Thanksgiving Down South

School's out for Thanksgiving! Anticipating an extremely crowded travel day, I left extra early for the airport and was off for my first official holiday home. Starting the day with a in a cab and ending the day wedged between my mom and Betsy in the back of our family car, I felt a bit like I was in a movie - the city girl comes home to Mississippi, back to her roots, for the holiday. I love living in a movie...

It was great to be at home, waking up to the smell of my mother's cooking and sharing a bed with my best friend. Since moving to NY, I've begun to notice alot of things about myself and family that make us so uniquely Southern. Walking into our dining room, the beauty of our set table once again reminded me of what makes us so special. Nowhere in NY would you find a table like this...

Being in culinary school also comes with alot of expectations for the Thanksgiving meal. Even though I got in late Wednesday night, I was excited to show my family some of the things I had learned. My mom and other family members made their usual dishes, and so I decided to make a brunchy snack - olive oil cups filled with caramelized onions, tomatoes, and rosemary whipped cream cheese. They were delicious!

For fun, I also made a cranberry and blueberry pie. My mom had frozen blueberries this summer after a morning of picking. These combined very well with fresh cranberries, a squeeze of lime juice, and a bit of sugar.

Topped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, dessert was complete. Although, I have to say, I was too distracted eating chewy molasses cookies that Betsy had made to even NOTICE the pie...

The rest of our holiday was filled with left-overs, card games, and grand parents. Because I was only home for 2 days, the pace of NY was still in my system, and so I don't think I had time to finally settle into being at home.

Celebrating the season, though, I'm so thankful for my life in NYC. Remembering my life and where I was mentally, emotionally, and physically just 1 year ago, I am humbled by the way that God has blessed me this year. I am so thankful for friends I have made in NYC, for Lindsay and all of the memories we've made as roommates and as great friends, and for the opportunity to go to culinary school. I am also forever thankful for my family, without whose support and encouragement I would NEVER be anywhere in life.

As I got off the plane in NYC, I was thankful to be back. Standing in the line for the bus, I looked around at the characters around me, the outfits, the funny guy beside me dancing to music in his head, and I was truly thankful to feel like I was coming home...

A Moveable Feast

I have decided to start reading more. Not just any books, but reading substantial books, and so I started a new book this weekend. Ernest Hemingway "A Moveable Feast". Naturally, I was drawn to this book because of the title... a book about a feast? I'm SURE I will like it... I scanned the back of the book and saw something about Paris... I love Paris. This book seemed PERFECT. Ernest Hemingway is a respected, "intellectual" writer, I've read a couple of his books before and love them.
Don't judge a book by its cover... or title. As I started this book, I quickly realized it was not what I expected, but I really was enjoying it.

A Moveable Feast is Hemingway's first post-humous book to be published, written about his life in Paris as part of the American expatriates in the 1920's. I've only read about 60 pages, but after reading the first few pages, I knew it was worth reading.

In the forward, Sean Hemingway describes the process of choosing the title "A Moveable Feast", which was not the initial title selected by Hemingway. He had not decided on a title by the time he died, and so when the book was published, those that were collaborating on the project had to choose a title. In a passing conversation, Hemingway had mentioned Shakespeare's poem referring to a moveable feast and related this concept to his time in Paris. The friend remembered this conversation, retold the story to Hemingway's family, and the phrase stuck, eventually becoming the title of this book.

I like to think of my time in New York as a moveable feast. A moveable feast is a memory or even a state of being that has become a part of you, thing that you can always have with you no matter where you go or how you live life after, and you can never lose - an experience fixed in time and space like happiness or love that can be taken with you wherever you go.

Living in New York, I feel alive and happy and thankful. I feel so many good things that most of the time I can't believe I am really living here. Most every day, as I am walking home from school (a day full of cooking), I am almost breathless, like I've been jolted and the breath has been knocked out of me, thinking about my life right now - truly humbled. So, therefore, I like to think of my life as a moveable feast... the way that I feel will be with me wherever I go, every time I think about living here on the Upper East Side in NYC.

gluten free

Friday, November 19 finished a week of intense sugar. Our last class of the week was gluten-free baking. I was interested to learn about this because I have several family friends who are gluten-intolerant.

