow the recipe exactly or your food won't turn out. The ratios are very important. Harris, once he realized what the problem was, came to me and reminded me that cooking is less of an exact science. You add butter until the sauce looks and tastes right, not until you use all the recipe calls for. This helped. I redid my hollandaise and it turned out fine the next time. I got the mayonaise right the first time, but it still didn't taste the way I thought it should taste.
Thankfully my tablemates are understanding of my quirkiness and also accepting of the fact that they may need to help me out more this time around. In pastry, I was the go to girl for questions. Now, they are giving me tips. At least we can kind of lean on each other. We keep joking that we are going to all open a restaurant and they will do the real food, and I will do the desserts.
I did get a note in Chef Harris' notebook, though, on my recipe cards. I printed them out on 4x6 cards on the computer and then used clear contact paper to laminate them. Then I punched 2 holes in them and put them on rings and I clip them into my notebook. There had been a glitch in the system and the recipes weren't loaded on ecompanion this week. I emailed Chef and he emailed me the recipes. Apparently only a couple of us did that. At least they can tell that I am trying, even if I am not as confident in my actual skills as I was in pastry. I'm hoping once we get into real food, and not just condiments that I will feel a little more in my element.
In the meantime, it is kind of difficult to balance school and home life right now. I feel like I don't see the kids very much and I don't get much done around the house. Marc has definitely taken over in the cleaning and upkeep of the house, which I am so thankful for. When I'm not in school, I feel like I need to be spending as much time with the kids as possible. I miss them. Then, when they go to bed, it's time to study and do homework on the nights Marc works *Saturday-Wednesday nights.* This leaves little time for doing anything else around the house, much less relaxing or working on the project that Marc and I are working on. He is antsy for us to finish. Or, rather, he is antsy for ME to finish. His part is done. He is very willing to watch the kids while I work on the project, but I see the kids so little compared to what I USED to see them, that I feel guilty not spending every minute I can with them. Then try to fit in exercise. It's a balancing act that sometimes feels like one little hiccup or one more thing to add to the tower and it's all going to come crashing down. I think once summer break rolls around, it will be a long enough break to recharge our family batteries and Marc and I can hopefully get some time alone together as well as individually. That's what I'm counting on, anyways.
Next quarter, I am going to TRY to get my classes earlier in the week. I am not loving this early Thursday and Friday schedule. Early in the week I am charged and ready to go, but by the end of the week, I am dragging and not wanting to get up so early. Also, Marc has only Thursday and Friday off, and those days I go to school. This doesn't leave either of us with much leniency to do much of anything relaxing. At least the quarters are only 11 weeks long. 2 weeks out of the way, 9 more to go. At least baking is keeping my spirits up.

Week 2- Baking

This week, we read the quick breads chapter. There are three methods to quick breads- the muffin method, the biscuit method, and the creaming method. The scones and biscuits we made last week were both made with the biscuit method- cutting cold fat *butter* into the sifted dry ingredients and then stirring the combined wet ingredients into the previously mentioned mixture. Then you dump it out on a floured surface and knead it just until it is smooth and workable.

I made banana bread on my own this week and I tried the book's recipe instead of my usual recipe. This one called for using the creaming method- first you mix the softened butter and sugar together on a medium speed until light and fluffy *creaming*, then gradually add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. In separate bowls, you sift the dry ingredients together and mix the wet ingredients together. Then you add the dry and wet ingredients in several alternating additions to the butter, sugar, egg mixture. This keeps everything emulsified and makes a light and fluffy end product. It turned out fantastic. The kids loved the dinosaur sprinkles I put on their half.

We made zucchini bread in class using the muffin method. This is probably the simplest method. You simply sift the dry ingredients together and then stir in the combined wet ingredients just until they are incorporated. The batter is supposed to be lumpy. Ours looked a little dry, but we double checked the measurements and the recipe conversions and it was correct. We determined that we had grated the zucchini more coarsely than other teams and it had released less liquid. It turned out fine, though, as the moisture was released while baking. The girls LOVED the bread I brought home and had it for dinner last night. Harmony even felt it made me deserved a hug and a "You're the BEST Mommy EVER! I'm so glad you are my Mommy!!" I'm going to remind her of that when she's a teenager and wants the newest, rediculously priced technological toy and says she hates me because I won't get it for her. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I won't get you that toy, but look!! I made you zucchini bread! Aren't I the best Mommy ever? No? It worked when you were 4."

