Thursday/Friday

THURSDAY

So I know I am late.. But it is all good:) So Thursday and Friday I had my kitchen class, Culinary Fundamentals. 

Thursday we made Consommé. And Consommé is a flavorful, crystal clear soup with NO fat. You make it by making the Clarification. The Clarification is made up of Egg Whites, Ground Meat, Salt, Tomato, Garlic, Peppercorn, Parsley, Thyme, Carrots and an Onion Brûlée. An Onion Brûlée is a peeled and halved onion that is grilled and blackened on a flattop. 

You add all of those ingredients together and you chill it. The reason for the Clarification is as it says, to clarify the stock. The Meat, Tomato and Egg Whites all work to absorb impurities. 

When you finish the Clarification, you then put stock in a pan and start to bring up the heat. Then you add the Clarification. And you stir CONSTANTLY until it reaches 145 degrees. Then you let the stock simmer. As this happens the raft forms. The Raft is the Clarification in the stock, it floats to the top. You then create a window in the Raft to skim the stock to take out the fat and impurities. 

And for the Garnish we used Carrots, White Turnip, Yellow Turnip and Celery Root. All cut as Brunoise. Which is a very small cube shape. And we are to boil them until tender. Then add them to the Consommé. 

My Consommé turned out wonderful and Chef said it was great, but I let it simmer a little too long. 

See how clear it is? It should be crystal clear.

And that is all I did on Thursday. It was then time for some lunch! And for lunch I had Beef Stew and Salad and Consommé for dessert I had an Apple Custard Tart.

And for dinner I had Vegetable Lo Mein. And Wonton Soup. Smoked Bean Curd and Celery Salad. BBQ Ribs. And for dessert I had a Glazed Fruit Tart and Cream Puffs.

Let me just say, it was SOOOOO delicious. 

FRIDAY

In Friday's class we made Consommé and Mashed Potatoes and Potato Leek Puree Soup. 

We will be making Consommé quite a lot, just so we get used to it. We were taught how to make some Mashed Potatoes by using a Food Mill. A Food Mill looks like this:

It is how we "mashed" the potatoes. 

I did great on all of them! Chef told me my were "fantastic" and told me I did a "great job."

I was SO happy! Cuz I thought I did awful haha

My lunch consisted of Bread and Desserts.. There wasn't enough time for me to get any food:/ 

But I think it was a sign that I shouldn't be eating as much? haha

And for dinner I had Shrimp, Alligator and Okra Gumbo. Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Whipped Potatoes, Braised Greens and a Chicken Pan Gravy and Cornbread. Oyster Po Bay. Roast Virginia Ham with a Sweet Potato Butter on a Biscuit. 

And for dessert, Eclaires. 

It was SOOOOO delicious:) 

And so my journey continues..

Tuesday/Wednesday

TUESDAY

Today was the first day back from my first long weekend.. And it was a very easy day. I had my 3 academic classes, which if you forgot, Food Safety, Product Knowledge and Culinary Mathematics. 

Food Safety was interesting.. My professor told us that we were not going to have class on Wednesday because she was going onto the Dr. Oz Show. She was chosen to make a dinner for 4 with only 5 dollars. Now, before you assume what you may be assuming, the 5 dollars is not like going to a store and buying 5 dollars worth of food. It is more like, I used 1/2 a cup of pasta, so that would be 45 cents. That kind of thing. So that was pretty cool, huh? And that was the highlight of that class. 

And Product Knowledge was't anything special, we talked about maturity, ripeness and ethylene gas. Nothing too exciting, just very interesting.

Next was my lunch! I forgot to take a picture of what I ate.. I don't even remember what i ate, to be honest. But, I can't believe I am saying this but...... I am starting to get sick of the food.. Because every 3 weeks, there is a new class, who cook the same food. And sometimes I want just a big burger and a bowl of mac and cheese.. Back to my class..

Now it is time for Culinary Mathematics, and let me just tell you, it is so easy! Haha I love how easy it is!

But after Math, I have a few hours to chill before it is time for dinner. For dinner I had, Crab Cakes and Cole Slaw. With a Lobster kind of Sandwich and some Chips. 

And for dessert I had Strawberry Shortcake and a Strawberry Mousse with a House-Made Caramel.

And a group of friends went to PetSmart and bought a fish. And I got one too! They were out of Betta Fish Tuesday, so we had to wait until Wednesday. But I got my tank. It's a cute little half gallon tank. I am so excited!! :)

WEDNESDAY

So we didn't have to go to class until 10:30 as appose to 8:45.. And we went straight to First Year Seminar. And that was a very long and uneventful class. I had to sit through a lecture about the library and how to find a book..............

Then it was LUNCH. Already?! I had Roasted Turkey with a Chestnut Stuffing and a Cranberry Sauce. A Salted Cod Salad. A Beef Cabbage Soup. And an Apple Tart for dessert.

SOOOO good! And now back to Math.. Again, SO EASY! I'm sooooo happy:)

And then we went to PetSmart again to get fish! But before that we went out to dinner. And I got what I wished for.. A big burger and mac and cheese! We went to a place called Billy Bob's Barbecue. 

It was SOO delicious haha

I didn't take a picture of it.. But it was your typical burger and baked mac and cheese.

And here is my fish and tank and everything:)

Isn't he cute? His name is Humphrey. Wonderful name right? Kudos to my friend for thinking of it:)

But that is it for those two days. I apologize on my tardiness!

But my journey continues..

BEST WEEKEND EVER.

So I went to the city this weekend with a group of my friends. And It was probably one of the most fun I have had. I got to see Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss. I got him to autograph a shirt! It was awesome!! And he told some of my Baking friends that they are always looking to students to extern with him. So he pretty much told them they could extern with him.. Isn't that AMAZNG?!

Is that no cool? haha 

We went everywhere.. I'll post some pictures of my adventure.