Class #7: ACF Meeting

Where in the world have I been? It's been weeks, I know.  And since my last post I have moved into a new house and been buried with work and just trying to keep up with everything.  It seems the blog is where I dropped the ball. I'm still going to class regularly and trying to maintain my A, so let me try to catch you up on all I've been doing in the last few classes before the semester ends! 

I left off with Class #7.  Here is what happened in that class on Monday, November 1st:

     I went to class as usual tonight and thought it was odd when no one else was showing up and class was starting in a few minutes.  I had to keep checking my phone to make sure it was the right date and time and I didn’t forget something.  Just then our teacher showed up as he teaches a class right before ours with four fellow classmates behind him and said “I see you all didn’t get the email - we’re meeting at the Country Club tonight”.  I was surprised and excited – I’ve wanted to go to the Country Club where our teacher is the Executive Chef.  So we drove to the other end of town to meet the rest of the students at Twin Oaks Country Club where the monthly ACF (American Culinary Federation) Meeting was being held tonight.  This was a rare opportunity for us to be a guest at one of these meetings and to go instead of our normal class (which tonight was a relief for most as our lab assignment was going to be breaking down chickens).  We not only got to miss out on cutting up chickens, but we’d be eating some delicious & creative dishes created by the Twin Oaks staff.

     ACF Members were present at the meeting as well as guests from all over including Big Cedar Lodge who we had the opportunity to meet and visit with for a few minutes.  The meeting began with a reading of the minutes.  Then we got to watch presentations by the Twin Oaks Chefs showing us a salad, appetizer, entrée & dessert all prepared table side.  The first presentation was the salad which had pears and apples and candied pecans with cayenne pepper which was a nice touch of heat with the sweet. The appetizer prepared was a sweet potato pancake with pulled pork and julienned apples on top with a beet gastrique and sage whip cream (which had us all intrigued). It was topped with a fried sage leaf.  For the entrée the Chef prepared a beef stew with tomatoes and burgundy wine and mirepoix vegetables on top.  The dessert was cleverly created with dried ice so ice cream could be made table side.  Pumpkin ice cream was paired with chocolate ravioli filled with blueberries & cream cheese. 

     They kept mentioning samples and that we’d get to taste the dishes but I really didn’t think we get but a bite of each. I was very pleasantly surprised when around the corner were all the dishes prepared buffet style and we were told we could help ourselves.  The buffet also included fresh rolls with honey butter and roasted potatoes.  My favorite dish was the appetizer – I just loved the combination of flavors with the pork and that sage whipped cream.  The entrée was my 2^nd favorite as I thought the meat was cooked to perfection and the sauce had such an earthiness to it that was perfect for their Fall menu.  

     I’ve experienced table side dishes before including a Caesar salad and steak Diane but I’ve never had a whole meal served table side nor been served an appetizer or dessert in this way.  I was impressed to learn these new dishes and some creative food combinations such as the sage & whipped cream. I plan to whip this one up at home in my own kitchen.

Of course with any great meal comes clean up but even this was a good learning experience as we got to see how an organized kitchen looks and operates.  I thought the whole experience was a great opportunity and I am grateful that we were invited to participate. 

Next week's class is eggs, at least that's what we're hoping and that we don't have to break down those chickens that we missed doing tonight!

Class #6: Mystery Starch

**Class date - October 4th**
Tonight's class started with our 2nd exam.  This one was a little tougher as all the questions were multiple choice instead of matching like the last exam.  I think I missed one or two but won't find out for 2 weeks as we don't have class next week due to the fall break. 

