Archive for the ‘French Culinary Institute’ Category

Knead It Outta the Day

Filed Under: Food, French Culinary Institute, Recipeson February 23rd, 2010

There are so many comical things I could tell you (my readers) everyday about the idiosyncrasies of school life. These include:

The assignments that ask us to make sugar owls that end up merely resembling Liza Minnelli or a showgirl working the Main Stage in Las Vegas … or when we’re asked to create chocolate showpiece cake stands, because after spending thousands of dollars on a wedding cake a bride really can afford a decorative cake stand …

The teachers which for all intensive purposes are fabulous at what they do. They really are. Once I leave FCI, I will say that I went because of the instructors, because I did, but that doesn’t excuse their quirks, personalities, sense of style, or favorite says/songs/habits. They’re too easy to love/laugh at. But because a blog is “public” record, and not everyone has the same sense of humor as me (or my fellow classmates) my funny teacher puns are few and far between.

My fellow classmates probably give me the most comical stories I could write about. But like the former teacher comment, I don’t want to burn bridges with different ideas of what constitutes as humorous. That, and I’d like to have friends tomorrow …

But despite all of the odds and ends of my class room, today was on of those days where everyone’s “bad” was clashing. Not so great for class room chemistry, let alone kitchen chemistry. Did I mention that we’ve been working with sugar ranging in temperature of 300 plus degrees Fahrenheit that can burn through your skin? Not a good combo.

I’m usually quiet and removed when I’m angry in public situations. At home with my family, I’m the loudest thing since the morning rooster. But when it comes to friends, work, teachers? I’m mute, and simmering. Probably a habit I picked up from past boyfriends where fighting always got me into more harm than good … learned that lesson a little too late, but it seems to have helped me from fighting with everyone who crosses my path …

So today was a quiet day. A very quiet day. Except when I dropped my pulled sugar structures, popped my blown sugar, or set off the elevator alarm when I returned food items to the downstairs kitchen.

I wish I could say I was joking about the last comment, it’s completely true, and almost brought me to tears when the Spanish speaking maintenance man came running towards me. Suffice to say, I did not tell the teacher about that.

So when I got home after having a very long and aggressive run I decided to make home-made pizza dough. Hand knead the shit out of something and get my hands dirty. Most people wouldn’t attempt this feat, most culinary students wouldn’t attempt this feat, and I probably could count one person other than myself that finds cooking therapeutic after a day of hell. But what can I say this is my calling!

I made the recipe up, so I can’t help too much with exact measurements, but I know this, I used All Purpose Flour, not Bread, so I’m not sure how the end result will be once it’s baked but I’ll keep you posted.

All Purpose Flour Pizza Dough

1 packet of quick rising yeast (check the expiration date, often times they’re old in stores)

1 1/4 cup warm water (just when the faucet starts to feel “warm” your body is 98 degrees and the water should be about 110, you don’t need a thermometer, just don’t have the water HOT)

1/4 cup flour

Combine all these ingredients and all to stand in a bowl for about 10 minutes.

After ten minutes combine additional cup of flour and mix, the mixture will still be wet. Add another cup of flour and mix. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. At this point the mixture will be formed but very wet. Get dirty. Pull it out onto a floured counter and add 1 tablespoon additions of flour until it resembles a ball.

At this point you knead, and knead, and knead. Or stick it in a mixer with a bread attachment. Did I tell you I had a bad day? The kneading takes about ten minutes and grunt work, it’s not quick task.

You’ll know the dough is done because it will be consistent in texture and be able to “pull a window” which basically means taking a pinch of the dough and pulling slowing. The dough should break, it should puuuulllll apart.

Form into a ball and place in a oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise for about an hour in a warm area of your kitchen. It should double in size. Punch the mixture down, allow it to rest about 5 minutes and then you’re ready to make a pizza!

I place mine the refrigerator overnight, I think it tastes better after allowing to rest. I’ll let you know how the results are tomorrow!

