Chilean Sea Bass and Aloo Gobi

I dredged the sea bass in flour and pan fried it in butter. I normally make aloo gobi with about a teaspoon or two of salt but I've been trying to cut salt out of my diet for health reasons so I used lemon juice and more mango powder (Amchoor) instead. The taste was similar, but the salt really helps to accentuate some of the natural sugars of the vegetables more. As a result, I did have to add a small amount of honey to contrast with all the citrusy flavor in the dish.

Sous Vide Salmon with Dill Sauce

I wanted to improve upon the class assignment we had and I had all the ingredients needed already in the fridge.

Instead of poaching, I placed the salmon in the sous vide, and made dill sauce with Noosa yogurt. For sides I made scalloped potatoes and par boiled them until the edges were soft but the middle still felt raw (I think it was in between 3-5 minutes). I used a mix of sharp and mild cheddar cheese, with almond/coconut milk bechamel sauce. I also used the same boiling water to make tomato concasse, and grilled some asparagus.

For garnish, I used some chives and a sprig of dill. I think I improved on the original plating by placing the asparagus in a different position on the plate. The colors are more vibrant, and the flavor of the salmon is more tender. Unfortunately the bag the salmon was in was not vacuum sealed as it turns out, and water leaked into the bag so the salmon could have been more tender. The asparagus was grilled better. There are grill marks but not as much blackening of the vegetables. The potatoes are not as rich tasting as in class (But at least it's healthier?), and I would use all mild cheddar for next time because I think the sharp cheddar has too distinct of a taste that doesn't quite mesh with the rest of the flavors in the dish.

Salmon from class for comparison:

Week 6: Veg Cuts

Yep, more vegetable cuts. This time we did a tourne with zucchini to mix it up.

Saute for the main dish

For our second round of vegetable cuts, I got creative :)

It's kind of like a Rorschach Test. What do you see?

Week 6: Pan-Fried Tilapia, Spaghetti Squash, Au Gratin Potatoes

Our assignment for the day was to make a pan-fried tilapia with buerre blanc, spaghetti squash, and potatoes au gratin.

Buerre Blanc ready for the plate

Final Plating

Prep: The tilapia was seasoned, dredged in flour, and pan-fried in butter until golden brown on both sides. No problems with prep, although a lot of care was needed to prevent the fish from breaking when plating it. The spaghetti squash was placed in an oven with about an inch of standing water and left to cook. Cooking took longer than anticipated. The potatoes were sliced, par-boiled, then covered with bechamel sauce and cheese on top. For the buerre blanc, the minced shallots and wine were reduced to a syrupy condensed liquid before the butter was added pat by pat. Temperature was monitored very closely to keep the sauce from breaking.

Presentation: I placed the components of the dish diagonally to create more of a dramatic effect. The tilapia was very large so I needed an equally large dish to plate it with. The swirls of buerre blanc help fill the empty spaces on the plate and help to reconfirm what sauce is on the fish. There was so much yellow and brown in the dish that I need some extra color to make the dish look more interesting. I used paprika to provide some red tones and placed a sprig of dill for garnish. I would use parsley garnish for next time instead of the dill.

Taste: All the elements of the dish tasted good. The tilapia in particular had a light crispy breading, and the fish was tender and flaky. The buerre blanc sauce went well with the flavor of the fish and you can taste the richness of the wine and butter, with a hint of the shallots.. The spaghetti squash had a delicate light flavor and the potatoes were well cooked and were well seasoned.

Overall: Definitely a dish to make again!

Week 6: Breaded eggplant, Risotto, Tourne Zucchini

The sliced, peeled eggplant was placed in flour, eggwash, and breadcrumbs. We placed it in the fryer until it was golden brown.

Frying Time

Golden brown and ready to plate

The risotto was cooked in a pan, slowly adding water until the rice was cooked. We tourne'd some zucchini and sauteed it to go with the eggplant, risotto, and tomato sauce.

Finished result

Prep: No problems with prep for the eggplant. We used the standard breading procedure (Flour, eggwash, breadcrumbs) using freshly toasted breadcrumbs and frying was easy. The risotto took a long time to cook. No problems with tourne cuts and sauteeing the zucchini.

Presentation: I tried several different plating combinations and decided on a stack of eggplant with risotto in the middle. It was a little bit like a breaded eggplant sandwich. For next time I would probably place the sauce in a small amount on top of the eggplant instead of on the periphery. 

Taste: The eggplant was lightly crisp and tender on the inside. I would add a little more salt and pepper for next time. The risotto turned out very dense but well cooked. The zucchini was tender and had a delicate taste. The sauce went well with the eggplant.

