Savory Fig Jam and a Cheese Board for Two

You know those days when you could sit outside all day long, wine in hand, and just eat copious amounts of cheese until your arteries literally stop working? That is every day for me. If I could only have one thing to eat for the rest of my life it really would be cheese. 

So, yesterday, due to whatever political argument was ailing me at the time, I was daydreaming that Richard and I (and the 4 dogs, of course) were moving to France.... when I really got to thinking....these people know what the F is up. They drink wine (maybe even more than I do) they wear horizontal strips (which are my favorite) and I am sure that they have probably given cheese it's own food group. French women never get fat, they always look classy, and I feel like they would be much more accepting of whatever shenanigans that second glass (bottle) of wine got me into. 

Need I say more?

No. Moving to France was officially the best idea I have EVER had (as of yesterday.) So before I started looking at apartments for rent, preferably right next door to a quaint boulangerie, it seemed only fair to inform my darling husband of our new life path. Unfortunately, let's just say he was less than thrilled with the idea. Even less thrilled than when I also explained to him why turning our deck into a sandy beach was an absolute MUST for our next BBQ.... but that's a whole other story.  Anyways, while he was a bit under enthused with us moving to France for silly reasons like our careers, money, and family....... being the absolute dreamboat that he is,  he ran to the market, got every kind of amazing cheese possible, picked a perfect bottle of french wine and we are calling it a day. Did I marry well, or what? 

I obviously put on my best horizontal stripes, thanked god I just cut my hair into a bob, and broke out my favorite cheese board. Now, trying to keep in theme with "fig week" I figured this the perfect time to make my absolute favorite fig jam. It's savory, delicious, and pretty quick to make. It also calls for dried figs, so you can make it any time of the year. I actually made this recipe for our engagement party (almost 2 years ago- gasp!) and it was quite a hit!

a modest cheese board for two with savory fig jam

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried black mission figs
3/4 cup port
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Method:
Cook shallot, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf in butter in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Add dried figs, Port, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until figs are soft, about 10 minutes. If there is still liquid in saucepan, remove lid and simmer, stirring, until most of liquid is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes more. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs and transfer jam to a bowl. Cool, then stir in minced thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on toast, make crostinis, or put a dollop of it right on a cheese board like I did. 

Au revoir!

Eating Out: Trois Mec by Chef Ludo. The happiest birthday!

As I said the only other time I have written about a restaurant experience.......It's pretty rare that I am super blown away by food. Don't get me wrong, I eat A LOT of amazing meals and am lucky enough to have dined at some pretty amazing restaurants (thank you Richard Keith) But it really does take a pretty special experience to get me to actually blog about a meal that I didn't prepare. That said..... one can only assume how beyond amazing our dinner was last night.

First off, it was my birthday.... I love my birthday, so there's that. Second, we ate at Chef Ludo Lefebvre's new(ish) restaurant Trois Mec. (Trois Mec means three bloaks.... and Ludo opened this spot with the amazing guys from Animal.... also fantastic!) I guess you would call it casual fine dining. Amazing french food, served to a hip-hop soundtrack in an impressive open kitchen. With only 26 seats in the restaurant and a somewhat grueling reservation process (meals must be paid for in advance and tables are released for reservations 14 days before the date... no exceptions) I wasn't sure if it would be a bit pretentious for my taste, but it was really anything but. Every single person working there was involved in our meal and so kind, which was awesome!

Upon being seated, we were brought some "snacks." A bowl of buckwheat popcorn, a tart with egg foam and a tandoori madeline. Amazing. We decided to do the wine pairing. At $45.00 per person I was a bit skeptical (as I usually am with wine pairings) but this was the best one I have ever had. Every wine complimented the food flawlessly and I was so impressed with their selections. I felt knowledgable about even the most obscure wines (thank you Domaine LA) and was obsessed with the sparking rose dessert wine.... it's like they knew I was coming!

Our first course was sushi rice with avocado, cilantro, lime and a walnut tofu cream (I had the vegetarian options for the evening and they were amazing. Rich said they were just as good as the regular menu.) Next, I had a soup with fresh peas, white asparagus and crispy shallots. It was ridiculous. Absolutely to die for. Rich's was the same, but with bone marrow.... so I guess not really the same. Both were fantastic. Rich actually preferred the vegetarian version. My mind was blown. This was paired with a really nice, crisp rose. Perfect.

