Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Day 3


It's raining and I have really good White Truffle Mac and Cheese in my fridge.
(note to self- bring tupperware to school.... thank you, Amanda.)

Backtracking from the really good Mac and Cheese.......

Today we made sauces. Saucy sauces! Bad joke.

Sauce Veloute and Sauce Bechamel (Leading sauces) Which we turned into Sauce Allemande and Sauce Mornay (Derivative Sauces)

Blah Blah.... French terms.....

Mise en Place


Another French term: 'Mise en Place' This means everything is in its place. To me, this means that I walk into class and everything I need to cook with that day is measured for me and laid out in front of my station so that I don't have to do a damn thing. (Please see above photo) Ah the French.....

Sauce Veloute                                 
Blond Roux                                     
Chicken Stock                                 
Bouquet Garni    

Sauce Allemande
Sauce Veloute
Egg yolk
Cream

Method:
Make a blond roux. Add chicken stock and bouquet garni. Simmer until sauce is 'Nappe' or coats the back of a spoon. About 15 minutes. Strain. 

For Sauce Allemande you begin with the Sauce Veloute. Combine your egg yolk and cream. Temper in the egg mixture. This is also known as a 'Liason' or thickening agent. This needs to be done slowly and carefully, as the egg yolk is raw and eggs curdle at 145 degrees. 

(Bouquet Garni- parsley, thyme, bay leaf, leek)

And now its gets good...the tasty, cheesy, fattening kind of good....

Sauce Bechamel
White Roux
Milk
Onion Pique (This is on onion "stabbed" with cloves and a bay leaf)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Sauce Mornay (this is the one that is conveniently turned into Mac and Cheese)
Sauce Bechamel
Egg yolk
Cream
Grated Gruyere Cheese

Method:
Begin with a white roux.
(I will follow with a post of roux because I guess it's kind of a big deal.)
Add milk. Bring to a simmer and add onion pique and nutmeg. Bring to 'nappe' about 15 minutes. Strain. Viola. Sauce Béchamel. I want to make Lasagna. 

For Sauce Mornay begin with your Sauce Béchamel. Bring the temperature back up if needed. (It will need to be hot enough to melt the cheese.) Temper in your egg and cream mixture. Again- slowly. Mac and Cheese with scrambled egg sauce? Not very appetizing. Once the sauce is tempered add Gruyere. 

My Sauce Mornay would have been cheesier had I not been snacking on my gruyere while cooking.....



So.... Sauce Mornay + Elbow Macaroni Pasta = (brain teaser) Mac and Cheese!

And what possibly could be better than Mac and Cheese? 


 White Truffle Mac and Cheese with a pinch of fresh (windowsill grown) chives.

Recap
Rainy day. Pasta. Gruyere cheese sauce. Truffle oil. Getting to brag about my herb "garden." These are a few of my favorite things.

And there you have it. Full circle back to Mac and Cheese (.....as most things should somehow be circled back to.)


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