Week 9- Latin

The food this week in Latin was very "blah" for me this week. The only dish that I thought was decent was the Shrimp in Green Sofrito Sauce. I thought it was actually a little too sweet and I would have liked a small amount more of heat to it, but it was simple to prepare and was tasty.

I also prepared the Salad of Hearts of Palm with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette. This was absolutely NOT a favorite of mine. I'm not a huge fan of Hearts of Palm. They smell funny and have a weird texture. The passion fruit vinaigrette was extremely tart and I just didn't love the passion fruit taste of it. I would not make or eat this again. Well, maybe if you paid me.

On to week 10! Week 10 is the cooking final in Latin, but we have one more week before the final in American Regional. After that you will all have to deal with a 3 week break, aside from all the yummy dessert treats I'm sure I will be making here at home since I will actually have the time. (HOPEFULLY!!!!!)

Week 9

American Regional- Pacific Northwest

I was really excited to prepare mussels this week. As I told Chef Ridsdale, I somehow had managed, again, to not prepare mussels in the entire 5.5 quarters I've been at AI. He looked at me and says, "HOW?!?" I respond with, "I just never did." I've been pushing myself this quarter to really work on things I'm not totally comfortable with. I mean, school is the place to mess up, right? I'd rather do it there than at work.

Speaking of work, the station behind me to my left prepares a mussels dish that looks SO fabulous. That is the REAL reason I wanted to make the mussels this week- because they look so amazing coming off the line at work. The mussels we prepared were in a Thai Coconut broth. Oh my goodness. This sauce was AMA-AAAAAA-AAAAAA-ZING! I made some Crostinis to go with it by slicing some french baguettes really thin and spreading them with garlic butter and sprinkling them with fresh parmasean and toasting them. I didn't care much for the mussels themselves, but the broth with those crostinis were divine.

Friday I prepared a Roasted Pear Salad. Not too much to say here. Basically pears were peeled and roasted (I roasted mine with a little brandy and a little water) and then two of them were pureed with a little oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, then chilled to make the dressing for the lettuce. The top was sprinkled with blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts. The flavor was decent, but nothing spectacular. In my opinion it was a "I wouldn't send it back, but I wouldn't text a friend about it either" kind of dish.

Chef asked me to make the dessert this week. The original recipe for this Strawberry Brulee just has you chopping up strawberries and tossing them with a little sugar and lemon juice and then topping it with whipped cream before sprinkling it with sugar and attempting to brulee, or caramelize, the sugar. The problem with this is that heat and whipped cream do NOT mix and it usually ends up, apparently, being a soupy mess.

Chef asked me to prepare a meringue, instead, to top the berries with. I thought this was a perfect time to try out a really cool presentation idea I saw recently. This presentation was a cupcake topped with a hollowed out strawberry which was filled with a liquor and LIT ON FIRE. Dessert. Fire. Um, yes please!!! It was really hard to get a photo of the fire because the flame was blue and didn't show up very well, but I was able to get an alright photo where you could see it a little. The photography department was working on food photos this week so I took the food down there and they weren't able to get photos with the flame either. They did get some pretty good ones, though. I haven't been able to get those photos yet, though. I'll get them back next week.

Week 8

Growing up, it was always extremely important that I got enough sleep. I was never one of those kids that could just sleep all day the next day and make up for it. When the annual "Lock In" happened at church with the youth group, I always had to make the decision on whether or not it was going to be worth the fun of hanging out with my friends all night, because I would pay for it the next day and following week. My body shuts down when I have a lack of sleep. I make it a point to take care of myself because of this. I get the sleep I need. I try to eat healthy with the occasional indiscretion here and there. I exercise.

Well. I WAS sleeping, eating healthy, and exercising. I look at the calendar and there is not ONE smiley face (my indication that I exercised that day) for the last almost two weeks.) Not to say that WORKING isn't a form of exercise, but it's not quite the same as lacing up my running shoes and going for a jog with a good stretch afterward. I think back to what I ate over the four days of working long shifts and realize that I barely ate at all just because I was too busy at work and too tired once I got home. So, to review, the last two weeks (as of Monday) have had me barely sleeping, eating, or exercising.

It caught up with me in a big way.

Sunday evening at work I started feeling...not well. I was able to push through the bouts of nausea and the beginnings of a sore throat to finish my shift, but when I woke up Monday morning, I knew that my luck had run out. I felt like I had swallowed my whole knife kit. NEVER have I been so thankful for a sitter. I dropped Layla off at the babysitters, came home, and passed out until time to get Harmony off the bus. We went and picked up Layla, made it through the afternoon, and I passed back out when the kids went to bed.