Posted in Food, French Culinary Institute, Recipes | 5 Comments »

You Better Forget Looking Feminine

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon February 22nd, 2010

That’s right, you heard me. Forget makeup, hair, perfume, dignity, identity … ok, a tad of an exaggeration, but trust me, you’re stripped of any sense of girliness the second you’re handed your whites.

That includes manicures.

I’ve NEVER been a mani/pedi/spa girl. Ever. Trust me when I say that free time during my youth was dedicated to team sports and homework, both of which gave my hands my wear than care. That’s not to say that I’ve never had manicures and don’t enjoy them …

But now I crave them. Partly because I need them and partly because I can’t have them.

But after standing in a kitchen for hours on end, dipping your hands in and out of the bleach bucket to clean tables and stoves, your hands take a beating. If a doctor were to look at my hands, and just my hands, I guarantee I’d be classified as a senior citizen.

This problem was present before our class started sugar work. Now, it’s even worse. And by worse, I mean in addition to the drying, cracking, and lack of polish, there’s an addition of scars, burns, blisters, bubbles, and hand-rosasea.

Generally speaking I’m usually freezing, but with sugar, I think that myself and most of my class has entered early menopause. The heat of the sugar exceeds 300 degrees F and can literally burn the skin off your body. It’s extremely dangerous. Our first rule is, “Safety First,” and damn you better be careful.

I’m not the most coordinated of people, so this has been a HUGE feat (so far) for me.

We’ve done poured sugar, pulled sugar, and blown sugar (tomorrow) all of which manipulates simple ingredients (water and sugar) into cake stands, baskets, ribbons, molds, etc. When it dries and hardens the mixture is similar to glass, breaks like glass and cuts like glass.

Nothing about sugar is safe, especially your hands.

My hands are so sore and blistered I don’t even think I could get a manicure; unless it including dunking my hands in cold water and wrapping them in cashmere. Which could be nice …

Posted in French Culinary Institute | 1 Comment »

Back to the Grind

Filed Under: Food, French Culinary Institute, Life, New York City, Restauranton February 15th, 2010

I’ve been bad. And by bad, I mean, not posting as often as I should or could.

Last week I had SO MUCH to write about, but considering I was in a “live it” not “write it” mode, I was a little sub-par, so apologies.

Let’s say as a wrap up, I went a little crazy – all out.

lambmeatballs

Spotted Pig burger on Tuesday night, snow day trip to Locanda Verde on Wednesday night for lamb meatballs, herbed ricotta cheese, and toffee date cake, Friday trip to Bar Farnelli with more Brooklyn Lagers than I care to admit, Saturday afternoon a trip to the

Blind Tiger and pit-stop at Murray’s Cheese for a like ‘njua, Saturday night at Colicchio and Sons and Sunday brunch at Bubby’s. bubbys

You’d be surprised that I had time to do anything else but eat, huh? But I did, don’t worry. Although eating was a HUGE part of last week, and every minute of it was fabulous. Can’t say there was a sour note!

In terms of finishing up plated desserts from last week, we chocolate sprayed out Mint Domes and plated a white chocolate citrus parfait, a tiramisu, an exotic fruit soup, and a goat’s yogurt panna cotta.

The panna cotta and tiramisu were vomit-worthy. DISGUSTING. So much so, that if I actually ordered either of these at a restaurant I would have sent them back. And I don’t think soup should be next to the word “dessert” but that’s just my opinion …

Be wary of the pictures though, these were “unpretty” desserts of our large batch.

The unattractive pieces are used to practice plating while the immaculately clean looking ones we have to save for either the restaurant, school functions, or our “Afternoon of Desserts” where our friends and family come for a tasting.

And since ours is tomorrow afternoon, we had to be very particular to leave all the “good” ones for them.

Hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!

Oh and like a true nerd of food, on my day off what am I doing, cooking? You named it. Greatest find of the city thus far? Israeli grocery store downtown where a butcher hand grinds lamb for $3 a lb. Um, hello! Give me all of it and let’s see what I can do with it! Isn’t it great how the small things in life make your day?