It seems gluten allergies have become extremely prevalent in the recent past. Are there more allergies now than 20 years ago? If so, why? There are several theories about the amount of gluten allergies that seem to plague so many people today. Many people relate it to the Standard American Diet (SAD). The amount of refined and highly processed foods the most Americans ingest is significantly greater than those of previous generations. Also, if the ingredients are traced back to their origins, more than 50% of most American's diets are made of corn or soy. On the other hand, could the prevalence of gluten intolerance simply be related to the fact that modern medicine is so much more sensitive and that there has been a huge increase in knowledge and awareness? I would argue that all of these reasons are valid and are all contributing factors to the gluten-state of our country.

I think that it is very important to be proactive towards this problem by reducing our consumption of processed foods, increased the variety in our diet, and relying on whole foods for most of our nutrition. The habits of today and the health of our bodies will greatly affect our children and so on. Gluten allergies are developing in early childhood now, which I think is very closely related to their diets but also what their parents ate before they were even born.

It is fact, though, that there are lots and lots of gluten and wheat allergies today. And so it is my job, as a "chef", to figure out how to still provide delicious, nutritious food to everyone! Gluten/wheat free baking is not as hard as it might seem; however, one must understand the science behind the composition of flours in order to create a successful, wheat-free treat. The best, and easiest, solution is to create a mixture of flours that will mimic the make-up of wheat - at The Natural Gourmet we use a combination of almond flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. There are also lots of recipes that don't require flour at all!
Spice Cake "Donuts"

Lemon Dill and Dijon Scones

Chocolate Coconut "Macaroons" **These did not require any flour at all!

Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes


A couple of pieces of advice when gluten/wheat-free baking
1. products turn out MUCH better when made into small pieces - mini-muffins, individual servings
2. because of the difference in moisture content, gluten-free itens have a short-shelf life! They should be eaten as soon as possible, or kept frozen. They are never good if kept in the refrigerator and eaten the next day!
3. Make sure to check for hidden sources of gluten - ex. soy sauce, juices, candies, flavorings, and more.

Four and 20 Blackbirds

There's a pie shop in Brooklyn called Four and 20 Blackbirds that has been written about in all of the most recent magazines. Today (Tuesday before Thanksgiving) they sold out 2 hours after opening... the line began to form well before 7 AM. It's CRAZY!

Thursday, we had our own version of Four and 20 Blackbirds... it was pie day at school. Using our skills garnered in pastry class, each of us created a different pie. The plan for the day... make your pie. We had from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM to make our assigned pie. Needless to say, this was a very relaxing, therapeutic day at school. Unfortunately, I was assigned Shepherd's pie. Traditionally, this pie is made with carrots, beef, gravy, and topped with mashed potatoes. Here at the Natural Gourmet, we make our Shepherd's Pie with seitan - commonly known as "wheat meat". I have a strong feelings against this substance, but nonetheless I geared up to make this savory, hearty pie.
First, I prepped my pie dough - a rolled, olive oil crust - and blind baked the crust partially.

Next, I prepped the filling. Diced carrots, onions, chopped herbs, etc. etc.

After stewing the seitan, I then mixed it into the veggies to finish the filling for the pie.

The mashed potatoes were a breeze - my mom has taught me well. Into the piping bag and onto the pie they went...


As I worked HARD on this pie, the others in my class were working hard as well. By the end of the day, we had a decadent feast of pies... and I was famished!

Pear gelee tart with pressed almond crust - a very elegant, light tart

These were two of my favorite pies... lattice topped cranberry apple pie and cinnamon apple crumble pie

My other favorite was a sweet cranberry tart with orange zest and mint


Final picture - this is the finished Shepherd's Pie. It turned our beautifully, and everyone that tasted it loved it. I just don't think I like such a "meaty" pie...


