Domo arigato, Chef Masa. Our last week of this shift in the Garde Manger took on a wild and creative flavor as Chef Masa basically gave us free hand in what we wanted to cook and put together. Thursday saw the class free styling, as each of us got to raid the kitchen and make the most of what we could find. The lunch was large and varied, as Enju made us some kimchee and papaya rolls, Sandy rocked a delicious mango chutney to go with our pan-fried mahi-mahi, Jessica wowed us with a spicy frittata, and I helped out by tossing together a papaya/cucumber salsa and faux Thai peanut sauce. We also had leftovers from the week, so we sort of porked out. Since Thursday marked the end of our Garde phase in this, the second of three rotations, we had to clear out the fridge and freezer, clean the kitchen, and say goodbye to Chef Masa. It was sort of a sad afternoon, since we are all very fond of Chef's good humor and free reign in the kitchen. With Chef Otto still off the radar screen in either Thailand or Myanmar (nobody seems to know for sure), Chef Masa will be working in the Garde for the foreseeable future, so we'll check in on him now and then.
Today we began our second rotation in Chef Klaus' Hot Kitchen I, and I have to admit that I'm sort of happy to be back into a more controlled and cerebral kitchen, even though he told me I was dicing an onion like an old housewife. We eased into our cooking with an day of lentil soup, glazed potatoes, mahi-mahi en papillote, and poached pears with raspberry Melba sauce. I call it a lightly masked compliment that Chef asked if we'd be happy doing slightly more complex foods than normal for second rotation, and that made me feel as though he has confidence in us.
His exact words were "I'm tired of making the same old sh*t in second rotation, we're going to do some new things if you're willing." To which we agreed and Jessica voiced "Bring it on!"
We had an extended discussion with Chef Klaus about aspic and it's former and current uses. He agreed that it is not much used now except to (lightly) gloss or highlight display foods. The most interesting information he gave us was about the use of extremely heavy aspics in the 1970s for buffet competitions. Seems back in the day cooking competitions weren't judged by taste at all, just appearance. Teams would put together huge tables of amazing food art to be judged, and not a single thing was eaten or even tasted. Blows the mind. These days, while the appearance is still important, you'd better have flavors that match or outshine your presentation if you want to have any chance to compete. Thank goodness.
Wendy hosted her fifth wine tasting party and all went swimmingly. Great friends, excellent food, and some pretty decent wines made for a mighty sweet evening in the park. Sandy and Enju made the trip to Hickam to be with us, and Enju's husband John and sister En-something were great fun to have join us. A highlight of the party was a very difficult quiz on wines that most of us had trouble with (of the 20 questions, the best score was 10 right.) On a whim I posed a few of the tougher wine questions to Chef Klaus today, and he answered each correctly and in fact added commentary about the various flavors, colors, and growing locations of the wines in question, including clarifying an answer about the beverage Perry (Poire fr) that I found extremely interesting. It seems they hang bottles in the pear trees in certain areas of France and Switzerland with the pear buds inside. The pear (the variety known as Bartlett here in the US) grows to maturity in the bottle, is harvested, and the bottle is then filled with pear brandy. Expensive, but pretty cool.
The announcement has been made that the next Grande Buffet will take place in late August with a theme of Pacific Fusion. Our one day of mandatory participation has already been set, but most of us plan to work the entire week of the Buffet. I was able to score a couple tickets so that Wendy can come and enjoy the fancy-shmancy chow, finally getting a chance to taste some of the food I've been talking about these last four months. I got two tickets, but the kitchen schedule may keep me tied up, so you can all start kissing up to her in hopes of being able to join her for this most elegant event.
We were able to watch the Bram Stoker Awards (sort of like the Oscars for horror writers) streamed on the Internet last week. Wendy's brother Jeff Strand was not only the MC for the show, but a finalist in the competition, which he lost to Peter Straub. His previous two losses in the finals were to Stephen King, so he's in pretty heady company and I've absolutely no doubt that he will bring home the award in years to come. And Jeff...it IS an honor just to be nominated. Congrats.
Last week's viewings have put The Innocent over 1,000 views...That's about 900 more than I ever expected to get, so thank you all so much for your continued interest. I'll try not to let you down.
So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. Franz Kafka
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
On this Aspic-ous occasion...