Overall: The dish was successful, but I would place the sauce in a different part of the plate for next time.

Week 6: Clam chowder

The week started with some deep frying, slow cooking, and rice stirring.

It's chowder time!

Rendering the bacon for the chowder. A roux was made with the bacon grease and the celery and onion were sauteed in the same pan.

 Finished result. 

Prep: No problems with prep. The bacon rendered nicely, and the roux made the chowder a nice thick consistency.

Presentation: I used a more dramatic looking bowl to create more visual interest. Some sprinkled chopped parsley adds some more color and texture difference. The vegetables and bacon in the chowder add some textural and color difference inherently.

Taste: The chowder vegetables were tender but not mushy. The flavor was a balance of creaminess and earthy smokiness with salinity from the bacon. There were plenty of clams in the chowder. I might even add less clams to the chowder for next time to make more of an even ratio of meat to vegetable.

Overall: I think this chowder was a success. It was flavorful, the vegetables were cooked well, and had a good consistency. Plating was simple and effective.

Week 5: Poached Salmon, Scalloped Potatoes, Asparagus

Our potato dish was a side to go with some poached salmon and asparagus. We sliced the potatoes to 1/8 inch and par boiled them before placing them in a half pan, layering with bechamel sauce and cheese.

Ready for the oven

Finished result with the salmon

Prep: The potatoes took a longer than anticipated to finish. I would par boil them for longer next time. There were no problems making the bechamel sauce and layering was easy.

Presentation: Placing the cube of scalloped potatoes on a diagonal in a diamond shape helps add more of a dynamic element to the dish. If I were to make this again I'd place the asparagus lengthwise along the top and bottom of the potato/salmon border for greater cohesiveness instead of the corners of the dish.

Taste: The potatoes were well seasoned and the bechamel sauce with cheese adds a creamy richness to them. The asparagus got a little over-grilled, but were tender on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and well seasoned. The dill sauce was... interesting due to the type of yogurt that was pulled for class (Vanilla flavor). I would use plain Greek yogurt for next time. The fish was slightly overcooked and thus a little tougher texture wise. For next time I would pull the salmon from the poaching liquid sooner. I would also add a little more seasoning to the fish.

Overall: The plate looks fairly balanced in terms of color, and all the elements work well together.

Week 4: Chicken Fricassee

Prep: After browning the chicken and making the sauce, a small amount of tarragon added some extra flavor and depth to the dish.

Presentation: As a simple, rustic dish, the sole focus is the chicken with sauce. Some parsley garnish added some color to the dish.

Taste: The sauce was well seasoned and the right consistency. The chicken was tender.

Overall: A delicious dish!

Week 4: Chicken Fricassee, Cheddar Leek Soup, Rice Pilaf

Our last assignment for the week: chicken fricassee, cheddar leek soup, and rice pilaf. The soup started to get grainy but adding cream to the mixture while cooking helped save it. I added some parsley and cayenne pepper for color. The chicken was well cooked and the sauce had the right consistency, full of flavor. There was a hint of the fresh tarragon we put in the sauce which was a nice touch. The rice pilaf was tender but was over-salted for my tastes though.

Week 4: Cheddar Leek Soup

Prep: The sauce was starting to taste grainy from the separation of cheese with water. Adding cream helped bring the consistency back to normal.

Presentation: Since the soup is basically only one color, I added some parsley and cayenne powder to add more visual appeal. A simple but more modern bowl adds some extra interest in the presentation.

Taste: The soup is rich, creamy, and you can definitely taste the cheddar and a subtle hint of leek.

Overall: A hearty, rich, yet smooth tasting soup.

Week 4: Fettucine Alfredo

Our next foray into pasta making was to make fettucine with alfredo sauce. We used the hand crank machines instead of the Kitchenaid attachment (I prefer the ease and quickness of the Kitchenaid when comparing the two but I'm sure there's a substantial cost difference!). After flouring the pasta to make sure it didn't stick, the raw fettucine was ready to cook:

I mixed the pasta with the sauce, and topped with some Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and some chile flake for some heat and color.

Prep: The pasta started sticking together after running it through the machine but covering it with more flour helped to separate each strand.

Presentation: I added as much color as I could to make the plate stand out since I had white colored food on a white plate. I think the dish looks balanced and the colors make the dish pop.

Taste: The sauce was luxuriously creamy and cheesy with the mix of cheeses. The pasta was cooked al dente and had enough seasoning on it.

Overall: A creamy well flavored dish with a touch of spicy heat.