Four and 20 Blackbirds will have quite the competition in a few months when we all graduate.

Mexican Mediterranean Fusion

Last night I went to Daphne's to cook dinner - Sunday night we were CRAVING a yummy hummus and so we planned to make one on Monday night.

Shopping at the farmers market early Monday morning simply built the excitement for the night. I bought a bunch of rainbow carrots - purple, orange, and white. Fresh, farm-grown cilantro, garlic, and peppers were also available for our menu. As I walked to school, I loved the feeling of having such a burst of color in my bag - like a sort of secret that I was carrying, a treasure of life and energy in my bag.


On the menu:
cilantro-spiced hummus with carrots and peppers
spicy black bean soup

We followed Ina Garten's basic recipe for hummus - chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, and lemon, and then we added chopped cilantro and half of a chile pepper

Epicurious has a delicious black bean soup recipe that we used. It turned out very well and was extremely simple. I loved the fusion of mexican/southwestern flavors with the freshness of Mediterranean ingredients.

Black Bean Soup:
16 ounces black beans (undrained if using canned)
1 medium onion, medium diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, medium diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces canned, diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 tablespoon jalepeno pepper, chopped
1-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons cumin
salt/pepper to taste

Heat pan and olive oil until hot; sweat onions, carrots, and garlic until carrots are slightly soft. Add jalepeno, black beans, stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer until vegetables are soft. Remove 3-5 cups of soup, puree in blender, and return to soup. (amount pureed depends on desired consistency) Allow soup to reduce until thicken (to desired consistency). Add cumin, salt, and pepper. Serve with garnish of sour cream and scallions.



For dessert, I had left over dough from my pastry quiz earlier Monday morning. Sticking with the galette from, I substituted a cranberry reduction sauce for apples, and created a sweet and tart cranberry galette! As we pulled the tart out of the oven, Amanda, Daphne, and I all said we just wanted 1 bite... 5 minutes later, the plate was licked clean. A pleasing sight for a chef...



Wish I had more pictures from our creations!

bonjour pomme galette!

These past few days I've had to pinch myself to make sure that I am not dreaming... day after day of sugar and baking! It's heaven to me.
We started pastry today, focusing on making pastry crusts. In a few days, we will have a pastry cook tech exam in which we will have to make an apple galette. An apple galette is a free-form apple tart, traditionally served in France as a rustic, winter dessert.
We began day 1 of pastries with a demo of 3 different crusts - a traditional butter crust, a vegan pastry crust with coconut oil, and a savory olive oil crust. Surprisingly, my favorite was the olive oil crust, the vegan crust came in second, and the butter trailed in as last place! I guess the Paula Deen can't win every time...
I'm going to use the olive oil crust to make an appetizer for Thanksgiving - goat cheese, caramelized onion, and fig tart with an olive oil crust.

To make a vegan pastry crust, we mixed all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. As with cakes, the integrity of the crust all depends on how we treat the gluten. In pastry crusts, one does not want to develop the gluten hardly at all. This is why we work with extremely cold ingredients (the cold retards the development of gluten), as well as why one "cuts" in the fat to the flour, to coat the flour with fat so that when mixed with liquid, the water won't activate the gluten. Very scientific if you ask me...

Vegan pastry crust:
3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup WW pastry flour
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple crystals
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
ice cold water

"Treat the dough as an acquaintance, not a close friend" quoted Chef Cheryl, as she explained to us the technique for making the crust. This makes perfect sense to me, because the way that I interact with an new acquaintance would be gingerly, timidly, with care not to disrupt or agitate at all. I think this is the exact way to properly handle a pastry dough.

After rolling the crust, I piled sauteed apples on top of a bread crumb and maple mixture into the center of the circular crust.

I then took a knife and cut 8 flaps into the dough and gently folded the strips up and around the apples, closing in and containing all of the cinnamon, maple and tart flavors of the filling.

Adding a small bit of decor and brushing with maple syrup, the apple galette went straight into the oven to bakeAfter 40 or so minutes, it came out beautifully browned and crisp on the outside, bubbling and oozing on the inside.