Cooking History:
Hundreds of years ago the people that did the cooking found that when they cooked bones and hooves for long periods gelatin was drawn out that when cooled would take a semi-solid form that could be used for coating and preserving cold foods. Eventually called ASPIC, it was used in many ways over the last few hundred years to preserve foods and to add shine and color to displayed food. The inclusion of flavored stock or broth in the gel provided additional flavoring to many dishes and it was learned that a more concentrated aspic could be colored, trimmed, and molded into intricate displays. Aspic was a mainstay of the kitchens of the Grand Cuisine period and remained popular and useful throughout the shift to Classic Cuisine and into the 1960s and 1970s as a component of Nouvelle Cuisine. The development of commercially produced dry gelatin powders meant that almost any cold liquid could be gelled for kitchen use.
Current Cooking Fact: Aspic sucks.
Think of your favorite Jell-O flavor. Cherry? Lime? Strawberry? How about a nice Chicken Jell-O?
We've been working off and on the last couple weeks with a variety of aspics and have come to the conclusion that despite it's decorative potential it really comes down to a Meat Jell-O and we don't like it. Now I realize that we are being "Classically Trained" in cooking and aspic is a part of that so I'll tough it out in the Garde Manger, but I'm hoping that will be the end of it.
We have become a class of four, with Chantel having to drop from the course due to child care issues now that school is out. She will have the opportunity to pick the course back up at a later date without losing credit for the months she has completed, so I wish her the best of luck and hope that she has the chance to graduate in the future. This leaves Enju, Sandy, Jessica, and myself from our original class of 10.
Chef Masa is a fun leader in the kitchen. Language issues make extensive explanations almost impossible, so it's good that we are all pretty self-starting and have a grasp of the basics. The many different dressings, salads, pizza, bread, canapes, and fruit displays give us a lot of practice with our knife skills and offer a chance to indulge our creative side with displays and garnish. Chef Masa is a pretty impressive artist, carving intricate designs from fruits and vegetables, and he tries very hard to pass on his knowledge (a tiny bit of artistic ability would help me a lot). We have focused on Asian-style salads and seasonings when we aren't elbow-deep in aspic, and have produced some truly delicious dishes.
L is R and R is L. This basic formula for interpreting a thick Japanese accent has served us well thus far. But when Chef Masa gave the instruction to include "Brock-orees" in a focaccia bread loaf, we spent 5 minutes trying to figure how broccoli would work in bread. Over and over...he would say the word "brok-orees" and we would repeat "broccoli?", he'd shake his head, obviously frustrated. Enju, who has been our unofficial "Korean translating Japanese to English" specialist finally figured out that we needed black olives and we all had a good laugh, especially Chef Masa who has a laugh not unlike Eddie Murphy. Or maybe Arnold Horshack.
Wendy and I enjoyed a great long weekend on the Big Island of Hawaii, visiting the Kona side. Hiked to the Captain Cook Monument (I've been to the Captain's monuments in two states now) and had an incredible snorkeling experience there with NO ONE around...amazing. We also booked a night SCUBA dive to see the manta rays, who must have heard we were coming, since we only saw one. But there were plenty of moray eels and other critters, so it was an excellent dive. A tour of Kona Joe's Coffee plant and a pretty respectable dinner at Roy's rounded out a very relaxing mini-vacation.
Tomorrow brings us Father's Day. Everybody treat the Old Man to a day of fun and relaxation and try to appreciate the great things you've learned from him over the years.
Things I learned from Dad (although sometimes it took a while):
Age 5: Me watching Dad shave: "I can't wait 'til I get to shave!" Dad: "Don't be in a rush, when you do have to shave, you'll wish you didn't."
He was right.
Age 6: Dad: "Bring me the screwdriver, and don't run with it." I ran, I tripped, it jabbed into my head.
He was right.
Age 11: Dad: "Calm down, you should act like you've caught a fish before."
He was right.
Age 17: Dad: "This is a mistake. Don't go in there, just take my car and drive away. I'll explain it to everybody." I went in.
He was right.
Age 18: Dad (and my older brother Chuck): "You should have joined the Navy." I went Army.
I was right.
Age 29: Dad (on his deathbed): "Mortality is a bitch."
He was right.