Maybe I really am back to the grind, now that I have my meat …

Tags: Bar Farnelli, Brooklyn Brewery, Bubby's, Colicchio and Sons, Locanda Verde, Murray's Cheese, nyc finds, plated desserts, The Blind Tiger, The Spotted Pig
Posted in Food, French Culinary Institute, Life, New York City, Restaurant | 2 Comments »

Mint Chocolate? Give Me!

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon February 11th, 2010

I have to be honest, after I’ve spent hours in the kitchen preparing recipe after recipe I rarely have a desire to eat what I make. I’d say 9 times out of 10 you couldn’t pay me to touch it.

I might bring it home, freeze it, thaw it, and enjoy it at a later date, but again that’s a rare occasion. My favorite thing about dessert is the presentation of it, the placement of it after a great meal, and the ability to savor and enjoy it for as long as I like. I’m NOT someone who inhales a dessert, I take. my. time.

So in class, when we taste everything we make, it’s often rushed, from a Tablespoon-measurer, and after the act of being covered in chocolate and smelling like butter. Come to think of it, it’s a great strategy for losing weight: cover yourself in butter and chocolate and smell or touch nothing else all day and THEN eat a huge dessert. You wouldn’t want to either …

BUT! Today we made what we referred to as the “Mint Chocolate Dome.” FAH-NAM-MIN-NAL. It was a flourless chocolate cake base, filled with a frozen chocolate mousse and covered with a mint mousse and sprayed with chocolate. OMG. Give me more.

I wish these desserts weren’t frozen and I could take one home and savor it. But, they are. And they’re not even done yet, so tomorrow when they’re plated, I’ll have more pictures, but for now one can dream …

Think the best mint chocolate chip ice cream type thing with a flourless chocolate cake crust. Right??

Tags: Desserts, Mint Chocolate Dome
Posted in French Culinary Institute | 7 Comments »

What You Can’t Live Without …

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon February 8th, 2010

I’m sure there any many things that I couldn’t live without, but at the moment all I can think about is one thing that I definitely, most certainly, without question could live without. And that, is tempering chocolate.

A teacher of mine from high school used to say something along the lines of, “If you begin to have dreams where you’re speaking a different language, you’re fluent.” Well, last week I was having dreams about tempering chocolate. And believe me, I am in no way speaking that language correctly.

As an evaluation in Level 3, each person in my class has to create a chocolate showpiece that weighed exactly 1000 grams. Made entirely of tempered chocolate.

chocolateREX_468x481

Technically speaking (and as I had to remember for my written test Friday), tempering chocolate is the re-crystalizing of beta-crystals in chocolate to produce a realignment. This is done by controlling the temperatures at which the chocolate is heated, cooled, reheated, and maintained. When chocolate is “tempered” it produces a hard, shiny, snap-able chocolate with a good “mouthfeel.” Each type of chocolate (dark, milk, white) has different temperatures.

Most major chocolatiers have tempering machines, as students we need to learn how to do this by hand. Thus, the story of my chocolate showpiece begins. Our theme was, “What you can’t live without …” And the mission was to “tell a story” using the vehicle of chocolate.

Um, splendid. Where do I begin? Well there’s two things I most definitely cannot live without (besides friends and family, but they’re hard to create) are the beach and ice cream. And usually they occur on a daily basis for me during the summer. So that was the idea behind mine, the execution was a little more shaky.

I remember touring the school last spring with my Dad and being shown the “chocolate showpieces” by our tour guide. As the guide continued along, my Dad and I looked at each other thinking, “These kids have been here for this long, and this is their “showpiece?” It looks like a kindergardener did it.” At that moment I knew my father was questioning where his money was going …

Well, let me tell you. Don’t speak before you try it. If those were kindergardener creations, move over Jacque Torres, there’s a child prodigy in the room.

So in creating a remake of what I can’t live without, I decided I’d tell a story by giving details of who I am as a person. A sweet tooth, check. A beach bum, check. A klutz, check check.