Each of my classmates also made an apple galette, and sticking with tradition, we had a tasting at the end of class. Each person started with the same recipe and followed it to the best of their ability... but each galette turned out slightly different - the texture of the apples, the thickness of the crust, the chewiness of the crust, the sweetness, the tartness, SO many things could be different...
I think, though, that these are one of the best desserts I have ever had. Apples, cinnamon, maple, flour - the best, most comforting combination in the whole world. The only thing that the galette was lacking was a big scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.


16 apple galettes later and I still LOVED them...

Flour: Cakes

Yesterday and today were day 2 and 3 of flour - cake days. On Monday, we made cakes, and on Tuesday, we decorated.

I was a bit disappointed with my assigned cake - pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting (maple cream cheese frosting in reality - because confectioners' sugar is highly processed, we use ground maple crystals instead. Though much more health-supportive, the maple crystals also impart a slightly maple/toffee flavor.) I embraced the day, though, knowing that I love to bake and eager to master the art of cake baking. Baking is a very particular science; every little turn of the pan or fold of the paddle can make the difference between a perfect cake and a pitiful cake. One of the most important things in cake baking is the gluten content of the cake - how much gluten the flour contains and how far you develop the gluten during the mixing process. The less gluten content and the less you mix the batter, the lighter and fluffier the cake will be (but if you don't have or develop enough gluten, the cake will not stick together); the more gluten content and the more you develop the gluten, the tougher and chewier the cake will turn out - like bread.

My pineapple cake followed a mixing method called "straight-mix" meaning add wet ingredients to dry. Normally, when making a cake, I naturally add dry to wet because most recipes call to "gradually add the flour to the liquid (usually eggs, sugar, vanilla)" This technique, however, is prone to overdeveloped gluten, and so it is more technically correct to add the wet ingredients into the dry and hand mix until just combined.

Another very important part of a successful cake is the oven. Once the cake goes into the oven, it is extremely important that one does not open the oven door for at least 15 minutes (if baking at 350). This allows for undisturbed, evenly distributed heat to at least "set" the cake - set the rising quality. After enough time is allowed for the cake to set, one can open the oven to check for "hot spots" (areas that are cooking faster than other areas) and rotate if necessary.

Enough of the technical stuff, pretty much all turned out wonderfully. After cooling for a bit, we wrapped them well and chilled them in the refrigerator until Tuesday for decorating! (we also all made different icings and fillings during our spare time on Monday - all to be used on Tuesday).

Tuesday came and we were able to be really creative with what we wanted for our cakes! I decided on a fresh raspberry filling and the maple cream cheese frosting. I first torted my cake (split in half) and then spread a thick layer of filling into the middle.

After reassembling, I began to frost the top and outsides. My experience from working as a decorator at Emileigh's REALLY helped me during this class. I realized Tuesday that after 2 years of decorating cakes and cookies, I was pretty good at it - definitely not a novice anymore! Today the roles were reversed, I was helping alot of people in class, which was really fun because usually it is the opposite!

I decided to try a simple ribbon decoration on my cake, using the a medium leaf tip. It turned out really well, I think, but the icing was rather soft. Cream cheese icing is difficult to work with because at room temperature, it does not hold shape very well. I had to work quickly and efficiently! I was happy with the end result, and the cake tasted delicious!

As skeptical as I was about the pineapple, I ended up loving it!
Everyone in the class did a really good job and we had a cake FEAST! Our class room looked like a gourmet bakery by the end of the day...

Brookyln Bridge

Sunday, Lindsay and I met our friends Daphne and Amanda in SoHo for a girls day. The weather was amazing - mid-60's, sunny, slightly windy. SoHo on Sunday is bursting with people and street markets and restaurants. We strolled in and out of shops and book stores, visited the young designer's market, and then stopped for a late lunch at SoHo Park - a fun restaurant that feels like your sitting in the park on the inside.
We kept walking south into Chinatown to experience the chaos of shopping here. Out of all 4 of us "New York" girls, none of us could handle the pushing and bargaining and chattering of Canal Street; we much preferred the quiet strolling of SoHo.