So after our exam we headed straight to the kitchen and this time we drew out of hat the starch we would be preparing.  There were 14 different types to choose from which meant no partners this time.  We were on our own!  I was excited.  Yes, it's nice to collaborate with someone but it's a lot nicer to do your own thing.  Some of the types of starches that we could end up with were: Pasta dough, fettucini carbonara, risotto, potato lyonnaise, bulgar wheat, thai rice stir fry, spaetzle, etc.  I ended up with risotto milanese and I was very happy.  I felt like I had a little advantage because I've made risotto before and knew what the end product should be.  Of course we weren't just making risotto.  We'd also have to make a protein with it and vegetables.  Luckily I had done my homework and made sure I had a chicken recipe ready on my Droid should I need to access it in the kitchen.  I had planned for a lemon chicken so when I got the risotto I knew chicken picatta would be a perfect dish.  Once I found capers in the class kitchen pantry I was set. 

I spent a lot of time with my risotto as it takes quite a bit of stirring.  Basically risotto is arborio rice (which is an italian white rice) and you start by sauteeing the rice in butter and then add a little wine and reduce it.  Then you keep gradually adding chicken broth a little at a time until it evaporates as you keep stirring it constantly.  You keep adding broth until the rice is cooked and soft.  As we had to prepare everything to time out just right I took the rice off the heat a little early in fear that it would overcook and be mushy.  I then sauteed my chicken in butter and oil after I breaded it lightly in salted flour.  I removed the chicken from the pan and then made my sauce.  I used chicken broth to loosen up the bits and deglaze my plan.  I then squeezed the juice from one lemon and added capers and butter.  A quick taste and YUM - this sauce was delicious.  I love the tartness of the capers.  The only thing that had me worried was the timing. I knew I could have this all done very quickly but the CI wasn't ready to sample our dishes just yet. I had to figure out how to make sure all the components were still hot by the time I served it to him. It was a challenge but I re-heated my risotto again and added the final ingredients - parmesan cheese and butter. A vegetable selection had me stumped as I first started with a bag of broccoli but couldn't figure out how to make it work with my dish.  So I was thrilled when I discovered some asparagus.  I quickly sauteed some in chicken broth and a little of the caper juice. Once that finished cooking I warmed up the sauce again and was pleased that everything was at the same temperature. I then plated my dish.  Risotto in the middle, chicken on the side of the risotto, the asparagus on the side and the sauce poured on top.  The only thing I wish I done differently is present this in a deeper dish so the sauce didn't run as much since it was a very thin sauce. But aesthetically, a very eye-pleasing dish.

I think my CI was pleased too as he said it was very good and gave me 25 points out of 25 for this lab - an A!  The only thing, believe it or not, was the risotto could've been cooked more.  The CI said it had a little bite to it but he still thought it was tasty and looked good. I was very proud of this dish and proud that I did it all on my own.  I wish you all could have tasted it - it was very, very good.  :)

There is no class next week due to the holiday break, but the week after that is our cutting skills midterm exam.  So I'll be practicing my cutting in the meantime. . .

Class #5: Mystery Soup

**written on Monday, Oct 4**
Sorry for the late blog post.  Another crazy week but I do want to tell you about last week's class before I take tonight's class.  One of the first thing's the CI shared with us was that he started a new food blog that consists of recipes and experiences and such. I find it so coincindental that just two weeks ago I told him I had started a food blog and asked for permission to take pictures during class.  He thought it was cool that I had a blog and so how funny that within two weeks he has one of his own.  He says he hopes to have a website within 3 years.  I think I'll take a little credit for his new social media outlet.  :)