The potato pulp was next. After the peas I was already pretty blown away.... then this course came. No wonder it is usually a staple on the menu. It was rich, but perfect in every way. Very light and fluffy potato pulp topped with browned butter, onion soubise, and salers cheese. It was just phenomenal. Mashed potatoes on crack paired with a really light pinot noir. 

Now, some people would probably seriously disagree with me, but the next course was my least favorite. I was also starting to get insanely full at this point......

I had a barbecued carrot dish with yogurt foam. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful.... the BBQ flavor was just a bit strong for my taste (weird, I know) but the wine pairing was perfect. 

We, of course, opted for the extra course..... a truffled grilled cheese with clover ice cream and a maple, buttermilk cream. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. This was possibly the best thing I have ever had. Truffles? Amazing. Grilled Cheese? Amazing. The twist with the clover ice cream and maple...... seriously ridiculous. It was so so insanely good that I think it took me 20 minutes to eat it. I literally savored every bite (for an extra $18.00 per person, I better have.) It was also paired with a really great Jura wine.... which sometimes I am not the biggest fan of, but with this course it was absolutely perfect. 

And as if it couldn't get more decadent, we were brought our first dessert course served with an amazing sparking rose dessert wine. Fresh berries with hibiscus, vanilla bean cream and meringue topped with szechwan peppercorns.... and I am definitely forgetting something else. It was so wonderful. So SO wonderful. 

Our final course was a lemon ginger tart and a habanero truffle. Both were very tasty and served with another glass of dessert wine. Chef Ludo also came over and wished me a happy birthday with a song dedication which was pretty amazing. (He is very french and very handsome.) Our final bite truly rounded out the evening.... an overall perfect experience. Certainly a splurge, but truly worth every penny. 

Note: you are allowed to take pictures, but I was very sneaky about it.... nothing worse than an obnoxious flash going off every three minutes. With only 4 tables in the restaurant, being a respectful diner is key :)

Cream Puffs

The only thing that is keeping me from eating a dozen cream puffs right now is knowing that I have to shoot a commercial in less than a week. Working in an industry that would rather you be skinny gets tricky in baking class. THANK GOD that I get to wear a pregnant belly while I shoot, leaving me able to eat one cream puff. Maybe two. Ugh. 

for your inner fat kid.

Pâte à Chou

1 1/4 cups of water

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4-6 large eggs

Method:

Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil over high heat. 

Reduce heat to medium and add flour all at once and mix together to form a dough. Continue mixing for about 3 minutes to cook out the taste of flour. 

Remove dough from heat and beat in eggs one at a time until the mixture is glossy and very sticky. 

Spoon mixture into a piping bag and pipe 2 inch 'puffs' onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be sure to give plenty of space as they will rise. 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until golden brown and dry. Let cool completely. 

Chantilly Cream Filling

12 oz whipping cream

Powdered Sugar and pure vanilla extract to taste

Method:

Whisk whipping cream in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks begin to form. Sift in powdered sugar and add vanilla to lightly sweeten. Spoon shipping cream into a piping bag. If you do not have a piping bag or are super lazy like me.... use a ziplock back and snip the tip off of one of the corners. This works the exact same way and then you can just toss it out after. 

Once the pastry shells have cooled, cut the top third of the puff of. This will create a little bowl which you will fill with the Chantilly cream. Replace the lid to the pastry and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

The cream puffs have a neutral flavor that can be filled with anything......sweet or savory. 

The same dough is also used to make eclairs

Heart and Sole.

We have now been on the coast for almost a week and until last night had not made seafood.
Almost offensive.
After spending the day exploring the woods and wine tasting, I needed to pull dinner together quickly while still obviously charming the pants off of my boyfriend.

There is really no easier way to charm a boys pants off than with food.... let me tell you.

So-- quick dinner.


Please notice that I did not say "simple dinner" because I know of no such thing. 


Before I get into food and cooking.... quick side note.

Best wine ever. Absolutely delicious. 

Thank you Oregon for making outstanding Pinot Noir. 

On the menu last night: Fillet of sole with a beurre blanc sauce and asparagus. 

Richard had never had a beurre blanc sauce before. I now have bragging rights in the kitchen (as if I didn't already....)

this did not photograph well. deal with it. 

Ingredients:

Fillets of sole (fresh from the Oregon coast, of course.)

Shallots

Lemon

Oil

Butter

White wine

Salt and pepper

Method:

Season fish with salt and pepper. I pan fried the fish in a tiny bit of oil. 