This week, we also worked with puff pastry quite a bit. First we made some almond cream to use on a fruit strip tart. Then we cut a sheet of puff pastry down to about 6 inches by the length of the sheet, brushed it with egg wash, cut the remaining dough in half and placed it on the sides, piped almond cream down the middle, layered thinly peeled, cored, and sliced apples down the center, sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and baked it. They turned out well. Chris, my table mate, cut his sides smaller and used the extra strips to make a lattice top. I wish I had thought of it. It turned out much prettier than everyone else's. We didn't have time to plate these, so forgive the not so pretty picture. I was going to plate it when I got home, but ended up giving it away to my neighbor (as I had planned) before I had the opportunity.




We also made pastry bowls. These can be filled with sweet or savory items. I filled mine with diced, sauteed ham and green peppers. Then I topped it with an egg yolk. On top of that I placed a sauteed whole mushroom, and placed flowers of cheddar and gruyere cheese on top of that. It was SO delicious. It's nice to know that I don't have to buy lunch on Tuesdays because we always make plenty that we get to eat in Baking.




We also made turnovers. I filled mine with the almond cream and apples and added pecans, as well. I cut flower patterns into the tops. I really wanted to plate these with caramel sauce but didn't have time to whip some up. I would have loved to had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and drizzled it all with the caramel. Pretend that is in the picture, as well.


We also made palmiers. Basically it's just a puff pastry sheet brushed with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and then the sides are folded into the center. This is repeated as many times as desired and then it's folded in half, chilled, and cut into slices to be baked. They kind of look like butterflies. We didn't have time to bake these off, so pictures will have to wait until next week for this one.

It was a good class today. I was a little frustrated *as was Chef CJ* with the cleaning effort this week. Everyone seemed to be doing everything to a minimum standard and that is frustrating. One table is fairly messy and always lags behind in the tidying of their station. I always have to remind them to pick their stuff up off the floor and they wait and wait and wait which delays the sweeping and mopping of the kitchen. Another guy who got put on our table this week also was difficult as he just kept standing around. I told him several times that Chef would take points off if he just kept standing there, and that even if he was waiting on something to be done, he needed to find something else to do to keep him busy while he waited. He didn't. Oh well, I'm sure his grade will reflect that attitude.






I also had Cost Control in the afternoon. The math is frustrating in the combination of the simplicity and the time that is being taken with it. I got a flashback to statistics class and how I fell asleep so much because they would take FOOOOREEEVER on a simple concept. I understand why they do it. They have to make sure that the majority of people understand, but when you are asking us to do simple division problems (with a calculator no less!!!!) for the better part of an hour, I think the people that don't understand how to divide 30 by 3 or multiply 1.50 by 3 (examples taken directly from my notebook) need to take a math class before continuing with this class. We are in college. Division is something you should have learned in grade school.

After an hour of that, however, we moved on to more conceptual things like not having the attitude of needing to CUT costs but to CONTROL costs and that a budget is a plan where an income statement is what is actually happening. Again, we are starting out slow, but I understand the reasoning behind it. I am SURE it will get more difficult *read stimulating* as the quarter continues. At least, I hope so.

Lastly, I had the first meeting of competition club. Basically, they just got our information today and are going to contact us when they are a little more organized. New leadership has taken over and they don't really have all their duckies in a row yet. Understandable, I just hope everything gets worked out soon. Competition club is an "extra" and I would love to gain experience, but if it isn't well organized, it isn't going to be worth missing out on family time for it.

More updates on Thursday or Friday after Skills. We are making sauces this week!

Journal Entry for my Skills Notebook, day 2

Today I learned: How to make the classical cut called the tourne. It is a cut that is shaped with seven evenly spaced sections surrounding the vegetable, a Tournée cut is curved and extends from end to end, resulting in a shape similar to a blunt-ended football. It is usually around 2 inches long and ¾” around at the thickest part. I need to get a bird’s beak/tourne knife.

I also asked to make sure that the ratio is 5 lbs of bones to 1 lb of mirepoix. That is a correct ratio.

We also dropped stock. We learned how to skim the scum off the top and how to strain the stock through a china cap lined with cheesecloth. We cooled the stock in smaller quantities in an ice bath and also used ice wands to speed the process up.




Personal observations: The tourne cut was difficult for me. I finally got a good one at the end, but I definitely am going to need to practice this one more. I am going to try to get a bird’s beak knife soon, as that apparently makes it easier. Curtis, Natane, and I were sous chefs again this week. It comes with a lot of responsibility. It gave me a little more confidence, though. I never really see myself as a leader, but when it comes down to it, I really am. I need to change my way of thinking when it comes to that. A lot of it is about your attitude and confidence level, I think. I stress myself out about things before hand, but in the moment I end up being able to step up to the plate and complete whatever it was 99% of the time. I look forward to seeing that side of me grow.