My showpiece was in short, a girl carrying an ice cream cone on a boardwalk, with the beach in the background, and her tripping, thus spilling her ice cream .

Last week I was stressed beyond stressed because of this project. It involved a written test, two diagrams, sketches, cut-outs, life sized models, special tools, measurements, you name it. So when I began the project last week the only thing I kept thinking was, “It’s over on Monday at 1:30, it’s over on Monday at 1:30, it’s over on Monday at 1:30.”

And I’m proud to say, “it’s over (now that its 7 pm) on Monday.” Didn’t mean it went too hot, but despite how embarrassing it looks. Feel free to mock, I would. I finished, AND I was proven that karma has a funny sense of humor.

So in full irony, to top off the fabulous accomplishment of both being “done” and not doing as poorly as I thought, I broke the structure in moving it to storage.

Did I mention we weren’t getting graded until tomorrow?

So now, I have a broken chocolate stand.

Whatever, you live and learn. I always knew I wasn’t the most agile of creatures. Coincidence that my character’s ice cream AND my chocolate stand had the same fate? Maybe.

Tags: chocolate, level 3, showpieces
Posted in French Culinary Institute | 4 Comments »

Impulsiveness…

Filed Under: Food, French Culinary Institute, Restauranton February 2nd, 2010

… is an underrated virtue.

It’s also a mutual strength and weakness of mine. I’m impulsive with my impulsiveness.

Sometimes I’ll be along a straight, narrow, and (yes) boring streak for days at a time. Weeks at a time even. And then, BAM! I feel like flying somewhere, eating in gluttony, or running for hours on end. Why? I’m not really sure. But one thing I do know is that nothing stays dull for long.

Today was one of those days where I wanted to punch my partner in class, drop-kick everyone else, and run the hell out of the kitchen, down all four flights of stairs, and AWAY from the chef. Or away from anyone called “chef” for that matter.

Toss my entire cake in the compost bin and say, “Screw this shit.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t. And I didn’t. And then, I had to go to work. Well, not work, but a “trail” for a potential job. To “trail” literally means that an inspiring chef must work in the kitchen for the potential new job in order to see if they go-with-the-flow of the kitchen.

I did great! I’m never incompetent at a job, I always do well. I go above and beyond. And the thing is, I left again disappointed. So …

I did what I do best, said “fuck it,” and indulged in life. Because life’s too short. So after gluttony got the best of me at City Hall, a downtown financial district classic bar, where three-martini lunches and 42 oz rib eyes are standard, I had a little “after (not) work fun.”

And since I smile so nice, I was given free appetizers, a crudites plate and a carrot ginger soup with home-made pretzel!

I literally have been an intern as long as the unpaid characters of Grey’s Anatomy, and I’m not smart OR sleeping with McDreamy, SO I indulged in food and spirits…

And now that I have a blog, and a student ID to The French Culinary Institute I must relive today’s culinary adventures: A two tiered cake filled with raspberry mousse and covered with colored tempered chocolate. Mine was one of the best.

Whatever, today I’m going to be a cocky bitch. And yes, I might be the only one who thinks my work’s worth while. But hell, if they don’t, it’ll just give me another excuse to indulge in fabulousness.

Paris anyone?

Tags: cakes, indulgences, trails
Posted in Food, French Culinary Institute, Restaurant | No Comments »

Good Night Kiss

Filed Under: French Culinary Institute, Recipeson February 1st, 2010

One of the most important days in a chef’s year is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Years, Mother’s Day, etc. Aka all the days normal people have off and feel as though they must book reservations so that (fill in the blank) doesn’t kill them.

The obligation to please a special someone(s) on these such days comes with the territory, BUT this is one thing a chef doesn’t have to worry about. They’ll be too busy working. Oh, and making money. Because just like the candy companies, the card sellers, and the florists, chefs make bank on sentimental holidays.

