Last week I had to take a last minute business trip, so I had to miss the last night of my Culinary Arts Class. I was really bummed because not only did I pay for it, but I was really looking forward to it. We were going to be talking about Moist Cooking Methods. So it looks like I will have to try to teach myself that topic, and report back with how my recipe goes. So stay tuned. I will probably get to it after I get back from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival that I will be attending NEXT WEEK!
Culinary Arts Class – Week 5
February 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Cooking methods in the Culinary Arts world are divided into two categories: Dry Heat Cooking and Moist Heat Cooking. Last week’s class was all about Dry Cooking Methods – such as roasting, broiling, grilling, deep-frying or sautéing.
Dry heat cooking refers to any cooking technique where the heat is transferred to the food without using any moisture.
Baking or roasting in an oven is a dry heat method because it uses hot air to conduct the heat. Roasted foods should develop a rich roasted aroma and they should have a well-developed color.
Pan-searing or sautéing a piece of steak is considered dry heat cooking because the heat shift takes place through the hot metal of the pan. When you sauté something, it’s very important that you use a very hot pan. Be sure to also let the small amount of fat that you use get hot as well. You will develop a nice degree of browning on whatever you are pan-searing or sautéing.
Grilling and broiling rely on the heat being conducted through the air from an open flame. It is necessary that the food be very close to the heat source when you are grilling or broiling. Also be sure to flip the piece of meat so that it cooks evenly on both sides.
Since Deep-Frying involves putting food in hot, liquid fat, you would probably think that this is a Moist Cooking method and not a Dry Cooking method. But it is indeed a Dry Cooking method. Due to the high temperature involved and the high heat conduction of oil, the food cooks very quickly. The hot oil heats the water within the food, steaming it from the inside. Items that are deep fried are generally battered (other than potatoes or poultry with the skin still on) before being immersed in the oil.
Banana Fritters
The dish that I cooked in class was Pork Medallions with a Dijon Mustard Butter. This was absolutely phenomenal. I used a grill pan to cook the pork in, and let me tell you how it tasted like it was straight off the grill. I got some great grill marks on the meat and then finished it in the oven. The Dijon Mustard Butter was the perfect addition. There are so many different things you can do with this dish. Play around with the butter ingredients and you can create some awesome flavors.
We also made Banana Fritters in class. We coated some cut up bananas in a batter and then deep fried them in peanut oil. These little things were so delicious. They would be so good dipped in a caramel rum sauce – Mmmmm.
Culinary Arts class – Week 4
February 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last week’s class was all about Pasta. There are hundreds of different pasta shapes. Some examples of common pasta shapes are: Pipe, Spaghetti, Spaghettini, Rigatoni, Penne Rigate, Orecchiette, Lasagna, Fusilli, Farfalle, Ditaloni, Shells and the list goes on. If I were to name them all we’d be here all day! 
Pasta is categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta made without eggs can be stores for up to a few years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will only keep for a couple of days if it’s refrigerated.
There are many varieties – here are some:
- Long pasta
- Short pasta
- Minute Pasta (used for soups)
- Egg Pasta
- Fresh Pasta
- Pasta for baked dishes (lasagna noodles would fall under this category)
Pasta is generally served with a sauce. There are so many different sauces that go well with pasta including Pesto sauce, Alfredo sauce, Bolognese sauce, Marinara sauce, and the list goes on.
In class we made our own fresh pasta. To be honest, this was my least favorite class. Aside from the fact that there were only 4 pasta machines (yes, the hand crank kind as picture to the left) for over 10 of us to share, I just didn’t care for the process of making fresh pasta. It is definitely hard work. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I had the Pasta Maker Cuisinart Attachment, but doing it the old-fashioned way is for the birds!
So I went through the process and made some pasta, but I wasn’t really happy with how it came out. I felt so rushed and I just didn’t have time to concentrate and do it the way I would have liked to. So I threw it out. I took my second dough ball home and thought that maybe I’d try to work with it at home in some capacity, but that just didn’t happen. Life got in the way.
What’s funny though is that I took home some Alfredo sauce that we made in class (which by the way was delicious!) and put it on some cooked pasta (that was from a *gasp* box!) that I had leftover in the fridge. It was delicious!
I’m not ashamed to admit that I prefer boxed pasta over the fresh stuff. It just tastes so much better in my opinion!
Culinary Arts class – Week 3
January 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last week’s class was all about Grains, Potatoes and Vegetables. We talked about all of them, but the focus of the class was making Risotto. As you all know, I made Risotto for the first time about a month ago. I never made Risotto before and I saw the Cooking Light recipe for Lobster Risotto and decided that I needed to make it. I’m so happy it turned out well since I spent $35 on Lobster to go into the dish. I think it goes without saying that I would be quite ticked off if the dish was a failure.
For those of you that aren’t very familiar with Risotto, it is rice that is cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. Risottos are usually made using short-grain rice with the stock/broth being added gradually while the rice is stirred frequently. Cooking it this way leads the rice to release its starch giving the final product a nice and creamy texture.
The broth that you use may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based. There are many ingredients you can add to give your risotto flavor. When I made my risotto in class, I cooked my rice in onion and butter to coat each grain with some fat. Then I started to add in my chicken stock gradually (which by the way should be hot) and I stirred it gently. I continued to do this until it was done. You’ll have to taste it several times to make sure it’s ready. Just make sure that you don’t add the broth too soon. The broth has to be absorbed before you add in more. If you add it too quickly your rice will not be done once you add in all of the broth. I just chose to add Parmesan cheese to my risotto. And let me tell you – it was perfect!!
My next risotto experiment is going to involve a really good smoked bacon. Bacon makes everything better, doesn’t it?
