I'm back!

The craziness of life left me neglecting my beloved blog for a while, my apologies to those who have been graciously "reminding" me that I have a blog! A lot has been going on as of late. After spending a wonderful six months at my upscale sports bar prep cook job, I had to say farewell and on to bigger things. I acquired a position as a cake decorator/ cake constructor at a well established bakery in town and I have been loving every minute of this ever interesting job and environment. It has definitely sparked my interest in cakes. As I am in the last class of my schooling, Advanced Celebration Cakes, I recently made this tattoo inspired cake to celebrate my wonderful friends who have stood by my side through "Hell & Back". 

White cake draped in black fondant with a hand painted skull on marzipan, marzipan flowers, and royal icing accents with some gold dust for good measure.

Happy Baking, and thank you for the unwavering check ups on my blog:) 

Salted Caramel Corn & Other News

Hello all!! MY OH MY has it been a busy week for me!! With school, staging (volunteering in a food service establishment), and starting a new job I have been pooped!! A LOT GOING ON RIGHT?! I'm actually surprised I'm awake writing this! I just finished my book report, and I'm about to head to bed, but I wanted to catch up with everyone and also give you a mouth watering recipe to try at home!

First off, school has been great, yesterday we learned how to make lobster bisque!! I did, in fact kill my first lobster, I know a bit sad, but it may be something I have to do one day in the future, and I figured its better to learn now than to be caught off guard while working in a restaurant or other! A classmate of mine took a video and I'll try to post it when he send it on over. Other than that I have been staging for Mezzaluna Fine Catering, a wonderful catering company started by the talented and hilarious Chef John. I'm looking forward to many more long days and funny jokes with that guy!! He is currently trying to teach me how to make a croquembouche, a tower of cream puffs, and I am loving every minute! I have also started working at a pie shop!! YAY PIE!! And things there are so far so good!! 

Well, now that we are all caught up, I wanted to talk to you about caramel popcorn, my recent addiction!! I found this recipe online and I am seriously in love with this stuff (I've made it three times!!). I changed the recipe up a bit to make more of a salted caramel flavor and played with the length of heating to give it a smooth clean coating. Its crunchy, and salty, with an aftertaste of sweet, mix in the bites of peanuts and you are set to go!! I highly suggest trying this out at home! 

*Salted* Caramel Corn (Adapted from allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter
 1 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
 heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (optional) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn and peanuts (if using) in a silpat lined cookie sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. While letting boil, place popcorn mixture in oven for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Remove popcorn from oven. Pour caramel mixture in a thin stream over popcorn, gently mixing to coat.
3. Place in oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for about 30-45 minute. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces and devouring!!

Oh, and if you are feeling REALLY adventurous add some melted chocolate, it's so GOOD, you won't regret it!! Well happy baking people, and more posts to come!!

Cacao Drink Chocolate

MMMMMMMMMM Chocolate...If you are like me, and love chocolate, AND happen to be in the Portland area, I highly suggest checking out Cacao Drink Chocolate on SW 13th Ave. I had first learned of this decadently sinful chocolate shop my my girlfriend Jen; I remember thinking, "A cocoa shop?! When can we go?!" Sadly months and months ago we never found the time, however, after I started school I mentioned it to my classmate and she was all for trying it out! So we set up a day to go so that we could "study" and try out the different types of "cocoa".

When we drove down to 13th, I noticed that parking was a little rough, there are only so many paid parking stalls in front. I would suggest heading there on a Sunday when parking is free and you can spend more time enjoying the atmosphere rather than worrying about your meter running. As we went inside I noticed that the store was small, comfortable, and painted in rich brown tones, no doubt to reflect upon the sweet treats that in store for its patrons. There are small tables, as a coffee shop would have and also a very large French farm style table to sprawl out and study or for large groups, small boxes and bags filled with gems of chocolate lined a corner of the store and in the opposite corner the "chocolate counter" where they serve all their warm cups. I quickly B-lined my way to the counter to examine their menu of chocolate drinks. As I read down the line of the three different types of drinking chocolates I opted to get the "Flight of Chocolate", a sampler tray of all three drinking chocolates, what can I say, I just love chocolate! 

After receiving our trays, one for each of us, we found a table and sat down to examine the cups of warm "cocoa". There was the cinnamon infused drinking chocolate, the Rivoli dark drinking chocolate, and the special spicy dark drinking chocolate. I started with the cinnamon infused (which was made up of 49% Venezuelan milk and 65% Venezuelan dark chocolates) and worked my way down. I immediately learned that this was no ordinary "cocoa", this was real melted chocolate, thick and creamy, and lusciously rich. It warmed my mouth and coated it with a layer of rich sweet flavor followed by a slight punch of spicy cinnamon. After drinking all that sweet nectar up I moved on to the Rivoli (72% Arriba dark chocolate) equally as satisfying, not as sweet, instead a slight bitter flavor associated with most dark chocolates. FINALLY the special dark (72% Arriba , infused with cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and ginger) the same rich flavor as the dark, but the different traces of all the spices seemed to dance on my tongue. This was by far my favorite of the three, I sipped it in blissful happiness as my friend and I discussed the flavors and looked out onto the windy streets of Portland, which didn't seem matter as we sat in the indulgence of those warm chocolate cups.