So, last week was all about soup.  There were 8 soups to draw from out of a hat to determine which we would be making during class.  The only one I didn't care to draw was split pea and luckily I didn't.  I got Roasted Poblano Pepper & Corn Chowder.  I was excited about this one becuase it used ingredients I've never used before. 
I actually got to be in charge of roasting the peppers and this meant putting them directly on the gas heat and as the CI said "let them toast like marshmallows where they get black".  I did just that and then wrapped them in plastic wrap which steams them and makes it easier to peel off the skin.  We peeled them, cut them and took all the seeds out.  The CI made a point to tell us "Don't rinse them in water because you'll rinse away your flavor".  Glad he told us this as your instinct is to wash off the burnt skin bits but he said a little of that will add some flavor to the dish.  We diced the peppers and added that along with onions and corn and then some cream to our broth. We pureed all the ingredients until it was a soup like chowder consistency.  For our garnish we made a lime sour cream that my partner made a lattice design with and added some parsley. 
Well, you would've thought that was the only thing we would have to make for our soup entree but no, the CI likes us to just "whip something up" on the side.  I think it's what he's usually in the mood for - to taste test a hundred times. This time he asked us to make a bread/muffin/biscuit and our own preserves to go on.  Preserves?  From scratch, not out of a jar?  Yup, from scratch...oh, boy, this made me nervous.  Of course he was happy to help us through it once we decided on an idea with flavors that would match our soup.  I immediately thought of sweet to balance our heat so I suggested a peach (since the kitchen didn't have mangos) lime preserve.  The CI really helped us with the balance of sugar and vinegar to our cut up peaches and fresh lime juice.  The final result was soooo super sweet but preserves usually are and the CI was pleased. My partner loved it so much and said I could have the rest of the soup, which was perfect for me because I really liked our soup. It had just a touch of heat to it - not too much and I think it was pretty tasty.
We got to sample everyone's soup this time and one team made the shrimp bisque and it was my favorite - so rich and delish.  I'll have to try that one at home.

Here's a pic of our soup.  Next week - starches. 

Class #4: Potato Soup

With deboning a chicken and making Coq au Vin and a very crazy busy week I have found myself about to take class #5 tomorrow and have yet to tell you about class #4!  Soooo let me do that now.

To start off we learned about the 5 mother sauces, which are:

1. Veloute' - Sauce with light stock & roux (fat & flour)
2. Bechamel - Sauce with milk & roux
3. Tomato - Sauce with tomatoes
4. Hollandaise - Sauce with eggs, lemon juice and oil
5. Espagnole - Sauce with tomatoes, stock & roux

So after our CI expressed his disappointment that no one read the book this week (I hate disappointing the CI but I did debone a chicken - doesn't that count?) he did an overview of the chapter on Stocks & Sauces.  We watched a video on each of the 5 mother sauces being made and learned all about the types of stocks and the difference between that and broth. Broth is clarified stock.  Stock is where you get all the flavoring from either vegetables, chicken and/or beef.  We learned about mirepoix which is 50% onions, 25% celery and 25% carrots.  We then learned about deglazing (using liquid to take bits off bottom of pan), carmelizing (cooking natural sugars out of food) and what goes in a sachet (peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley, garlic & thyme). 

I actually found myself a bit intimidated as the chef gave us our class assignment: make Potato Soup and a bread of our choice.  No instructions, no recipe, no CI does it first and we copy - just make vegetable stock and make potato soup from it. I know, I know - it's just soup but it's a soup I've never made before and have to present to my CI who will taste it and tell me his opinion on it.  After getting new partners to work with you could tell most of the class was a bit inimidated so he promised he would help us in the kitchen and he did.  We made our vegetable stock using our leftover pieces of veggies that we practiced our 8 cuts on.  Then we covered that with water and added our sachet to make the stock.  We then strained that to have our veggie broth as our base for our potato soup.  My partner diced up potatoes as I fried up some bacon for our garnish.  We were doing fine with the CI's help to guide us along.  What's funny is the first time he came over he said we were going to starve him to death on how little we were making so we chopped up a bunch more potatoes and I guess we got carried away because we ended up at the end with soooo many veggies that we had to throw out. That wasn't good, but our potato soup actually turned out okay after we added buttermilk and half & half and then got to use an emulsifier to puree our soup.  With some dashes of salt & pepper it was actually started to taste pretty decent.  We served it in cute ramekins and garnished with bacon bits, cheddar cheese & green onions and some toasted bread to go along with it.  We got lucky on the bread as the baking class before us had plenty of extra loaves laying around for us to use. Overall we got a good review with some small tweaks for improvement but our CI was pleased with our product being our first potato soup we both ever made.