Daphne decided to go to church with me in Brooklyn - I've been going to Resurrection Presbyterian in Williamsburg (an area of Brooklyn). I absolutely love this church - it meets in an old neighborhood Episcopal church and the service is predominantly traditional with a slightly artistic feel. There's a small congregation, alot of young people, married couples, and lots of little children running around - I love it. Anyways, because we had time, Daphne, Amanda, and I decided to continue walking south from Canal street all the way through downtown to the Brooklyn Bridge, and walk across the bridge! This is something that everyone should do... the view of the river, of the NYC skyline, the bridge, everything, is extravagant.

The bridge is a little more than 1 mile long and underneath it the flow of Manhattan traffic runs steadily. The bridge is a massive, strong structure with a wooden walk way. There's a path for bikers and a path for walkers, many people use this bridge as their commute to and from work.


Of course, we also stopped someone to take our picture!


Daphne and I continued our walk all the way up to Williamsburg. It was so great to walk and talk, just like I used to do with all my friends from college - a little taste of home.

Trammell

Aunt Betty is in Nashville this weekend, I'm so jealous. Trammell weighs 12lbs and has grown 2 inches - he's getting so big! I really think he's starting to look like my brother.

Amanda and Alan report that Trammell is quite the wiggle worm. They've tried to take him to several movies, but recently he's been to squirmy to sit through even the previews. He's developing alot of personality and a very expressive face.

He's also all bundled up and ready for the winter!

Are "foodies" philosophies backfiring?

An article I just read in the NY Times made a really good point. As righteous and politically correct as it is, advocating for grass-fed beef, naturally pastured chicken, organic produce, unprocessed grains, etc. etc. has its downsides in the fact that those fighting these battles can intimidate and scare away those less knowledgeable than they. While intentions are good, being too aggressive, passionate, and "close-minded" can push away people who begin to dabble in topics such as these. The fact of the matter is that we are all fighting for the same goal - to live better, more healthy and full lives.

THIS ARTICLE discusses 3 experiences in which the "more-knowledgeable" come across as condescending and belittling to the "less-knowledgeable". I agree with the writer, that this in no way accomplishes anything, I would go as far as saying that it most likely, in fact, pushes people away towards the things that we are all fighting against.

Hors D'Ourves finally

Hor D'Ourves class was the last of our "visual food" classes. Lot's of times people confuse the term "appetizers" and "hor d'ourves", so let me clarify the difference. Hor D'ourves are small, 1-2 bite portions that are usually passed, not plated. Appetizers are 5-10 bite portions that plated and served to each diner. Hor D'Ourve parties are some of the only times when a chef can serve a conglomeration of exotic and unusual foods that have nothing to do with each other, but will be raved about from now until eternity! A very freeing and exciting feeling... I really enjoyed this class, and most of the recipes that we made were really tasty!

Spicy chickpea hummus served in endive cups

parmesan tacos filled with wilted balsamic greens

Asian-inspired nori-wrapped seitan bites with veggies and wasabi mustard (surprisingly, the class favorite)

Pumpkin and walnut dumplings with asian dipping sauce

These were just a few of the hor d'ourves that we made - we also made 2 varieties of phyllo wraps, croquettes, and guacamole bites. Needless to say, I was stuffed after this meal...