I am also trying to work out a way to join the competition club. It seems like an excellent opportunity and something I would really enjoy. Marc *my husband* is supportive, but it’s more of a time issue. He goes on call at 5pm, has to be at his first call at 6pm on Tuesdays and the club is from 4-5. It is AT 5pm the first meeting. So we are going to try to shuffle some things around, but it’s really all up to his boss.

Journal Entry for my Skills Notebook

This is a sample of the journal entries I will be doing daily for my skills notebook. The personal comments are down at the bottom if you want to skip the technical stuff.


Skills Lab – Chef Harris
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Objective: policies and procedures, intro to the course, knife skills, how to prepare white and brown stock
Brown Stock: Roasted beef bones covered in tomato paste
Mirepoix- 50% onion, 25% carrots, 25% celery- all also covered in tomato paste and roasted in the oven
Boquet garni- parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns tied in cheesecloth
Utensils used: Chef’s knife, fish spatula for scraping pans

Today I learned: that when using knives, you cut from the front of the knife to the back of the knife. You should hone your knives between every task. You should sharpen your knives frequently. A dull knife will cut you more often than a sharp knife. If a knife is falling, do not attempt to catch it. I went out and bought a knife sharpener this evening and sharpened all my knives at home as well as in my kit.

Do not waste any product EVER.

I learned that beef stock takes 10-24 hours to cook and is better to be on the 24 hour side. This differed from what was taught by Chef Frost in concepts and theories. He taught 8-12 hours.
I learned how to make the different classical cuts. These included
Large Dice – 3/4” square
Medium Dice – 1/2” square
Small Dice – 1/4″ square
Brunoise – 1/8” square
Batonnet 1/4” x 1/4” x 2-2 1/2”
Julienne – 1/8” x 1/8” x 2-2 1/2”



These things were review for me today, which is always helpful:
When you are getting your station set up, first two things to do are to place a bucket of sanitizing solution under your table, and place a wet towel under your cutting board so it does not slide or slip.

When cutting things, your hand should be in a “C” shape.

The dice of mirepoix is different when making different stocks. A veal stock should be made with vegetables prepared with a large dice. A chicken stock should be made with vegetables prepared with a medium dice. A fish fumet should be made with vegetables prepared with a small dice or brunoise.

Personal observations: I almost had a panic attack today. I am such a perfectionist that I was attempting to make all my large dice carrots exactly ¾” square. When approached and told that I needed to do them faster, I quietly became upset. I held back tears because I didn’t want to be THAT person. I could just envision myself on Hell’s Kitchen or something and being yelled at and being the one to break down and get yelled at worse. So I bit back the tears, took some deep breaths, and went faster. I also went and bought some potatoes to practice cuts on at home at a leisurely pace so I can take my time learning to pick up speed. I want to be able to do things quickly, but as ocd as I am, things being done correctly are more important to me that doing things quickly. I don’t want to put my name on something that is done incorrectly or that is not top quality. This is definitely going to be a different lab for me than pastry. I have to keep reminding myself that if I knew everything, I wouldn’t need to be here and that mistakes need to be made to learn. That doesn’t mean that I do not get frustrated with myself or the process sometimes, though. I am sure I will feel better in a couple of weeks.

Second quarter

Today was my first day back for quarter number two. I started off with Baking at 7am. I have the same teacher I had for Pastry, which I am very excited about. I walked in and saw a guy that I have seen here and there throughout last quarter. He worked in the store room and I had seen him chatting with CJ so I figured he a.) has to have been here for awhile and b.) if he WORKS at the school, too, he has to be at least semi serious about his work. I was correct! I decided to go be at his table which happened to be the same table I was at last quarter. It ended up being just the two of us which suited me just fine. Chef CJ thought it was funny and a good thing that we were at the same table because we are both anal about things being done right and keeping things clean and are both "A" students. She was right. We also both have kids and have wanted to do this for a very long time so we had things to chat about while we worked. I think we will happily stick to this table together.