Valentine’s Days (and restaurant week, in my opinion) are great opportunities to bring people into a restaurant that don’t dine out often, and feel as though they must to adhere to some status quo set by pop-culture American standards. Menus are reduced, chefs get rid of overstock, and people flood in and end up spending more money than what they bargain for.

Boys have to buy flowers, husbands make reservations, wives buy sexy lingerie, and people exchange chocolates. Ah, the last blip in that sentence is where I come in.

Hand made chocolates are labor intensive and fine delicacies. These chocolates aren’t your cheap Hersey’s chocolate sugar gorged creations that make your teeth hurt just biting into them. No, these chocolate bon-bons are works of art. Works of art, and a lot of time.

Over the last few days we’ve learned how to make bon-bons. Molded bon bons in contrast to our hand rolled ones from level two. We use tempered chocolate, plastic molds, and lots of patience. Once you get the hang of it though, the possibilities are endless. Any flavor combination from coconut curry, to balsamic strawberry are possible (these were two class examples).

They’re not always good flavor combinations, but with the right ratios you can create any medley you wish.

bonbon

Oh, and we had to come up with a clever (corny) name for our bon-bon.

Mine was, Midnight Kiss. The idea behind it was to create an after dinner treat that would act as a breath mint, thus, leading to a first (or thousandth) after dinner kiss. The thrill!

The recipe goes as follows:

Midnight Kiss

Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of 2 Lemons (reduced)

20 mint leaves (chopped to release aromatics)

290 g heavy cream

250 g bittersweet dark chocolate

15 g butter (soft or room temp.)

30 g Creme de Menthe

Reduce lemon juice to about half. Place cream, zest, and mint leaves over the stove and allow to boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, take off heat and allow the mixture to seep for 30 minutes.

In the meantime temper chocolate for bon-bon molds and line the trays with tempered chocolate. Allow to dry.

Reheat the seeped mixture and have it reach a boil. Pour the hot mixture through a sieve over the bowl of chopped chocolate and softened butter. Allow the mixture to sit for a minute before stirring. Gently begin to stir so that all the chocolate is combined. Stir in lemon juice and Creme de Menthe.

Allow to cool and pipe into molds. Cover the molds again with bottom layer of tempered chocolate.

Allow to harden and remove from molds!

This sounds complicated, and honestly it is, but its beautiful and delicious. Best bet, buy a couple at a local chocolate shop, its expensive to make at home if you’re not experience or possess molds.

The flavor is strong for this bon-bon. As my friend Vanessa says, “It’s like brushing your teeth but with chocolate.” That sounds bad, but if you want the sexiness of dessert AND a kiss, you’ll love them. The lemon cuts the bite. Think gourmet Andes Mints.

Eat one and maybe you’ll get a good night kiss, I sure hope I do!

As a side note, after the first couple days in level one I’ve begun to learn a few things:

1. There’s much more homework, showpieces, and artistic expression.

2. We have windows and sometimes sunlight. Having been trapped in a windowless kitchen for the last four months this is quite a lovely thing.

3. It’s four long floors up. So my tushy is getting tight from all those stairs.

4. The chef is foreign, and in my experience harder to read (so far), but smart and incredibly talented.

5. Quiet, more room, and definitely less chit-chat. Suffice to say, we’ve all got our serious pants on.

I’ll keep you posted!

bonbon1

Tags: bon-bons, Valentine's Day
Posted in French Culinary Institute, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Food Pictures

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon January 13th, 2010

Getting good at photographing food is hard. Actually, it’s very difficult for someone such as myself who is VERY bad at technology. Ironic, because I’m the one writing a blog and taking pictures everyday.

Today was interesting because I learned some fun facts about French food that had little to do with the recipes.

1. Traditional French restaurants NEVER pair wine with soup. Say your first course is lobster bisque. Fancy Daniel style lobster bisque, there is no chance the chef will serve wine with it. If dining, you’d probably think the waiter is late or ignoring you and your wine glass, but no no no, this is done purposefully. It’s too much liquid to ingest at once, so just soup, and then your wine glass will be promptly filled after your plate/bowl is cleared.