Tuesday was a repeat with the addition of sneezing and congestion.

Wednesday I got up and began to get ready for school before giving up as I got the sweats every time I tried to exert any sort of effort. I gave myself ANOTHER day in bed. I began to wonder if I had mono. I had it once ten years ago and I haven't been as laid out as this was making me since then. I realized after some research that it wasn't mono, so I had some hopes of feeling better in less than two weeks.

Thursday I got up and went to school loaded up with Alka Seltzer Plus. I made it through the cooking and managed to mop half the floor while the others were still finishing up their food. I asked Chef to leave since I had cleaned and my food was finished. I wasn't feeling well again. I went home and crashed.

Friday I decided to take my last day. I had work Saturday. I NEEDED to be well. Harmony and Layla were off of school. I thought about keeping them home with me to spend time with them but I knew it would be selfish motives. I miss them so much. But the sitter was taking them to the zoo and I knew they would have more fun there than camped out on the couch watching movies with me. I also knew that I wouldn't get as much rest that way. Most importantly, the less time they were in my proximity, the less likely they were to catch whatever I have. So off they went.

Yesterday I went to work. I loaded up on AlkeSeltzer Plus again. I made it through. I'm feeling some better. Not 100% by any means, but I am making it through. I've been making an effort to eat better. By that I mean, I've been making an effort to eat. I'm waiting to squeeze exercise in until I can breathe through my nose again. I was switched to the day shift Saturday and an earlier shift on Sunday.

Marc and I just keep telling ourselves that we need to make it through this quarter, this year and things will be better schedule wise. As Marc put it, "When you graduate, we are SO having a party!" We will have made it through one of the most challenging yet rewarding times in our lives. Together.

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All that being said, in class Thursday I made Spicy Pork Empanadas and fried another Stuffed Poblano. I have made both this items in Latin this quarter but there were noticable differences in the recipes. The most blatent difference was that the empanadas were fried this week, as opposed to being baked in Latin. I prefer the texture (and slightly more healthy!) aspect of the baked empanadas, but I really loved the Spicy Pork filling. The dough of the fried version was different, as well. This version had cream cheese in the dough and was slightly stickier. It needed to be chilled well before working with it. Then I found that once I cut them out, and folded them in half, I needed to chill them again before attempting to make the decorative fold on the outer edge or the dough would just...mush together.

The poblanos were stuffed with a different filling this week, too. I liked the Latin version better, actually. This filling was mainly corn and sour cream with a little queso fresco. It wasn't BAD...just not as interesting or flavorful.

Tex Mex!

This was week 7 in American Regional Lab. We prepared Tex Mex food and it was one of my favorite weeks yet! Thursday was mostly prepping for Friday, but Friday was a feast!!! Tex Mex is HUGE on protein, after all.

Thursday I prepped the beef brisket by placing it in a marinade to sit overnight. Then I got everything ready for the bbq sauce. I also made Pico de Gallo for the next day. Then I made what is called a Starburst Salad. Oh. My. Goodness. I am a huge fan of strawberries as it is, but the vinaigrette that the strawberries were tossed with is making my mouth water as I type this. Two grapefruit were zested and sectioned, and all the juice is saved from that process and the segments are saved for the salad. Then you combine the juice with sherry vinegar, salt, sugar, and oil. Toss in the poppy seeds and zest and you have an amazing vinaigrette that perfectly complimented the strawberries. I ate all the strawberries except a few that others tasted. But it was mostly me.

Friday the brisket was popped into the smoker immediately. It still needed about 30 minutes to be REALLY tender, but that's one of the drawbacks of such a short class. It had a really wonderful sweet, tangy, and salty flavor to it with the bbq sauce. It was served with Tamales that another girl made.

I also prepped everything for the Shrimp Tacos with Green Chili Chutney. I decided to make the tortilla shells into little tortilla cups instead of the normal taco shape. I really liked the presentation I ended up with. I also enjoyed the flavors of the shrimp in this recipe, especially with the added heat of the green chili chutney.

I made the flan, as well. I made a double batch and they all were eaten.

After all that, I still had time and I had seen some extra strawberries in the fridge left over from the day before. I decided, after asking Chef if it was ok, to make the strawberry salad from the day before, with a twist. He agreed I could have SOME of the strawberries to do what I wanted with. I made the vinaigrette and then I brought it to a simmer with some cream and tempered some egg yolks. I chilled it down and folded in just a little whipped cream to lighten it a little. A Grapefruit Juice Creme Anglaise. Delicious. Strawberries dipped in said anglaise. Divine.