Sole is so thin that it cooks annoyingly fast. It also breaks apart very easily causing me to come rather close to having my first breakdown in front of you know who. 

I am a perfectionist. 

For the beurre blanc sauce begin by sautéing the shallots in a dry pan over low heat. Do not let them get brown as this will affect the color and taste of your sauce. When they have just started to cook add a few squirts of fresh lemon juice. 

In school I learned to prepare this sauce with white wine vinegar, but since I was serving it with fish I decided to replace the vinegar and use lemon as my acid. 

Add a cup or so of white wine and reduce to 'au sec.'

When the wine has reduced remove the pan from the heat and begin to add butter very slowly. The butter should be cold. This sauce is a huge pain in the ass as it is very easy to break. Swirl the butter into the pan very slowly until you have added enough to bring the sauce to a nice consistency. 

Season. Strain out shallots. Serve over fish. 

To die for. 

I served the sole with asparagus which I blanched first and then threw in the oven for a couple of minutes with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Super easy. 

Submerge asparagus in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes or until just tender. 

This method brings out the color of the vegetable and keeps it from overcooking. 

Remove asparagus from heat and place in an ice water bath to stop cooking process.

The asparagus can be held at this stage for as long as you need until you are ready to finish cooking it. 

I just placed the asparagus on a baking sheet and baked it for 5 minutes at 400 degrees until it was warm. 

Really good food. Really good wine. Really charming evening........

Day 25

Yes. I skipped day 24.

That nose stuffing, taste bud ruining sickness that I was plagued with last week finally caught up with me post St. Patty's day and I prescribed myself a day in bed to cheat death.

he did not cheat death.

Today was our last cooking day of the term before I move on to Culinary Foundations 3. Ah! I get to make my own sausage in that class. I don't really like sausage, but it looks like a project that is messy and I can totally be on board with. Foundations 3 also brings me one class closer to baking.... and if you know me and know anything about my random efforts in occasionally turning my kitchen into a bakery, you know I feel about this.

We made poached salmon served with a beurre blanc sauce and also prepared fillets de sole bonne femme which is a fancy French way of saying "kind of gross baked sole with fish gravy." Not a fan. Today was actually the first day that I have ever prepared salmon or really even ever touched it. Mine was a little over cooked, but for my first time I was pretty pleased that it didn't spontaneously combust.

poached salmon avec beurre blanc.

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet

Court bouillon (poaching liquid)

For the court bouillon you will need:

Water

Onion

Carrot

Celery

Bay leaf

Thyme

Parsley Stems

Acid- lemon juice, wine vinegar, white wine

Method:

Begin by making the court bouillon. Chop vegetables and combine everything in a large stock pot and fill it with water. Bring to a boil and then let the ingredients steep for about 15 minutes. 

In a smaller saute pan, bring enough water to almost cover the fillet of salmon to poaching temperature. Liquid temperature to poach must be between 160 degrees and 180 degrees. 

Season the salmon and place it presentation side down in the poaching liquid. The presentation side will always either be the side with the skin if there if skin on the fish, or the side that had bones if there is no skin on the fish. 

Cook the salmon to medium. It should be firm to the touch but with an orange center. 

this salmon is properly cooked to medium. my salmon did not look like this.

trade the perfectly orange center with a flakier, pinker version and you should get the idea....ugh.

Beurre blanc sauce:

Shallots

White wine

White wine vinegar

Butter

Salt

Heat the shallots in a pan. Add a little white wine vinegar and some white wine. Reduce to 'au sec.' Remove the pan from heat and 'monte de beurre' or slowly whisk in butter. This sauce is very easy to break. High heat or adding to much fat too quickly will cause the emulsion to break and you will have to start from the beginning. 

Serve salmon with beurre blanc sauce and garnish with lemon and parsley.  

tragedy.

I am not even going to include the next recipe because it really is not very good and I will never make it again... and you should never make it for a first time. However, for the record....I actually completely messed this dish up in class today. I was so focussed on my overcooked salmon (clearly fish is not my forte.... 5/5 was nowhere to be written today) that I forgot to pull my sole out of the oven and actually ended up having all of my gross fish gravy evaporate during cooking. In a pinch.... I added a little clam juice to my left over beurre blanc and turned in my makeshift dish as the original and totally pulled it off. I am pretty sure I got a "wow, this actually tastes marvelous...." That is how culinary school is done

Day 23

Today in culinary school I learned that every time I have ever made a stuffed chicken breast I was actually torturing the people eating my food because I had no idea what I was doing. Yes, I just admitted that I am not perfect. Someone take note, or a photo, or something like that because it does not happen often.