Next week (I guess that would be tomorrow) we draw out of hat a type of soup that we have to make from scratch.  There are 7 different ones to choose from.  I just hope I don't end up getting split pea soup...blech.  My husband will get all those leftovers FOR SURE. 

New Recipe

Coq au Vin Blanc

Recipe from: Rachel Ray Magazine

Taste Rating: 9 out of 10

Execution Rating: 8
Learned: The flavor of Pinot Grigio instead of Moscato
as my white cooking wine

So from the thighs and breasts of the chicken I cut up I decided to make Coq au Vin (Chicken with White Wine).  I have three different recipes for this dish - one that is very amateurish and turns out more to be more like country smothered chicken, one that is a little more advanced using white wine and one that is from my simple french cook book and uses red wine.  I decided to go with the white wine version.  I didn't take pictures along the way so I am providing the recipe for this one to help explain the process and to share a very good recipe with you that is worth trying.

3 Tbsp EVOO                                                                            4 sprigs of thyme

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 2” pieces                     2 cups chicken broth

1 lb bones chicken thighs, cut into 2”pieces                           2 cups dry white wine

2 Tbsp flour, plus more for dredging                                        ½ cup heavy cream

4 slices of bacon, chopped                                                       8 slices of break

1 lb of frozen pearl onions (about 2 cups)                               2 garlic cloves

  *(I used sliced onions)                                                           Butter for spreading

1 bay leaf                                                                                  Parsley for garnish

Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO, in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt & pepper, dredge in flour & add to the pan in single layer; do not crowd the meat.  Cook the chicken until browned about 4-5 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is working, heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over med-high heat with the remaining EVOO. When the oil is hot, add the bacon & cook until crisp, about 5 mins.  Remove the bacon with slotted spoon & drain on paper towels.  Pour off a little bacon fat, leaving a thin layer in dutch oven.  Add the onions, thyme (whole sprigs), mushrooms & bay leaf.  Cook until onions have a little color and mushrooms are tender, 7-8 mins.  Add 2 tbsp flour to dutch oven and cook for 2 mins.  Deglaze with chicken broth and cook for 5 mins.

Over high heat add the wine to the cooked chicken in skillet and scrape up bits.  Reduce the liquid for 5 mins, then add the chicken & wine to the broth & vegetables in dutch oven; stir to combine.  Stir in the cream, lower heat to a simmer & reduce sauce for about 5 mins.

Toast your bread and rub garlic across the hot toast and butter lightly (oops...I obviously buttered heavy as you see it in the picture). Cut slices of toast corner to corner.  Remove the bay leaf & thyme from sauce.  To serve, fan toast triangles across plate, lining up points and top with chicken & sauce. Top with bacon & parsley.

I followed the recipe exactly except I added a bit of cornstarch at the end to thicken it up a little more and I used sliced onions instead of frozen since I couldn't find them.  The final result was a total success as the kids even ate it and my husband praised me multiple times while eating it. With 2 cups of wine and bacon I knew it was going to be good. :)  If I would change anything it would proabably be the presentation, it just didn't show quite as good as it tastes.If you do try it, please share pictures and your process. I would love to hear how you did.

Homework: Breaking down a chicken

Since our CI broke down a whole chicken in lab last week I thought I would give it a try myself.  With my $4 whole chicken and my filet knife I went for it.  I had my husband take pictures along the way but I decided not to post many of them because well honestly, it wasn't pretty.  My technique at this point is a bit brutal and with chicken juice and guts going everywhere I was just so grateful I didn't video tape it.  My end result was pretty good though as I ended up with the right parts and they looked like how you would get them at the store (sort of): thighs, legs, breasts (including tenderloins) and wings. 
A quick summary with the pictures I did keep:
To start I cut the wings off:

Then I cut the legs off with thighs attached as it's easier to separate them when they're off the chicken.  What you're looking for is the fat line that separates the thigh from the leg and cut that line to separate them.