This has been my favorite week so far in American regional.

Latin- Week 7

This week we hopped over to the Caribbean in Latin. I'd been pushing myself to prepare more savory items this quarter, but this week I really wanted to make the Sweet Potato Cake that we had a recipe for. I told the girl that has been doing the desserts most of the time this quarter that I'd been letting her do them all quarter and it was my turn today. She wasn't too happy, but she didn't fight me on it. This Sweet Potato Cake can best be described as a pumpkin pie type of filling baked in a loaf pan. I made a creme anglaise to go with it flavored with orange, rum, and cinnamon. It was delightful. I wouldn't describe it as a cake, though. It had no flour in it whatsoever and had the pie filling texture to it.

I also prepared the salad of the day. This salad consisted of pineapple, red onions, and iceburg lettuce tossed with an orange and lime vinaigrette and garnished with avocado and lime wedges. I did enjoy the flavor of the salad, but if I were to prepare it at home, I would definitely use romaine since it is highly nutritious.

Now This Is Life...

I have a job.

Correction. I have an AMAZING, fantabulous, blowing my mind job.

Last quarter, I was cooking away in Classical, looked up, and saw who I thought was Chef Kenny Gilbert who was on Top Chef Season 7- Washington DC. I dismissed the thought quickly, thinking I was just going crazy. Between classes, I was on the elevator and just as the door was about to close, I saw Chef CJ walk up to the Kenny look-alike, give him a huge hug, and begin talking away enthusiastically with him. When she arrived on the 3rd floor, she asked me if I was still looking for a job. I told her it depended on the job. She told me that she was friends with Chef Kenny Gilbert from working with him at The Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island and he was opening a restaurant soon and was looking for a Pastry Chef. She told him that she had some students she would recommend and told me to run downstairs and give him my resume.

I was already in a rush because we were finishing up cakes that week in my Advanced Pastry class so I frantically called Marc and asked him to email me a copy of my resume, dashed to the computer lab to print it out, and wobbled my way to the table Chef Kenny was sitting at to fill out an application and turn in my resume. Was I star struck? A little. If any of you have seen the season of Top Chef, you will know that Chef Kenny is extremely talented, and with extreme talent comes extreme intensity. I was beyond nervous to be approaching him, but I didn't want to show it. I am one of those people that doesn't believe in fawning over people just because they are "famous." That doesn't mean that I am not extremely appreciative of their skill, but I just feel like I, personally, would find it really annoying. Chef was a little stand off-ish when I met him at the school, but his two executive Chefs were friendly and approachable. I was a little torn as to who to speak to and what tone to use, but it must not have gone as weirdly as I thought because I got a call back.

I prepared for the interview with Chef Omar and Chef Trey by getting a portfolio all put together in a clear plastic folder with plastic sheaths holding 8x10 photos of my best work. The interview went well and I was offered a job soon after. Nippers Beach Grille was set to open in April but due to construction issues, it just opened yesterday, May 16, 2011.

I am now able to officially say that I am a Pastry Chef. I am living my dream. I am LOVING working on the line. There is this adrenaline rush that you get with every single ticket that prints out to get the food out quickly and perfectly. I am learning SO much and am working with some absolutely incredible Chefs. Chef Kenny had Kevin Sbraga, winner of Season 7 Top Chef, his Sous Chef, Jose Adorno, and Arnold Myint, also from his season. These wonderful Chefs helped whip us into shape and get Nippers up and running in time.

Let me say something here. If you ever are in Jacksonville, FL and want somewhere to eat that is absolutely gorgeous, has a fabulous atmosphere, tantalizing food, and want the novelty of eating somewhere that you KNOW the kitchen is CLEAN and the staff treats the food with the utmost respect...come eat at Nippers. I swear to you that it is the cleanest place to eat in Jacksonville and it will remain that way. Everything in that *HUGE!* kitchen is BRAND NEW except for ONE piece of equipment. On top of that, we DEEP CLEAN the kitchen EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I'm not talking your run of the mill mopping the floor clean. Because we don't just mop. We scrub it down with deck brushes, hose it down, squeegee it off, and dry mop it. Yeah. Everything else gets the same kind of cleaning treatment...extensive. I love working in a place where everyone cares and respects the equipment and food this way.

I am awestruck that I have this opportunity in front of me. I have the rare chance to learn from a brilliantly talented Chef in a place that is beyond beautiful. (Did I mention that every time I look up while I am working, I am gazing out into a enchanting marina?)