Today in class we made chicken breasts and legs stuffed with duxelles. Duxelles is a mixture of mushrooms, shallots, and breadcrumbs that is used in many different French recipes. 

We used a technique called tunnel boning on the leg. To do this, the whole bone is removed from the leg while keeping the meat intact. Duxelles is then stuffed in place of the bone.

To prepare the chicken breast we were taught a technique using caul. Caul is the web like membrane of fatty material that encases the internal organs in a pig. I think this is disgusting and I do not know why some crazy French person thought this would be an ideal material to use for for cooking. I also think menudo is gross. I know that these things are unrelated, but they remind me of each other and I just really feel the need to put that out there.

caul.

To stuff the chicken breast, we pounded it lightly with a meat mallet, wrapped the chicken around the stuffing, and then wrapped the caul around the chicken breast. When the caul is cooked it melts and shrinks, holding the chicken together and leaving a web-like design on the meat. The one upside of caul.... it made my chicken look kind of pretty. 

Ok, so this is definitely not the simplest chicken recipe, but it is so tasty and very French. 

stuffed chicken breast.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast and leg

Mushrooms

Shallots

Breadcrumbs

Oil

Butter

Caul

Mirapoix- onion, celery, carrots

Salt and pepper

Method:

Prepare the stuffing first. Sweat the shallots in a mixture of butter and oil. Add mushrooms and sauté until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove the pan from heat. Add breadcrumbs and a little butter to keep the mixture moist. Season with salt and set aside. 

duxelles.

Next, prepare the chicken. To remove the bone from the leg, turn the leg with the skin/ presentation side down. Scrape meat with your knife to expose the bone. Cut around the knuckle and continue to separate the meat from the bone until you reach the end of meat. You will end up with your chicken meat attached only at the end of the bone and turned inside out. Cut the bone and turn the chicken right side in. It should look whole and as if the bone is still inside. Stuff the mushroom mixture inside the leg to replace to bone. 

To prepare the breast, begin by removing the skin and trimming the fat. We left the bone in for presentation. Pound the breast with a meat mallet until it is thin enough to wrap around the stuffing. You should use about a tablespoon of stuffing. Wrap the folded breast in the caul fat. You can also use string to hold the breast together. 

Heat oil in pan and brown both pieces of chicken. Brown the presentation side of the leg and the side with the caul seam on the breast. Remove chicken and set aside. Add mirapoix to pan. Add a little more oil and then place both pieces of chicken on top of the mirapoix and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. 

Note: For perfectly cooked chicken, you can remove it from the oven when it reaches 150 degrees. It will continue to cook for several minutes and will ensure that the chicken does not dry out. 

Prepare a pan sauce using the mirapoix left from the chicken. 'Sange' the mixture with flour. Add chicken stock. Reduce and season. 

Slice breast for presentation. Serve thigh whole. I served my chicken with a rice pilaf and a medley of glazed carrots, pearl onions, and brussel sprouts. 

Day 21

I am so glad I am not a vegetarian. However, it has recently come to my attention that I would love to own a baby pig one day because they are insanely cute (baby piglet picture here)....and while this did cross my mind as I was searing my pork chop, I quickly forgot about their cute little noses and remembered how delicious they taste. I might go to hell.  We also made veal today. Seriously... I might go to hell.

Cotes de porc charcutière avec pommes purée.

Pork chop:

Pork chop

Butter 

Salt and pepper

Sauce:

Onions

White wine vinegar

White wine

Bouquet garni- thyme, bay leaf

Peppercorns

Veal Stock

Gherkins- Julienned

Dijon Mustard

Butter

Salt

Pureed potatoes:

Potatoes

Butter

Cream- reduced

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Begin by making potatoes because these take the longest and can be held until needed. 

Cook potatoes in boiling water until soft. Push through food mill or a china cap. Whisk in butter and cream until desired consistency. Cream should be hot and reduced prior to adding it to the potatoes. 

Season with salt. 

Next, season the pork chop and sear it in an oiled pan over high heat. A few minutes per side should be fine. Place pork chop on a pan and finish cooking it in the oven at about 375 degrees until it is cooked through. When it is finished it will be firm to the touch and 142 degrees at medium. 