Here I have my wings, legs and thighs and a pile of all the excess fat (yum). 

Then I took the back of the chicken off, just sort of pulled it and put this in a pot to make stock for soup.  Then I turned the chicken breast side up and cut down the middle. I was supposed to cut out the wishbone first and somehow mine broke in the process, so no wishes for me.  Cutting the breasts was probably the easiest part since I wasn't dealing with bones and could really see what I was doing.  I learned from class that under the breasts are the tenderloins which are often used to make chicken tenders.  I separated those and saved them for later.  The parts I would be using tonight were the breasts and thighs.

So the whole process is not too difficult but I'm not gonna lie - its freaking messy.  Next time I think I'll dry my chicken out more with paper towels to help reduce some of the liquid. 

I will tackle this again since this was very cost efficient and I used every part of the chicken making two meals and still have some leftover.  I also need to try again to take better pictures to share.  My next post will show you the delicious meal I made with the boneless thighs & breasts. 

Class #3 - Finally we get to cook!

Last night was my 3rd night of class and we finally got to cook & use our knives!  I was so nervous in class today as we had our first exam and would be in the kitchen for the first time.  The exam turned out to be easier than I expected and I think I did really well as it was only word associations.  Phew!  Then we watched a video on types of cuts.  The main cut we would do in our lab today was Julienne, which is 1/8 x 1/8 x 2 inches.  Did you know each type of cut has a precise measure?   I didn't until this class.

So to our kitchen lab we went with our partners and our assignment: use dark chicken meat to cook a dish any way we'd like with julienne cut carrots and celery and add a starch to our plates.  Our Chef Instructor (CI) rattled off a bunch of dishes we could prepare.  I do not know many recipes by heart - okay, I don't really know any by heart.  I am a glued-to-my-recipe-kinda girl.  But luckily my partner knew a chicken recipe she liked with oyster & soy sauce. We decided to go for it.  Hunting down everything in this new kitchen was the hardest part.  After getting all our ingredients and pots & pans we were ready to start cooking.  We each julienned our carrots and celery.  Then we diced up some garlic and onions.  We each deboned our chicken pieces which is much easier when you have a sharp filet knife (highly recommended).  My partner started the chicken and I started the rice.  We settled for jasmine rice since we couldn't find minute rice.  It is starchier and produced much more than we anticipated.  We thought our rice was going to be a do-over but we salvaged it when we fried it up with an egg and some green onions.  I sauteed the veggies and we ended with a great looking dish.  Our final product ended up being on the salty side and this was confirmed by our CI as he tasted our final product.  Have him critique our dish was just like being on one of the Food Network Challenge shows as we awaited his verdict. 

Before we cooked, our CI gave us a demo of deboning a whole chicken: Wings first, then legs, then back, then breast.  I so have to try this at home and knowing that buying whole chickens is much cheaper than buying parts - I will likely be doing this often to save money and do my homework.

It was so awesome to cook a full meal and then I got to be the MOD (Manager on Duty) and got to delegate the assignments for clean up.  That was fun.  I like being in charge.  Overall, I just enjoyed the whole class. I'm hoping next time I can see more dishes others make and maybe sample a few.  I love to see what others come up with.  And next time I have to bring home leftovers for my husband!  I discovered the take out boxes after I devoured my salty but yummy Oriental Oyster Chicken.  

So next class we'll be learning the 5 mother sauces and get new partners.  I can't wait! In the meantime I'll be doing homework to practice - something with chicken or at the least julienned.  :)

Homework Assignment: Practice Cutting

Since I did not have class this Monday due to the Holiday, I decided to use the time off to do my homework assignment - to practice cutting with my knives.  I began my homework with 5 pounds of onions and a goal of onion soup and decided to slice them all. 