I'm not going to lie. My life is extremely stressful right now. I am still a mother of two young children. I still have an amazing husband who I could NOT do this without, for sure. I am so thankful for him with all of my heart. He makes it possible for me to leave every day without worrying about the kids or the house. I know that I am leaving them in his completely capable hands and that the house will not only be presentable, but will actually be CLEAN, along with the laundry and the girls. Even at my very best, Marc makes me better. We are a team. I am still striving to maintain my 4.0 GPA, despite those Debbie Downers who tell me that it doesn't matter and that noone will ever ask what my GPA was in culinary school. That isn't the point. On top of that, I have now added a (in theory) almost 40 hour work week on top of it. I say in theory because I have been scheduled till 9:30 and be asked to stay until 1:15. So the next few weeks, especially, are going to be extra challenging. I will be taking my Ativan almost daily. My mind will continue to swirl with a mix of new knowledge being learned at Nippers, and things I need to work on for school. I will sleep every spare moment I can to make up for the days that I get up at 5am for school and won't get out of work until at least midnight, only to get up at 5am the next day and do it all over again. I will squeeze every last second that I can out of each day with my girls, since there are days I will not even see them. I will revel in the moments with my husband since there will be days that I will see him little more than for a hug and kiss before I pass out from exhaustion. Above all, I will do my best to savor these crazy moments, despite their difficulty. I will fight the feelings of guilt I feel every time I have to walk out the door and leave my girls in the care of their completely proficient father or our reliable sitter. This is what I have worked so hard for. This is what we have sacrificed so much for. In addition to that, we really need the income. haha.

I will probably not be posting much about my work at Nippers. The reason for this is that I'm not really sure how well that would go over. I'm sure there will be days that I am ecstatic and days that I am beyond frustrated. I don't think that any of that really needs to be out there on the internet for my coworkers or, more importantly, my bosses to read. This is such a culmination of everything that I have worked for, though, that I had to at least post SOMETHING about it. I've procrastinated on writing this post so long, however, because my heart is just too full of wonderment. I didn't know if I was going to be able to put it out there in words or if it would be trivialized. I don't know that I've done it justice, but I have tried.

I'm off to finish up some homework before crashing since tomorrow begins my "work week" beginning with Latin at 6:30am.

American Regional Week 6

Let's start out by saying that this week was an insanely busy week. I began my new job at Nipper's Beach Grill last Monday and began training in the restaurant this week. I will be posting a separate post about this later. The point of mentioning it now is that Thursday was the Food Show where all the plates of food were put up for us to see so we would know how Chef Kenny Gilbert wanted things plated. It was a terribly important day. That being said, I was supposed to be at the restaurant at 10AM. This was a problem because I am supposed to be in American Regional from 6:30 to 11:30 or 12 depending on the day. I contacted Chef Ridsdale about it, and he said it would probably work out, but I could tell he was NOT happy.

So Thursday I made the dough for a deep dish pizza for the whole group. We each were to make a pizza and top it and bake it off. In addition to that, we were to make sausage, and a German potato salad because it needed to sit overnight. I was the first to get my dough in the proof box to rise, and then I sauteed up the pepperoni and sausage that was to go inside. I had been on the girl assigned to make the pizza sauce to get going on it immediately but she was piddling around and didn't even have the sauce on the stove by the time I was ready to assemble my pizza...and the sauce needed to simmer 30 minutes. Thankfully another table had their sauce going and let me have enough for my pizza. The difference in a Chicago Deep Dish pizza and a regular pizza is that the toppings are put on it a different order. First cheese goes down, then sauce, then toppings, then cheese, sauce, and then a tiny garnish of cheese on top. I popped it in the oven and cleaned up and got changed while I waited for it to bake. Out it came and off I went. I didn't even get to eat any of it but Kandice said it was yummy. I believe her.

Friday I got to stay the whole class, but Chef had me testing out recipes for a team for Competition Club. I was to follow their recipes and see what needed clarification in the directions or ingredients. I was chosen because I am so detail oriented. I prepared a Mango BBQ Sauce, Baby Back Ribs, Candied Collard Greens, Curried Potato Salad, and for dessert I prepared a Pecan and White Pepper Ice Cream with Fried Peaches and a Raspberry Sauce. I didn't get pictures of it because A.) I didn't like how the dessert plate came out, and B.) Chef took the plates to get photos of and didn't get them back in time.

So no photos this week. I will definitely get some next week, though!