Hundreds of years ago the people that did the cooking found that when they cooked bones and hooves for long periods gelatin was drawn out that when cooled would take a semi-solid form that could be used for coating and preserving cold foods. Eventually called ASPIC, it was used in many ways over the last few hundred years to preserve foods and to add shine and color to displayed food. The inclusion of flavored stock or broth in the gel provided additional flavoring to many dishes and it was learned that a more concentrated aspic could be colored, trimmed, and molded into intricate displays. Aspic was a mainstay of the kitchens of the Grand Cuisine period and remained popular and useful throughout the shift to Classic Cuisine and into the 1960s and 1970s as a component of Nouvelle Cuisine. The development of commercially produced dry gelatin powders meant that almost any cold liquid could be gelled for kitchen use.
Current Cooking Fact: Aspic sucks.
Think of your favorite Jell-O flavor. Cherry? Lime? Strawberry? How about a nice Chicken Jell-O?
We've been working off and on the last couple weeks with a variety of aspics and have come to the conclusion that despite it's decorative potential it really comes down to a Meat Jell-O and we don't like it. Now I realize that we are being "Classically Trained" in cooking and aspic is a part of that so I'll tough it out in the Garde Manger, but I'm hoping that will be the end of it.
We have become a class of four, with Chantel having to drop from the course due to child care issues now that school is out. She will have the opportunity to pick the course back up at a later date without losing credit for the months she has completed, so I wish her the best of luck and hope that she has the chance to graduate in the future. This leaves Enju, Sandy, Jessica, and myself from our original class of 10.
Chef Masa is a fun leader in the kitchen. Language issues make extensive explanations almost impossible, so it's good that we are all pretty self-starting and have a grasp of the basics. The many different dressings, salads, pizza, bread, canapes, and fruit displays give us a lot of practice with our knife skills and offer a chance to indulge our creative side with displays and garnish. Chef Masa is a pretty impressive artist, carving intricate designs from fruits and vegetables, and he tries very hard to pass on his knowledge (a tiny bit of artistic ability would help me a lot). We have focused on Asian-style salads and seasonings when we aren't elbow-deep in aspic, and have produced some truly delicious dishes.
L is R and R is L. This basic formula for interpreting a thick Japanese accent has served us well thus far. But when Chef Masa gave the instruction to include "Brock-orees" in a focaccia bread loaf, we spent 5 minutes trying to figure how broccoli would work in bread. Over and over...he would say the word "brok-orees" and we would repeat "broccoli?", he'd shake his head, obviously frustrated. Enju, who has been our unofficial "Korean translating Japanese to English" specialist finally figured out that we needed black olives and we all had a good laugh, especially Chef Masa who has a laugh not unlike Eddie Murphy. Or maybe Arnold Horshack.
Wendy and I enjoyed a great long weekend on the Big Island of Hawaii, visiting the Kona side. Hiked to the Captain Cook Monument (I've been to the Captain's monuments in two states now) and had an incredible snorkeling experience there with NO ONE around...amazing. We also booked a night SCUBA dive to see the manta rays, who must have heard we were coming, since we only saw one. But there were plenty of moray eels and other critters, so it was an excellent dive. A tour of Kona Joe's Coffee plant and a pretty respectable dinner at Roy's rounded out a very relaxing mini-vacation.
Tomorrow brings us Father's Day. Everybody treat the Old Man to a day of fun and relaxation and try to appreciate the great things you've learned from him over the years.
Things I learned from Dad (although sometimes it took a while):
Age 5: Me watching Dad shave: "I can't wait 'til I get to shave!" Dad: "Don't be in a rush, when you do have to shave, you'll wish you didn't."
He was right.
Age 6: Dad: "Bring me the screwdriver, and don't run with it." I ran, I tripped, it jabbed into my head.
He was right.
Age 11: Dad: "Calm down, you should act like you've caught a fish before."
He was right.
Age 17: Dad: "This is a mistake. Don't go in there, just take my car and drive away. I'll explain it to everybody." I went in.
He was right.
Age 18: Dad (and my older brother Chuck): "You should have joined the Navy." I went Army.
I was right.
Age 29: Dad (on his deathbed): "Mortality is a bitch."
He was right.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Konichiwa Chef Masa!