I remembered reading in my book that leaving one end of the onion in tact helps keep the onion together when slicing.  This helped quite a bit but I still felt awkward in my cutting as it took me a long time and my slices were not all uniform in size.  Lacking confidence I refered again to my book and read the part on the proper way to hold a knife - three fingers wrapped around the bottom with the top of the blade in between your thumb and fore finger.   Wait a minute?  I've been holding my knife wrong?  I have all my fingers wrapped around the handle - does this really make a difference?  So I tried it as the book suggested and yes, it really makes a difference.  I felt more control with the knife and finished up the last of my onions wishing I had 5 more pounds to slice with this new found knowledge. 

     With my 5 pounds of sliced onions I began to make my soup.  I added some bacon in for flavor and sauteed my onions keeping the pot covered.  As they started softening I took the cover off and let them carmelize.  I then added some white wine (Moscato of course as this is what I always have on hand) and then one can of chicken broth and one can of beef broth.  Lots of salt and pepper and a little thyme and that was it.  I toasted some bread with butter and melted cheese on top and I was set to enjoy. 

     So what did I learn from doing my homework assignment?

I learned the proper way to hold a knife - which right there is worth the cost of tuition.  I learned that the best flavoring for onion soup is apple cider instead of wine.  Wine is fine but my favorite onion soup was when I used cider as the liquid to deglaze the pan.  I learned that onions always reduce when cooked so if you think you have too many onions you likely don't - cook more.  And I learned that this assignment made me love onions even more.  I'm off to buy another 5 pounds and keep practicing my homework.

2nd Day of Class

Monday was my 2nd day of my Intro to Cooking Class.  Unfortunately we did not get to spend time in the kitchen as there was a lot to cover in lecture, but I did learn a lot and was given my first homework assignment: to practice my cutting skills. 
     The first 30 minutes we watched a video of Charlie Trotter (very famous chef, author of cookbooks and host on a PBS cooking show).  He gave an inspirational speech on professionalism in the "world of food" as he put it.  I enjoyed hearing him speak and share inspiration on what he loves.
     The remaining time of class we went over the first few chapters in our book - the first chapter was on the history of cuisines and the chefs who started them.  From there we hit some main points on nutrition, safety & sanitation.  We then dove in to the chapter on recipes & menus and then learned about recipe conversion and food cost per plate. This required some math and following a formula that had me scratching my head a bit but I think I'll catch on after I thoroughly read the chapter.  He then went over what the knives in our knife set are each meant for and the safety involved.  He shared a story about a girl who cut her fingers on the first day of class because she wasn't paying attention while cleaning her knife.  I fear this will be me.    
     We did go to the kitchen at the very end for another tour and to ask any questions as next time we will spend most of the time in the kitchen. 
     We don't have class next week due to the holiday and I'm going to miss it.  I really have learned so much already.  I will definitely be doing my homework and hope to share my progress along the way.  Did you know I never knew the right way to cut onion!?  Oh so much to learn....
Til next class.

Danielle Dishes Up - A recipe I've always wanted to try

Beef Wellington

Recipe from: Rachel Ray Magazine

Taste Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Execution Rating: 6

Learned: That it takes 40 minutes to defrost puff pastry dough.  That I should have all my ingredients cut & ready before turning on the stove and that my chef knife is sharper than I thought - OUCH!

I have had this recipe for a while and every time I would see the picture I would just drool.  I finally decided that during my week of vacation I would be able to give it the time it needed and decided to go for it.  Boy, do I underestimate the timing of things!  I didn't know it took 40 minutes to defrost pastry dough sheets.  I didn't know I had to let the meat sit in the fridge for 30 minutes after I put the mushroom topping on it and I didn't know it would take me so long to chop 2 pounds of mushrooms. Needless to say an hour after I thought it would be ready I did end up with a very pretty golden brown Beef Wellington that was cooked to perfection (thanks to my handy dandy new thermometer - which I properly calibrated thank you very much).  The flavor was very earthy tasting with the portobello mushrooms and thyme.  I used Beef Tenderloin from Harter House and it was worth it - so tasty.  I enjoyed the pastry dough but overall I thought it was missing something - a gravy or something to balance that earthiness.  I was very pleased my result being my first Beef Wellington to ever make, but don't think I'll try this one again for a while - it did take a lot of steps. 