Prepare the sauce in the pan you seared the pork chop in. Add a little oil if needed. Sauté onions.  Add a splash of white wine vinegar and about 1/2 a cup of white wine and reduce to 'au sec.' Add bouquet garni and add about 8 ounces of veal stock and reduce to 'nappe.' Add dijon mustard. Strain. Finish with a little butter and stir in julienned gherkins. 

Remove pork chop from oven. Plate the mashed potatoes and finish with sauce. 

Escalope de veau a la creme petits pois a la francaise. 

Veal Scaloppine in a mushroom cream sauce:

Veal

Flour

Oil

Sauce:

Butter

Button mushrooms- sliced

Cognac

Brown veal stock

Cream

Salt and Pepper

Petit Peas:

Bacon

Oil

Pearl onions

Sugar

Peas

Boston Lettuce- shredded

Method:

Pound the veal using a meat mallet until about 1/8 of an inch thick. Season veal and dredge in flour. Saute in an oiled pan over medium heat until just browned. Remove veal from pan and set aside. 

To prepare sauce,  add mushrooms to pan. When browned, flambe with cognac. Reduce. Add veal stock and reduce. Add cream, bring to a simmer, and add veal back to the pan to finish cooking. Finish sauce with finely chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. 

To make the peas, begin by rendering bacon fat over medium heat until bacon is crispy. Add boston lettuce and peas. Sauté until lettuce is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve veal with pommes puree (see above recipe) and petit peas. 

Day 19

Lamb Stew and Shrimp Fritters with curried mayonnaise.

Today was the first day that we have cooked meat and let me just say this-  at 6 am it takes a mighty appetite to replace cherrios with lamb stew and thankfully that it a challenge that I am up for.

I really need to go to the gym.

navarin du lamb.

Ingredients:
Lamb (We used lamb shoulder)
Oil/butter
Onion
Shallot
Garlic
Flour
Tomato Paste
Bouquet garni (bay leaf and thyme)
Water
Peas
Green Beans
Carrots
Tomato
Turnip
Pearl onions
Salt and Pepper

Method:
Heat butter and oil in pot over medium heat. Brown lamb. I usually dry off my meat when browning, but today I did not and that was fine. However, when making a brown braise, it is very important to really brown the meat. My sauce was not as dark as I would have liked today because I didn't brown the lamb long enough.
Remove meat from pot and set aside.
Using the fat from the lamb brown onions and shallots. Again, I wanted my sauce darker, so I should have browned my onions longer. There are a lot of things I should have done differently with this dish (even though I still got 5/5) but we will get to that in a moment.
Once onions and shallots are browned add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Garlic burns very quickly and will make your dish very bitter.
'Pince' with tomato paste.
'Sange' with flour. This is the fancy French way of saying sprinkle......

Now, if you are very hungover from the night before and just happen to 'sange' with baking soda and cornstarch which is sitting at your station for your next dish..... do not worry because apparently this will not ruin your stew!
Yep. I thought baking soda was flour. This began todays inner breakdown.

Dear Chef Brown, 
As you are reading and grading this, please do not hate me. I know that you asked me if I added flour and I said yes, but I lied and I am sorry.  
Sincerely, Sarah.

Add meat back to pot. Add bouquet garni and enough water to cover the meat.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and let braise for about 45 minutes until meat is tender.

While the meat is braising, begin preparing the vegetables.
Blanch green beans.
Tourne turnips and carrots (this is incredibly difficult to do with shaky hands.)
Peel pearl onions.
Blanch and chop tomato.

Glaze turnips, carrots, and pearl onions.
Heat butter in saute pan. Add vegetables. Add sugar and water. Cover with a 'cartouche' and let simmer until vegetables are tender and liquid has turned into a glaze. Keep a close eye on the vegetables because they all cook at different speeds.

When braise is done cooking, remove meat and reduce sauce to 'nappe.' Add tomatoes and green peas. Season with salt.
Add meat back to sauce and spoon into shallow bowls.
Garnish with carrots, turnips, green beans, and pearl onions.

beignets de gambas.

I hate shrimp so much that I am not even going to write about it. 

I also hate mayonnaise. 