Part II of Salads, Hors D'Ourves, Food as Art, and Garnishing

Salads II was all about composed salads... salads where every individual piece has a purpose on the plate. Chef Jay taught this class as well, and so we had a delicious family-style feast at the end - this style of class works well with some things, such as salads, and not so well with other classes, such as soups (it's hard to eat 10 bowls of soup).
During class, I worked on a marinated beet salad. I have a new found love for beets. Their brilliant, deep, color, the sweetness of their taste, and the versatility of their use all create a wonderful vegetable. Beginning by pressure cooking the beets, I then made the dressing/marinating liquid from balsamic vinegar, olive oil, shoyu, and a few more things. After the beets were cooked, they were peeled and cut into thin slivers (batonnets), and then soaked in the marinating liquid. I also prepared endive lettuce, but instead of chopping the endives, I peeled back individual leaves to use as "cups" for the beets. Chef Jay gave us the freedom to put our own spin on the salads, and so I created this dish as an appetizer course, instead of the salad course. Dicing the beets, I then scooped them into the cup portion of the endive, garnished with a bit more dressing, seasoned, and voila they were ready to serve! Such a simple process, but delicious and beautiful - in line with my philosophy of letting the food speak for itself.

Once again, we had ALOT of delicious salads to enjoy for lunch... below are pictures of my favorites. Notice that each salad is very carefully plated, with each component in a specific place.




Garnishing class was all about creating things out of food - tomato roses, tourne potatoes, fans, fluted mushrooms, winged apples, and lots of other technical things.

A lot of times these techniques signal professionalism and "high-end dining" to the diner. In the right dish at the right time, the things I learned in this class will be valuable, but on the whole, I think that creating objects out of food is an unnecessary addition to the plate - food is beautiful in its natural state. I did learn alot of elegant, understated techniques for garnishing soups, desserts, etc. that I think will be useful. One of my friends, however, undertook the task of creating Mr. Penguin and Mr. Sheep out an eggplant - made famous by a recent food competition contestant who won by using this technique to create a kid-friendly vegetable dish.

I think you already know what I think about this...

Flour: A conversion experiment

Conversion day: infamously one of the most extravagant and intense days of school. We were all extremely excited about the day. Following tradition, Mallory, Tracy, and I ate our breakfast together before school started and discussed all of the details of how we wanted the day to unfold.

Chef Elliot Prag was our teacher for the day - he's a Natural Gourmet staple. Big personality, witty and goofy, passionate about pastries, Chef Elliot provided comedic relief (as well as lots of knowledge and baking tips) the entire day. He started class by creating his version of Top Chef's "drawing knives" ceremony - he drew names to pair us for the day, as well as drew recipes for each pair. I was assigned to work with Gisella on the Ghiradelli "Outrageous Brownies" recipe. Our challenge was to take the original recipe and by modifying it step by step, turn the recipe into a delicious vegan alternative.

Oatmeal raisin cookies made by Tracy and Chris:


So the first step was to make the recipe as is - white sugar, processed cocoa powder and all. The brownies turned out delicious - so I thought. Chewy, gooey, SWEET.
Step 2: Change the flour - so we changed AP flour to whole wheat pastry flour. This change didn't really make a big difference, but we added a little bit of whole grain to our decadent dessert... that can't be a bad thing.
Step 3: Change the additives. The additive in our recipe was the cocoa powder. Processed, refined cocoa powder is an interesting product - if you look on the back of the package at the ingredients list, you will notice that sugar is either the first or second ingredient. (We used Ghiradelli cocoa powder - as called for in the recipe) We changed from Ghiradelli cocoa powder to 100% cocoa powder. The difference in taste was incredible, something I had never noticed before taking a bite of recipe 1 right before tasting recipe 3. The brownie was no longer a bite of chewy, sweetness; it had been transformed into a bite of rich, chewy, CHOCOLATE. Until now, my brain had simply told me I was tasting chocolate because it was sweet and brown. Now, my mouth told me I was tasting chocolate because I really was.
Step 4: change the sugar. We changed from white sugar to coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is sugar drawn from a coconut. It is minimally processed, flavorless (as in, it does not taste ultra-coconuty), and is lower on the glycemic index scale. The sweetness seemed to be pretty much the same; however, we began to notice that the brownie had a density that it had not had before. We decided that this was most likely from the cocoa powder, considering that it was 100% chocolate and had no extra sugar.
Step 5: change the fat. This is the step that gets tricky - remove 1 stick of butter, substituting for some other "health-supportive" fat. We decided on coconut oil. It seems to work well in baking, is relatively flavorless, and is slightly thick at room temperature (which resembles butter). When substituting oil for butter, the normal exchange rate is about 3.5:4... so we added 7 TBSP coconut oil instead of 8 TBSP butter. The brownies came out a little bit dry, too cakey we thought. So we made the recipe again, however this time adding 7 TBSP of coconut oil and 2 TBSP of hazelnut oil (which we thought would add a rich, deep, extra layer of flavor). They came out PERFECTLY.
Step 6: (batch #7) change the eggs. The is the second of the hard steps. There are lots of things in the "vegan" world that can substitute for eggs. Alot of people use an "egg-substitute" mixture - which I find extremely questionable. In my mind, if you are going to use such a processed, "fake" product (it's not food), it would be much healthier and morally "correct" to simply use butter, and don't over indulge. However, there are other egg options out there. We chose to use a kuzu slurry (a mixture of kuzu and water). The kuzu acts as a thickener and a binder, which were the 2 major purposes of the egg in the recipe. The batch turned out well, relatively no problems at all.
We made batch #8 just for few, adding an extra bit of coarse sea salt to offset the rich, bittersweet flavor of the chocolate - just for fun.
Here's a picture of most of half of the brownies we made during the day