So how did I find out my chef's knife was so sharp, you ask? When I used it like it was my Rachel Ray knife and cleaned the food off with my hand - I got myself a nice (paper cut sized) slice on my left palm.  So glad I didn't do that in class!  Gotta get use to my knives!

Danielle Dishes Up - Dinner & Dessert

Chicken & Artichokes over Orzo

Recipe from: Some random magazine

Taste Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Execution Rating: 6

Learned: The texture of orzo, the flavor of cherry peppers, that you can reduce a sauce too much.

This dish was very tasty and included artichoke hearts mixed in orzo with onions, garlic, cherry peppers, & dill.  By making this dish I got to cook two ingredients I've not cooked before - orzo and cherry peppers (the red strips in picture).  The orzo is going to be my new staple as I loved it's tiny oval pasta shape and the smoother texture it has than rice.  The cherry peppers added a nice kick to the dish and the onions sauteed in chicken broth, cherry pepper juice and white wine (I had to use Mascato as it's the only white wine I always have on hand) had me eating out of the pan on the stove with a spoon.  What I would change is to use boneless, skinless chicken breast in addition to thighs to make this lighter and easier to execute.  I would also use more cherry peppers for taste and flavor and would keep an eye on my sauce so it doesn't reduce too much (as mine did).
 

White Chocolate Creme' Brulee

Recipe from: Back of Ghiradelli White Chocolate Bar Package

Taste Rating: 7 out of 10

Execution Rating: 4

Learned: Only use fresh Chocolate

Okay so this dessert was. . .well. . . let's just say, a challenge.  First of all let me tell you the history of the main ingredient. I have had a Ghiradelli White Chocolate bar in my pantry for a looong time.  I don't even know why I got it in the first place but when I discovered the easy creme' brulee recipe on the back of it I knew exactly what I'd be doing with it.  I guess that was like a year ago because in mid-stream of making this dessert I actually took a bite of the chocolate and it had that rancid-been sitting in your cabinet too long-taste.  I thought with enough cream, eggs and sugar it would hide that nasty rancid flavor but no, not so much. If that wasn't enough it took almost 2 hours for the brulee to set (was only supposed to take 45 minutes).  I followed instructions to a tee so really can't put my finger on where I went wrong.  When I finally did get it to set and was even pleased with my broiled carmelization I was hit hard with that nasty rancid taste.  What a disappointment as the texture was divine and the taste was superb until the aftertaste hit.  Will I try again....maybe as I really want to taste this as it was meant to be. 

Danielle Dishes Up - Dinner for the Family

Hoisin Shrimp with Crispy Noodles

Recipe from: Some random magazine

Taste Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Execution Rating: 7

Learned: How to crisp up ramen noodles

This was a sweet, deep-flavored asian dish I made with hoisin sauce, shrimp, pineapples & green beans over crispy noodles (ramen noodles). The noodles took the longest to make of this dish.  To make them crunchy required boiling them, forming them into a pie pan and then frying them in a skillet.  I liked the crunch for the added texture but not sure the hungry family liked waiting for this extra step.  Next time it might go faster though now that I know the steps.

If you ever want a recipe just let me know and I'd be happy to share.