We made biscuits and scones today. The biscuits turned out great. The scones, not so much. I know why it happened, though, and made a successful batch at home tonight. The recipe gives weights and also measurements when it gets down to tiny numbers. It said a rediculously small number of oz OR 1 1/2 tsp. I chose to do 1 1/2 tsp since the scale was being used. Our measuring spoons are basically flat so they really don't measure accurately. I know that this is why my scones came out with the texture of pancakes. I didn't even give it a second thought, though, since I knew right away what happened. I didn't have time to remake them at school but whipped up a quick batch tonight that turned out perfect.
(Top photo: Cream almond scones at school with a garnish of devonshire cream and almonds slices
Middle photo: biscuits at school topped with cheese, a sausage patty, an egg over easy, and served with a side of sauteed mushrooms
Bottom photo: Cream chocolate chip scones served with coffee)




I also had purchasing and cost control this afternoon. I think the class will be fine. The teacher is thorough and people who have had him before says that as long as you pay attention in class you will do fine. I hope this is accurate information. There is math involved, but I feel confident in my skills in this area as it is applied to cooking and managing. This should be a great quarter! I'm looking forward to Skills on Thursday!

Oh yes! I passed my Servsafe test with a 90%! I am so happy and relieved!

Layla's birthday

Yesterday was Layla's 2nd birthday party. I had brought some cakes home from Pastry to keep in the freezer so I wouldn't actually need to bake the cakes, I could just decorate them. I planned to use fondant to cover the cake and then pipe Olivia the pig onto the top of the cake and do some cute cute out circles in varying shades of pink on the top tier and stripes on the bottom tier.

Or not.

The day started fine when I made my simple syrup to brush in between the cake layers to give it more flavor. I sliced a few strawberries and quartered an orange to simmer with the syrup to infuse it with those flavors. That part was extremely yummy and easily handled.

I then made a strawberry coulis to spread in between the layers for even more flavor. Again, easily handled.

Then I made a vanilla pastry cream which I folded into simple buttercream icing. I did this in class one day with a chocolate buttercream and it was heavenly. This was very light and delectable, as well, but it should have just been used in between layers, and not on the outside of the cake as it began to break down a little and didn't have the smooth appearance I wanted.

I ended up not having enough fondant left to cover the cakes, so I decided to just frost it. As I said above, the icing began to break down a bit, and I was getting frustrated. After a quick run to Publix in which I picked up red sugar and strawberry gushers, I was able to save the cake and my sanity. I sprinkled to red sugar on the bottom tier and then used the piping gel I had picked up at an earlier date and tinted the colors I needed to pipe Olivia on the top as planned.

I was satisfied with how the cake turned out. It tasted pretty good, but I'm not a huge white cake fan. Next time, I will be making my own cake to use, as well.

I start school again on Tuesday! It's been a wonderful break and I got to reconnect with and spend some quality time with the kids and Marc, but I am excited to be going back, too.

Lemon Pound Cake

I just had to share this lemon pound cake that I got from Tartelette. I made it twice because I didn't love the glaze that the original recipe called for the first time around. So I made a few changes and am in LOVE with the way it turned out the second time around.

Original Recipe:
Ultimate Pound Cake, adapted from Lori Longbotham:

Serves 12 (in theory)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 TB lemon zest
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 300F. Butter and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
Sift the flour, baking owder and salt together twice.
Cream the butter and 1 3/4 cups sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flou. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon extract.
Pour the batter into the prepared apn and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer
Meanwhile, bring the lemon juice and remaininf sugar to a boil over medium high heat in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Invert the cake onto a rack, position over a baking sheet and slowly pour the syrup over the cake, it will seap through the holes and into the cake. Let cool to room temp.





My changes:
Into the actual cake, I added an additional Tb of lemon zest and an additional tsp of lemon extract.

Also, instead of doing the glaze, I made a buttercream with 2 sticks of butter and...um...some powdered sugar *I just eyeballed it* It wasn't super thick like frosting, but not runny like glaze, either. Somewhere in between. I added the juice from 2 lemons and about 2-3 Tb cream. It was still spreadable. After the cake sat in the pan for about 20 minutes right out of the oven, I dumped it onto a wire rack over a cookie sheet and generously spread about 2/3 of the frosting on the cake. The heat from the cake melted it a little and made it run down the cake. I kept scooping it up and putting it back on the top. *I hadn't poked holes in the cake fyi* I let it set for a bit *an hour or so* then I took the rest of the frosting and added a little lemon extract and water to thin it out. I poured it over the cake and let it sit. I sprinkled the top with lemon zest and powdered sugar and let it set up into a harder "shell". SO GOOD. When I cut into the cake, the first batch of frosting had seeped into the top of the cake which is exactly what I wanted. So dense and moist and...just awesome. And the zest really added a whole other level to it. :)



On another note, I am done with my first quarter of school. I definitely have 2 A's and am fairly confident I will end with an A in my last class, as well. I will enjoy a weeks break, but I am also excited to get into my second quarter. There will be all new goodies to post in a week and a half. I may post some home made things, but I may not. We will see how the week goes.