To help us survive the day, Chef Elliot made an amazing pot of miso soup - an extremely salty, contractive soup to help counteract the expansive, sugar high that we all had reached half-way through the day.

At the end of the afternoon, each group (8 in total) had made between 8 and 10 batches of each of our recipes. We had chocolate chip cookies, brownies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, black and white cookies, carrot cake, banana muffins, and ginger muffins coming out of our ears into the halls of the entire school! I have NEVER seen so many sweets in my whole life.
Peanut Butter Cookies (These were my favorite)


After discussing each of our experiences and packing up lots of goodies to take home (I brought Lindsay 2 bags full of sweets! - I couldn't even look at another cookie for myself), we still had trays and trays full of food.


I think that this was a great exercise to help us learn the effects of certain components of baking recipes. It's also the most effective way to change recipes - by changing one small thing at a time, you see the role that each part plays. I think that even after 6 hours and 8 batches of brownies, I could have worked for 6 more hours and made 8 more batches, and still would not have had the perfect vegan brownie... but we are getting closer!

Flour: pasta

We've entered into a season of flour... whole wheat flour, pastry flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, more and more and more.

Our first encounter with flour was pasta - a day full of pasta. We started the day as usual, with a demo from the chef. She showed us how to make pasta dough by hand and then in the food processor. She also showed us how to make gnocchi and a simple tomato sauce - the room was FULL of the sweet smells of roasted garlic and simmering tomatoes.

To make pasta by hand, the most important part is accurate measurements to get the proper dough consistency. After measuring the flour, it is piled on the counter and formed into the shape of a volcano. The egg is then cracked into the middle of the flour and slowly kneaded into the flour. Using the food processor, the dough is made my simply combining the egg and flour - very simple. To me, there's something slightly sterile about using the food processor to make pasta. Pasta is such a heart-felt dish; the perfect thin spaghetti noodle smothered in a robust tomato sauce conjures up images of a hearty Italian grandmother slaving away all day in the kitchen, serving her family a meal to feed their bellies and their souls. I just don't think the food processor can feed my soul.

After making the dough, we using the pasta roller to flatten and cut the pasta. It was amazing!


I decided to make whole wheat pasta by hand. Tracy and I cut sheets into fettuccine style noodles and kept some flat sheets to make ravioli. Throughout the rest of the day, we made several sauces and fillings and were able to make lots of different pasta dish with the variety of ingredients.

A couple of our dishes:
spinach pappardelle with sweet tomato sauce
butternut squash and walnut stuffed ravioli
rosemary fettuccine with sage butter sauce
whole wheat spaghetti with white bean and lemon sauce

NYC Marathon

Sunday, November 7, 2010 marked the annual New York City Marathon - an epic race known world-wide as one of the best races ever. I live right off of mile 19, and so for most of the day, there were families, friends, supporters, and spectators all around the Upper East Side. The weather was beautiful, the temperature just under 50 and not a cloud in the sky - it was a PERFECT day for running.