Danielle Dines Out - Date Night

Thursday night my husband & I had a date night. As we haven't been downtown in a while there were new hot spots to check out.
    We first stopped at Ophelia's in their new location (on Walnut Street). I like the jazzy vibe they have going for them. This space used to be occupied by Room 4 and before that a Tuscany themed restaurant. It hasn't been a successful spot for restauranteurs so we'll see how Opelia's does in their new home. Right now their menu is a little limited just featuring their strong tapas items. Word is they'll be adding a hood to the kitchen which will allow a broader menu. I recommend the couches by the window and also recommend the rosemary almonds if you just want something sweet & savory to nibble on with your wine or beer. That's all we ate as we were hungrier than what Ophelia's offered so off we went to meet friends at Big Whiskey's.
    Big Whiskey's is a very good place to get bar food (you know, wings, burgers, greasy, cheesy, yummy stuff) -they have an extensive menu and drink list. Us girls had chicken wraps and the guys had big 'ol burgers. I also sampled a mini corn dog appetizer which was actually quite tasty. They have an outside patio, which we took advantage of. I highly recommend them if you want many drink options and to leave full.
     From there we went to a place called Blue Bull, which is appropriately named as the place is glowing in blue lights at the bar. We were a bit put off by the lighting but found a neat room that offered a huge L-shaped sofa in front of a big screen and you felt like you were in your living room. I recommend this spot if you want to go somewhere dark and comfortable and...different (just ask them to close the door a little to get away from those dang blue lights). We only had drinks while there.
     Our last stop was Bistro Market. Before I tell you about Bistro Market you must know that my friend and I trekked from Blue Bull two blocks over to get cupcakes for our guys from "The Cup". We ended up cupless as they closed at 8pm (it was 10pm). :( It looked cute inside and definitely a place to try out.

     Okay, so Bistro Market. This is downtown's first super market (it's owned by Pricecutters) which offers a hot bar, salad bar, wine bar, Starbucks & gelato stand in addition to all your supermarket foods. I've been itching to try this place since it opened. Being from NY and loving open markets I was so excited to see this place. We went in and took a tour around and honestly I was a smidge let down. I wanted something a little more metro in cuisine. In New York the sights, smells and sounds are amazing and you want to sample everything you see. Here, I felt like it was your typical hot food buffet with items you see almost anywhere in Springfield. I'm not saying I won't go for lunch as I'll likely be bringing the girls from work to dive into their salad bar which does look delish but I'm a little bummed on their hot offerings. Of course, we just did a quick walk through so I'll have to take more time and dive in and try the hot foods just to be sure ;) We did get some gelato there (sweet treat to end the night). They gave us any sample we wanted and I ended with banana & chocolate hazelnut. There was a line for this spot and I bet there will be each night as the whole place stays open until 2am.

It was a great night of new places. Check them out if you can.

First Day...

Yesterday was my first day of "Intro to Food Theory" Class at the local College.  I was so nervous and excited.  I was pleasantly surprised when the Chef Instructor (CI for the blog) was nice and down-to-earth instead of the Chef Ramsey type I was sort of expecting.  As we all introduced ourselves I found myself amongst Restaurant Managers, Waitresses, first time students, experienced cooks but all lovers of food.  It was exciting to be with people who share the same passion.  I'm sure everyone thought the same but I really felt I was the most excited and hung on every single word the CI said. 
     The first two hours were spent going over policies, procedures, and most importantly safety & sanitation rules.  I quickly learned I would be doing a paper, creating a notebook and having a cooking final which was just like the show "Chopped" on Food Network (so crazy as this is my favorite show right now).  Wait a minute a Cooking Final?!  What have I gotten myself into I thought over and over and answered the question in my head over and over..."I've gotten myself into something so exciting!". 
     I so wanted to start cooking but the first day only covered the tour of the kitchen with all the equipment and things to know.  When the CI talked about different cooking methods and foods to make on each item I kept getting more and more excited.  I actually knew a lot of what he was talking about but learned new things too: braizing (cooking using two methods -heat & liquid), parboiling (starting the cooking process), carmelizing (FLAVOR).  
The three main skills he said we will learn and master are:
1. The 5 Mother Sauces: Bechemel, Hollandaise, Tomato and two others I can't remember right now
2. Knife/Cutting skills: small dice, medium dice and 6 other types of cuts
3. Cooking Techniques: Sauteing, shallow poaching, etc.

Is this exciting stuff or what!?  Stay tuned for more and lots of homework along the way.  Can't wait for next week where we will get our knives out and get in the kitchen.