Imagine my surprise this last Monday to find myself having to get acquainted with yet another new Chef Instructor! It seems Chef Otto has extended his vacation time to attend to the opening of his cooking school in Thailand and won't be returning for at least a couple weeks, and if the rumors hold true he might not be returning at all. Our class has agreed that we all really like Chef Otto and hope he comes back. Meanwhile, in his stead we have Chef Masahurito (I reserve the right to correct the spelling later), whom we address as Chef Masa. He is an accomplished chef from the Mt Fuji area of Japan and he will guide us through this rotation in the Garde Manger. Chef Masa is the same age as me (and even looks 10 years younger, JUST LIKE ME!), is very nice, polite, and enjoys a good laugh. A little of Chef Otto must have rubbed off on him, as he recently bought a home and property in Thailand and married a Thai woman 28 years younger than he. He gives us almost total autonomy to prepare our dishes and manage our own mistakes and/or successes. I think we will survive our three week stint in the Garde in fine fashion as long as we can learn to better deal with his self-admittedly poor English. He must get very frustrated when he gives a simple direction and we all stare blankly and say "what was that?" For example: Today we made a chicken galantine, which is a rolled boneless half chicken filled with a variety of ground meats. It differed, he said, from the rolled stuffed salmon we made yesterday because we had to "roll it in the foyer". As I thought about what the importance of rolling chicken in the foyer instead of in the kitchen could possibly be, he pulled out the aluminum foil for us to roll the chicken in...
Does my course sound like all fun and games and delicious food to eat every day? Yeah? Well this week we are dealing with liver from beef and chicken. Yucko. Come and get it! And keep it. And don't ever bring it back. Sorry Mom, I know you love the stuff.
Today we made a chicken liver parfait and the nicest thing that I can say about it is that it was soft. We've also been utilizing a gelatin material called "aspic" that is used to add shine, color, or decorative qualities to cold-served foods. We pan-fried some nice salmon fillets and they looked great, then we covered them with a mixture of aspic, mayonnaise, and sour cream for a shiny white coating that we used as a backdrop for our carved colored vegetable designs. Although I am in no way artistically inclined they ended up looking pretty good, but then we ate them they tasted almost OK, but the jelly texture on salmon just doesn't work for me. We also spent a fun day making a wide variety of canapes that were mostly delicious and demanded some more detailed cutting work.
Small class this week. Sandy is in Michigan for the week attending her sister's wedding (all the best to them), and Chantel has been out with sick kids for two weeks. We are beginning to wonder if she will be coming back and if so how will her grades/progress be effected. It would be a shame to lose her from the class.
This week's thoughts:
A reality TV show about building sand castles? Really?
Maybe Will Ferrell CAN act.
Chicken liver parfait = WHY?!?!
It's great fun when friends and relatives come to visit. So who's coming?
Many, if not most, people living on Oahu are bad drivers. My honest professional opinion.
The sound of my motorcycle makes it start raining.
If I'm living your dream, did you dream of chicken liver parfait?
Like the t-shirt says, Life is Good.
Does my course sound like all fun and games and delicious food to eat every day? Yeah? Well this week we are dealing with liver from beef and chicken. Yucko. Come and get it! And keep it. And don't ever bring it back. Sorry Mom, I know you love the stuff.
Today we made a chicken liver parfait and the nicest thing that I can say about it is that it was soft. We've also been utilizing a gelatin material called "aspic" that is used to add shine, color, or decorative qualities to cold-served foods. We pan-fried some nice salmon fillets and they looked great, then we covered them with a mixture of aspic, mayonnaise, and sour cream for a shiny white coating that we used as a backdrop for our carved colored vegetable designs. Although I am in no way artistically inclined they ended up looking pretty good, but then we ate them they tasted almost OK, but the jelly texture on salmon just doesn't work for me. We also spent a fun day making a wide variety of canapes that were mostly delicious and demanded some more detailed cutting work.
Small class this week. Sandy is in Michigan for the week attending her sister's wedding (all the best to them), and Chantel has been out with sick kids for two weeks. We are beginning to wonder if she will be coming back and if so how will her grades/progress be effected. It would be a shame to lose her from the class.
This week's thoughts:
A reality TV show about building sand castles? Really?
Maybe Will Ferrell CAN act.
Chicken liver parfait = WHY?!?!
It's great fun when friends and relatives come to visit. So who's coming?
Many, if not most, people living on Oahu are bad drivers. My honest professional opinion.
The sound of my motorcycle makes it start raining.
If I'm living your dream, did you dream of chicken liver parfait?
Like the t-shirt says, Life is Good.
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