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.
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