All you out there in blogger land should make a point of trying these wonderful cups of chocolate, perfect for the winter that is fast approaching, I promise you won't regret it! 

Week Three: Braised Lamb & ANOTHER Buffet!!

Happy belated Thanksgiving EVERYONE!!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and got to fill your tummies till you got a food comma/food baby!! I know I did! Well earlier last week we went over the usual Serve Safe info about keeping our kitchens clean, etc., and on Wednesday we learned another technique, braising. As you can see from the picture above, the braising came out perfectly, the meat came out perfectly tender and deliciously hearty. According to Wikipedia, "braising is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavor". This method can be used a number of ways, but usually it makes pieces of meat completely tender, juicy, and delicious! Since Chef Luke left early on break, Chef DJ came in to instruct us as we went through the ever exciting world of BRAISED LAMB, sorry Lamb Chop, we may have eaten your distant cousin...oops.

Here, Ernesto is placing the floured and seasoned pieces of lamb into the dutch oven to give them a good sear. We used a mixture of butter and oil as our base fat and went from there...

After searing the meat, we removed all of the meat from the pot and set it aside. We then deglazed the pot to get all those good flavor bits off the bottom, a good wine does the trick quite nicely and all those bits came up easily. They are also used to help enhance the flavor of the beef stock. We set the meat back in the stock and placed it in the oven to cook. In the mean time...

We glazed carrots, pearl onions, and turnips using a cartouche, or paper lid that is used to slow down the release of moisture while cooking. We added water and a little bit of sugar to the pans of veggies so they cooked perfectly and had a slight glossy look from the sugar.

In addition to getting to eat all that delicious lamb we were also asked to rate ANOTHER buffet!! YAY!! Breakfast buffet!! We all rushed to "help" the other class and try some Eggs Benedict, chocolate covered figs, a create your own crepe line, and some sweet cinnamon rolls!! Safe to say I was full even before the holidays started!!

Here I am with my classmates enjoying all the yummy breakfast food!! And yes, I did add A LOT more food to my plate! I love culinary school!! I hope everyone's week is going well and HAPPY BAKING!!:)

Ruth's Risotto Primavera

A few weeks ago we received an assignment from Chef Luke, "basically you'll be doing a book report." EXCUSE ME?! A book report?! I couldn't help but feel like I was back in 3rd grade and my teacher, Ms. Elsbury, would doling out a similar assignment about Beverly Cleary's Ramona series. My first thought, REALLY?! Being in the later part of my 20's isn't exactly the time I would want be facing a book report. However, after a little more explanation about the report, I found that we actually had a lot more freedom. Chef Luke clearly stated he did not want us to pick a cookbook, but rather, a book about "food". So I set to work, first researching my options for "food books". I had a few in mind, which I had found on Amazon.com (trusty 'ol Amazon), and headed for Powell's.

To my surprise there was actually a wide variety of books purely about food! I suppose I had never really fathomed that people could write and read so many facts or stories pertaining to food! I immediately dove right in and pulled out my top three. As I read the first few pages of each, I quickly discarded the few that clearly could not keep my attention and I was finally left with this one...

Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, it had immediately caught my attention in the first few pages, which I must re-iterate is a tough thing to do (blame it on a case of self diagnosed ADD), anyway I couldn't put it down and found myself sitting on the ground in the Home & Body section (aka the Orange Room) getting through the first chapter. The thing I immediately enjoyed about Ruth's book is the way she writes, I couldn't help but respect a woman who 1.) drooled over food as much as I do 2.) is still a respected food critic 3.) was able to relay her amusing stories of her life as the New York Times food critic in a time when there wasn't a whole lot of people jumping at the idea of sushi!! And finally I loved that she shared her own recipes with her readers. This is what brought me to make my VERY FIRST dish of risotto.

To me risotto always just seemed like a fancy shmancy way of making rice, and I have to be honest, I still think of it that way. HOWEVER, I do have a new found respect for risotto and I also see why people enjoy the rich flavors and tastes it brings to a meal instead of just being like plain Asian white rice, which usually just defuses the flavors of other foods. Risotto also has a very different consistency, it has more of a bite to it, a lot like pasta cooked al dente, and matched with the creamy wine sauce it was absolutely heavenly!