Week 3: Cheese Ravioli

We ended the week with cheese ravioli. We used the Kitchenaid attachment to make the pasta sheets and my team was in charge of making the tomato sauce. After a ton of basil, garlic, and some sauteed onion, the sauce tasted decent and we did get some nice compliments on it!

We made the pasta sheets with the "4" thickness setting on them. Overall, the pasta tasted good, as was the filling, but next time I'd like to make them thinner since my own preference is for thinner ravioli.

Raw ravioli:

Finished result with tomato sauce:

I was going for a more modern/contemporary presentation, but for next time I would try either coating the ravioli with the sauce and placing them on top of the sauce, or placing them right on top of the sauce with the same parsley garnish.

Week 3: Grilled Chicken

Our main assignment for the week was to make a dish with grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, and tomato concasse.

Prep: The potatoes were roasted in a hotel pan with salt, pepper, and garlic. The chicken tended to stick to the grill despite prepping the grill and putting oil on the chicken. I would put more oil on the chicken for next time to prevent this from happening again. The chicken has some good grill marks, but I would like to see more defined cross-hatch grill marks for next time.

Presentation: I think the presentation is well balanced in terms of plating and color. The potatoes served as a base to lay the chicken on, and the single sprig of basil helped add more color to the dish. The tomato concasse served as a nice border for the chicken and potatoes.

Taste: The chicken was well-seasoned and tender. The potatoes were cooked, but extra time in the oven would give them more flavor as they brown more.

Overall: Overall I'm happy with the dish. The presentation turned out well and I think the dish looks balanced. I would like to get more defined grill marks on the chicken though, and I would like more browning of the potatoes in the oven.

Week 3: Veg Cuts and Roux

We practiced more vegetable cuts. I'm getting better...

We also made tomato concasse. It's basically skinned, deseeded, chopped tomatoes. I chopped mine into small dice.

Next we made roux thickening agent. Our assignment was to show white, blonde, and dark roux. My white roux mingled too much with the blonde, but you get the point in the color differences. :)

Week 2, Chicken with pan fried potatoes and bell pepper

Our first official assignment was a test of our skills. We were given a chicken breast, a potato, onion, and some red and green bell pepper. Create a dish from those ingredients and show the instructor!

I first sauteed the sliced potatoes in the pan until cooked, then sauteed the sliced bell peppers and onion. The chicken was cooked in a mixture of butter and oil, with salt, pepper, and some chili powder.

Voila:

Prep: Overall no problems with prep, although some of the potatoes were sliced a little thicker than others which extended cooking time a little.

Presentation: I added the potatoes on the bottom, then the bell pepper and onion to create more color difference. The chicken was placed simply on top. Overall, I like the colors on the plate, but I could perfect my arrangement skills more with the vegetables.

Taste: The potatoes are a little too oily, but the seasoning on the chicken was good. All the elements were cooked well.

Overall: I'd work on the presentation and more even slicing of the potatoes but the dish as a whole works well.

Week 2: Veg Cuts

First week of class in the kitchen! Officially the first day was the week prior, which was all lecture consisting of an introduction to the class and showing us where everything was, where the kitchen was, etc. This week we actually got to get out our knives and start slicing and dicing. :) We practiced our knife skills with carrots. Every class we are responsible for making the following cuts with carrots:

• Squared
• Batonnet
• Small dice
• Diamond
• Triangle
• Julienne
• Brunoise
• Tourne

 The tourne was a beast to do (The middle oval shaped carrot piece). It's a 2 inch piece that has 7 sides making it look football-like. I've never used a paring knife in a whittling motion which is what the tourne requires. My tourne leaves something to be desired as you can see. At least it's football shaped!

The instructor came by and carved himself a tourne to show me in half the time it took me to do.

So, over the weekend I was on a mission. I'm going to master this football shaped carrot if it's the last thing I do! Now I have an army of football carrots. Just in time for the Superbowl, eh? :)

Bacon Ravioli

I made some salt-cured, cherrywood smoked bacon recently which we've been needing to use up. I decided to mix some up with spinach and mushrooms and make them into ravioli. It's still a work in progress, once I've perfected it I'll post a recipe!


I put the spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and bacon in the food processor. Next time I'll pulse it for longer for a more even texture and add more binding agent, such as egg or maybe cheese.

Me placing the ravioli on top of the pasta sheets

Ravioli all ready to boil!

Finished product with marinara sauce and oregano garnish.

Culinary Class! (Expectations and goals)

I signed up for culinary classes recently. While I love cooking at home for friends and family, I've wondered, would I like cooking in a more professional setting? Ultimately, I want to know the basics such as butchering, cooking for a large number of people, and techniques for cooking large-scale. So join me as I go through the ups and downs of learning to cook in a professional kitchen.