What’s your favorite Risotto flavor?
Culinary Arts class – Week 2
January 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last Tuesday was Week 2 of my Introduction to Culinary Arts class. The topic of that class was Classic & Contemporary Sauces. It was a very interesting class and I learned a lot. It really has me wishing that I went to Culinary school after I graduated high school. But back then I didn’t realize I wanted to go there, if that makes any sense. Now, over 15 years later, I finally realize what I want to do!
Although there are an endless assortment of sauces, there are only 5 “Mother”sauces. Any sauce can be created with a little modification using one of these 5 sauces:
- Béchamel – The Béchamel sauce is your basic white sauce. This sauce is perfect for making a cheese sauce for Macaroni & Cheese.
- Velouté – The Velouté sauce is a white sauce using stock. It’s a good sauce that goes very well with meat and it’s simple to make. The thing you want to remember is when using this sauce you want to pair it with the same meat as the stock you are using. So you want to use beef stock when making beef, chicken stock when making chicken, etc.
- Espagnole – The Espagnole sauce is a brown sauce. The basic method of making Espagnole is to prepare a very dark brown roux (cooked flour and fat), and add several gallons of veal stock, along with browned bones, pieces of beef, pounds of vegetables, and various seasonings. This takes many hours or even several days to make.
- Hollandaise – Hollandaise is a sauce made with an emulsion of egg yolks and fat. It is commonly used in the classic dish Eggs Benedict. Chef made this in class so we got to watch how he made it. My confession for the week is that I’ve never tasted Hollandaise sauce. But I vow that I will do that one day soon.
- Tomato – One of the most popular, the Tomato sauce is a wonderful sauce to make in large volume. It can be used in so many different sauces and it freezes very well too.
The dish that I made in class was Chicken with a Brandy Mustard Cream Sauce. It was truly to die for. I really enjoyed it and I need to go to the Liquor store to pick up some brandy so I can make it at home. Recipe available upon request.
Culinary Arts class – Week 1
January 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last Tuesday was Week 1 of my Introduction to Culinary Arts class. It was the only class during the 6 week session where we wouldn’t be cooking. This class was all about knife skills and safety. Normally you’d hear me say “boooooooooooring!” but not this time. I’ve always wanted to take a knife skills class, but never got around to doing so. So even though I was saddened we wouldn’t be cooking, I was thrilled to learn how to hold the knife in the proper manner and perk up my dicing and chopping skills.
I got a gift certificate for Christmas so that I could get a new knife. I wanted something really good that felt comfortable in my hand. I ended up getting the 8” Wusthof Classic Ikon. I love it. It is perfectly balanced so my hand doesn’t get tired. Take a look at this beauty…
Here is more information about the knife according to the Wusthof website:
CLASSIC IKON – Design, ergonomics and the well known WÜSTHOF quality are perfectly combined in one series to give you the ultimate cutting experience.
- Forged from one piece of specially tempered high carbon steel to ensure outstanding strength.
- Innovative handle design for comfort and control.
- Perfectly balanced for effortless cutting.
- Seamless hygienic fit of the handle.
- Triple-riveted handle shells, full tang handle.
- Black handles made of special synthetic material.
- Specially designed bolster.
- Exceptionally sharp.
It is recommended that you do not put this knife in the dishwasher. Hand wash only.
So you may be asking – what did you do in your knife skills class? We chopped and diced. For 2 hours. We spent the class dicing vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, garlic, shallots, potatoes, etc. Needless to say I don’t feel like chopping anything for quite a while! I learned that if we were getting grades for our chopping I would get an “A” – that’s what Chef told me. 
I chopped some carrots very finely – I never knew I could chop that finely before. I really don’t have a reason to chop anything that fine, but its nice to know I can do it if I need to.
So now that the knife skills class is over, I feel more confident with my weapon in hand. I’m still nervous that I’ll cut a finger (or two) off, but I’m sure that feeling will going away…maybe.
Stayed tuned for Classic and Contemporary Sauces next week!
My Walk on the Wild Side
January 4, 2011 by 1 Comment
As we all know, I’m a huge Pastry Arts connoisseur. I could quite possibly live off of cupcakes and raspberry pie for the rest of my life if I needed to. I’ve taken the Intro and Intermediate Pastry Arts classes at the local Restaurant School, as well as a few other classes. And they were all dessert/pastry related. What can I say? I have a sweet tooth. I’d take a cupcake over potato chips any day.
But let me get to my point here. I signed up for the Intro to Culinary Arts class at the Restaurant School. I know how to cook. I love cooking. But I want to learn more. I want to be an expert. I want to be more confident in the kitchen with a knife. I also want to try some new foods that I otherwise would shy away from.
It’s a 6 week Curriculum, and here’s how it looks…
Week 1: Knife Skills and Safety
Week 2: Classic & Contemporary Sauces
Week 3: Grains, Potatoes and Vegetables
Week 4: Homemade Pastas and Sauces
Week 5: Dry Methods of Cooking
Week 6: Moist Methods of Cooking
Some of the recipes include: Braised Chicken Legs with Tart Green Apples, Mussels Steamed in Beer, Zucchini Bread, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Pan-fried Eggplant with Tomato Concasse, Pesto Sauce, Fresh Egg Pasta, Cheese Filled Peppers with Pesto Sauce, and Wild Rice Pilaf.
As I did with the Pastry Arts course, I’ll share with all of you what I learn in class and the dishes that we make.
Tonight is Week 1. Knife skills and safety. I’ll get to use that lovely new chef knife I got for Christmas. And here’s hoping that you don’t hear any ambulance sirens between 7pm and 9:30pm. My goal is to keep all of my fingers!
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