I walked to my friend Mallory's house to watch the race - her parents live on 5th ave and 92nd st - in race terms, mile 23. The runners enter central park right by her house, as well, so it's a perfect spot to watch and cheer. Unknowingly, I came upon the race right before the women front runners came by. It was amazing to see. After 2 hours of running, they were still at a sprints pace according to my books. Even more incredible to see, however, were the men leaders. At mile 23, their final adrenaline seemed to be kicking in, and they were FLYING. Gebre Gebremariam and Emmanuel Mutai passed side by side, their long, Ethiopian legs turning as fast as the motorcycle wheels that were filming. It was an inspirational sight.


After the leaders passed, I went up to Mallory's apartment to finish watching the race - it was a pretty incredible view.


I haven't been able to run in NYC yet because of my previously broken foot. Slowly, but surely, physical therapy will get my back on the road, and seeing this race sparked my love for running once again. I can't wait to be back in my tennis shoes, to feel the stiffness of the pavement under my feet and the burn of my muscles in my legs... a surge of adrenaline as I dart across the road as the light changes, the coolness of winter air stinging my cheeks and eyes, and the crunch of fallen leaves as I put one foot in front of the other... these are the simple joys of being a runner.

Practicing for the midterm... taking the midterm...

Last week marked the half way point of culinary school. I can't believe that I am half way through with something that I've been planning and dreaming about for SUCH a long time. These past months have FLOWN by. We had our midterm on Monday of last week, but after our knife skills test 2 weeks ago, I was not nervous. There's no "cramming" for a cook test, no knowledge to study and master, it's simply about knowing the recipe and using the things that we've learned over the past few months. I had a "practice" meal with some of my friends from bible study to make sure that I had at least done each component of the test - a salad, a creamy soup, and a poached pear.
Given the choice of butter, potatoes, or rice to thicken and cream our soup, I chose to use rice. This seems like an odd choice, but after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each option, I decided that this was the best choice. Rice is light and fluffy, providing an airy quality to the soup. It also does not affect the flavor of the soup as much as potatoes, and only a small amount of rice is required. The biggest motivation, however, for using rice, was the health benefits. Though butter lends a rich, luscious texture and flavor, I felt that rice offered the same creamy texture, without the added fat and heaviness. My goal in cooking is to use the healthiest, freshest ingredients without compromising any flavor or integrity of the dish - but I avoid butter at most any cost (besides that fake stuff).

Creamy carrot soup with sage and apple garnish

Wonderful friends eating my practice dinner at our "kitchen table"

Honestly, to have been in culinary school for 2 1/2 months and to only be tested on these elementary skills seems to a bit amateur to me, but after the test, I understood the depth of what we were being tested on - time management, technique, skills, movement, communication, sanitation, etc. etc. We had 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the meal - as I ran around the kitchen, scenes from top chef played through my head. The intensity and pace of working under such a time constraint adds drama and stress to the kitchen, which surprisingly, didn't throw me off too much (I thought it would). I simply focus on my work, thinking only about what I am doing, not allowing any distractions to enter my mind.

As I had planned, I first prepared my pear and put it on the stove to "poach" in a spiced apple cider liquid. After this, I mis-en-placed for the soup, sweated my onions, and began to simmer the carrots. I felt a little bit disoriented with so many tasks running through my head - a list a mile long and only a short time to get it done. Trying to keep my station clean while juggling 5 or 6 different prepped components was definitely a "heat of the moment" learning experience.

The dishes that I turned in:
1. Radicchio and boston lettuce mix, toasted pecans, and maple nutmeg vinegraitte
2. Creamy carrot and ginger soup
3. Cinnamon apple cider poached pear with mint and raspberry garnish

After I turned in my last component, I breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax a little bit. As always, I am my own worst critic, but all in all my dishes came out well, and I was pleased with the presentation and flavors of each component.