2. In plated French desserts temperatures don’t mix. No warmed apple pie a la mode. The hot and cold don’t go together, no matter what. Unless the dessert is DESIGNED this way, it doesn’t happen. But no traditional French desserts are designed like that. Only cold dessert and room temperature desserts can have ice cream, whipped cream, or creme anglaise.

A Southern woman must lie within me somewhere, I’m sure of it. Today one of the things we had to make to accompany a dish was “milk marmalade.” In short it was high end Paula Deen done French. Condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, vanilla bean, and sugar. All over the stove and reduced until the consistency of molasses. Yick (in my opinion).

This concoction was cooled and piped on top of a puff pastry round and accessorized with kiwi frozen yogurt, diced kiwis, and a kiwi stain glass cookie. In my opinion it was a mess on a plate, no focus, no center. Just gross. People loved it but …

We also made a savory mushroom, spinach, and onion puff pastry. It tasted better outside the puff pastry. In addition we made a goat cheese puff pastry topped with figs and a reduced sherry sauce. The figs were out of season … you can see where I’m going with the taste of today’s dishes, but that wasn’t the point.

The technique is the point, and that I had plenty of. I especially love the plating for the fig tart. What do you think?

Tags: plated desserts, puff pastry
Posted in French Culinary Institute | 1 Comment »

Crepe Day

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon January 12th, 2010

Do you like your pancakes thin in the morning? Do you prefer your desserts lighter and less dense? Or do you like the idea of being able to combine something sweet (i.e. a crepe) with something savory (maybe ham and cheese?) … well then, crepes are for YOU! And it’s super simple, here are some tricks I learned …

1. Use butter. Lots of it, Julia Child style. No oil, no Pam, just buutahh.

2. Flat pan, preferably not nonstick (according to the chef), but I think nonstick is okay, just don’t forget to use #1.

3. Just like pancakes the first couple don’t come out right. The pan needs to be seasoned, the right temperature, and it might take you a crepe or two to get warmed up.

4. Chocolate crepes don’t taste good. Correction they don’t really taste like anything. A better bet would be to take a regular crepe and just add chocolate or Nutella inside.

5. Classically a crepe should have no coloring and still taste “raw.” Americans prefer the color to be a little brown and crispier. I agree with the latter.

6. When plating them (not serving them from a cart, although that’s good too) reheat the crepe and DO NOT place the ice cream directly near the hot crepe, it’s poor presentation skill to have the ice cream melt before it gets to the customer.

7. Recipe will be modified and posted soon!

Tags: crepes
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Plating

Filed Under: French Culinary Instituteon January 11th, 2010

I’m back in business! Doing something you like AND you’re good at makes the day go so much faster. Today the mixers were whirling, the ovens were convecting, and people were mise en place-ing all over the place. It was fabulous! No chocolate, no showpieces, no standing around.

I have to give myself props, all those hours spent bent over dishes and trays of canapes paid off. Plated desserts are simple self portions desserts, plated for the individual. Today we made creme caramel, creme brulee, shortbread cookies, and a chocolate truffle cake (that is not baked but “baked” through the infusion of soft ball sugar, i.e. the sugar cooks the eggs, think Carbonara of dessert making).

The plating of desserts in a restaurants are usually done by newly graduated pastry students (me!) and is a simple task that involved perfecting presentation. I mean, when you walk into a NYC restaurant they’re not gonna let you make the desserts on the first day, you gotta prove your worth, and this is generally HOW you do that.

The plate represents a clock, and instructions are given as to how to plate by using the clock analogy. So say the creme caramel goes in the center, the reduced and sugared kumquats go 2 PM, the rosette creme Chantilly (whipped creme) goes right below, and the mint spring comes out of this. For example.

Today was custards, tomorrow will be crepes. I’ve never seen a crepe on a menu as a plated dessert, I always imagine them as “street food,” but then again, I’m still learning!

Tags: chocolate, creme brulee, creme caramel, creme Chantilly, plating
Posted in French Culinary Institute | 4 Comments »