Risotto Primavera
½ pound asparagus
5-6 cups homemade chicken stock *I used a mixture of homemade and canned, I'm a student and if I got paid to make everything from scratch I would, sadly I live in the real world:-p*
½ teaspoon saffron strands, crumbled *we had the cheapy kind in our spice cabinet, worked just fine*
 3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 smallish carrot, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup thawed frozen peas
½ cup Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table
Salt and pepper to taste

 

Cut off the tips of the asparagus and set them aside. Dice the top half of the stalks (discard the rest), and set the diced asparagus aside.

 

 Bring the stock to a steady simmer in a saucepan. Remove ¼ cup of the stock. Add saffron and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and cook
*on medium* for about 6 minutes, until its golden.

Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the zucchini, diced asparagus, and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the zucchini, diced asparagus*I didn't add the asparagus to mine because my dad can't eat it, I had pre-cooked it and added it at the end for extra color*, and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the rice and stir until it is coated with the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Now slowly add enough simmering stock to cover the rice, and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Keep adding, stirring, and evaporating for about 20 minutes, until the rice is soft on the outside and still has a bit of a bite at the center.

Add a few more spoonfuls of stock, remove the pan from the heat, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese. Taste for salt and pepper, and serve with extra cheese for people to add to their own taste.

I decided to follow the white wine theme and cook up some chicken in white wine sauce. The meal was a perfect little bistro-esque dinner that I can't wait to cook up again!! I hope you enjoy the recipe and I will probably be cooking up more as I continue to find these recipes in this very entertaining book!!

Week Two and a Test to Come

As the chill sets in the air and everyone in the Northwest starts to bundle their scarves a little tighter for their fervent holiday shopping I finished my second week at Le Cordon Bleu. Another wonderful week at school...well sort of. I gave myself a minor nick this past Thursday while practicing my cuts. This week it was the ciseler (or small dice) and émincer (thin slice, usually done with an onion) along with the julienne that we learned. All of which are a little tedious for my taste because they are all very small and thin:-p I was so afraid I would cut myself that I usually stopped cutting a good half inch away from the end of the veggie or onion!! I don't think it helped that Chef Luke told us a pretty disturbing story about a co-worker of his and an AWFUL mandolin accident! The idea of it still gives me that grossed out shiver feeling that runs down my spine...lets just say his co-worker's fingertips and the base of his palm were not too happy:-( Anyway, we also had a conversion quiz this past week that I was REALLY worried about, but, to my relief, it turned out to be not that bad!!

This coming week we have a knife cut test, all these cuts in half an hour!! AAAH!! I better get to practicing my knife skills!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!

Week one, and DONE^_~

Week one of culinary school was over and done last Friday, and all I have to say is I've learned so much this past week!! If you ask anyone I know you will find out that before school started I was a whole lotta nervous about starting this new adventure, being in school again and making friends, my nerves were definitly jumping! But, as we all have settled in to our class, have gotten to feel more comfortable around Chef Luke, and continue to get to know one another it has helped me to really enjoy the time I spend learning about something I love, FOOD.

Above are some of the cuts I have been practicing in my Foundations class, pont neuf (the 1/2 inch potato sticks on the left), mignonette (the 1/4 inch potato sticks), and allumette (the 1/8 inch potato sticks). On the right are some dices, also referred to as macedoine and above paysanne (the pizza shaped carrots). Chef Luke is encouraging us to practice as much as possible at home and to also create muscle memory when we use our knives. These may seem like everyday cuts that you may see in a restaurant etc, and you may think, "That doesn't look that hard!", but my are you mistaken! Try doing those cuts in a minute and then tell me they are easy!! Well, maybe not that fast, I don't want you to lose a finger, but you get my point. Being able to learn all these cuts and being able to chop, dice, and pont neuf in record time is what the people in the food industry expect from us so we practice and practice!

This little gem is the tournes cut, a 7-sided football shape used for cooking poatos, carrots, and other veggies at the same rate, while still being decorative. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, but I am practicing. I have to admit this cut was harder than I had first imagined and after doing five of these potatoes my hand was shaking because my muscles aren't used to this kind of work-out!!  Chef says it is a "diamond in the rough" and I have to agree. We have also been learning about food safety and the millions of food born illnesses that can occur, but I won't gross you out and just get to the good stuff:-p

The other AMAZINGLY AWESOME thing about culinary school is all the free food we get to try. Last Friday, after class we were invited over to another classroom where that particular class was presenting their food for their buffet day! We were asked to try the food and rate it to see which group was the best, look at all that delicious food!!:)

This was my plate...I love food!!

This particular dish was very interesting to me, it was a cold cantaloupe and brandy soup. It tasted like a liquid pumpkin pie with a hint of brandy, a great concept and my favorite item out of the entire buffet.

Oh, and in the middle of the week I was able to pop these babies out, cream cheese blueberry scones. I made some tweaks to this alternate recipe, and I have to say, these were pretty darn good!! Maybe even better than the ones I had made last year!! They reminded me so much of Diamond Head Grill's and made me a little homesick.

I hope everyone's week is going well and you are all baking or cooking up deliciousness in your own kitchens!!:)