Wasted Talent

I nanny two hours a day for two children that I adore.
I love them so much that every night I cook them a wonderful home made meal only to have it pushed aside with turned up noses and a frozen pizza or chicken nuggets put in its place.
Ugh.
I mean, I get it.... when you are a kid, broccoli can not only be a little intimidating, but also a little gross. However, when I slave over meatballs for 2 hours, I think it is safe to assume that they probably taste better than a can of (uh-oh) spaghetti-Os.

For example....
Last nights menu? Chicken, cheesy risotto, and carrots vichy. Carrots vichy..... they are cooked in butter and sugar. I truly thought these were a safe bet as far as veggies go.
I was wrong.
Apparently (when you are two years old) carrots vichy are not considered a fine french food, but something more along the lines of a building material.

Yep. I made carrots vichy and he made a castle. 

Carrots Vichy:
Carrots (peeled and cut on a bias)
Butter
Sugar
Water
Salt

Method:
Heat butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add carrots and toss in butter. Add sugar and water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook covered until carrots are tender and the liquid turns into a glaze.

Peas, Carrots, and Potatoes.

Ok. So this is how this is going to work. Sometimes a girl just doesn't have it in her to sit down and blog every day. (blog used as a verb.... very strange.) So even though vegetables, grains, and potatoes are EXHILARATING culinary masterpieces, they are about to be clumped into one entry. Yep. I am doing it and that is how this is going to be. Day 13-16.... here we go. 


Day 13
Tabbouleh, polenta, and wheat berries.
I love polenta. I had absolutely no idea what wheat berries were before today. (Yes, I am in school and paying for knowledge.) 


Wheat Berry:  refers to the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheatberries have a tan to reddish brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture; as a whole grain, they also provide nutritional benefits since they are an excellent source of dietary fiber.

wheat berry salad with poblano peppers and pecans.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat berries (cooked)
Poblana chile pepper (roasted)
Pecans (chopped)
Olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper


Method:
Cook wheat berries in boiling water. They will take about an hour and you will have to add water throughout cooking. They are done when they are tender, but still have a bite to them.
Toast pecans over medium heat using olive oil or butter. They toast in less than two minutes. Make sure they do not burn. Roast poblano pepper until blackened. Peel and chop. Toss everything together and season with salt and pepper. 

soft polenta finished with parmesan cheese.

Polenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. 
It is pretty much the same as grits. Both delicious.
Polenta is better than grits and way more delicious.(Happy, Marco?) 


Ingredients:
Polenta (ground cornmeal)
Water
Salt
Butter
Parmesan Cheese
Parsley (to garnish)


Method:
To make soft polenta the ratio of polenta to water is 5:1. Always. Bring water to a boil. Add polenta slowly to keep from clumping. Whisk or stir continuously until it begins to thicken. Season with salt.
Finish with butter and parmesan cheese (optional.)


I love polenta by itself. However, saute some mushrooms and throw some blue cheese on top and you have a to die for dish in 10 minutes. 


I am ALWAYS hungry. 




Day 14

POTATOES.

Potatoes 4 ways. I (am very humble and never brag) got 100% on all of my potato dishes. I also left class very full.

Today we produced: 

Pommes Ana- thinly sliced potatoes fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Pommes Rosti- kind of like a hybrid latke/hash brown. 

Pommes Duchess- mashed potatoes with eggs and nutmeg that are piped from a pastry bag and then baked until golden. These reminded me of a tacky wedding reception.

Pommes Dauphinois- similar to potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes. Thinly sliced and baked with cream and cheese.

spuds.

Pommes Dauphinoise:

Potatoes

Milk

Cream

Bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley)

Garlic clove 

Nutmeg

Butter

Gruyere cheese

Salt and white pepper

This recipe is fat free and has negative calories.

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Steep cream and milk with bouquet garni and garlic for about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Add nutmeg. Grease a small pan or oven safe skillet. 

Slice potatoes very thin. About 1/8 of an inch thick. 

Layer potatoes in pan. Season in between layers with salt and pepper. The more layers, the better.

Remove bouquet and garlic from cream mixture and pour over layered potatoes. Top with cheese. Bake about 45 minutes until tender and cheese is golden. I did not cover mine, but if it is browning too quickly, you can cover with a lid or foil. 

pommes dauphinoise.

Day 15

Exams. 1 hour. Carrots vichy, Green beans with peppers and bacon, pommes anna, and rice pilaf.  I got an A. Ok, thanks. 

Day 16

Today we covered  two classic French salads. Leeks with vinaigrette and Salade Nicoise. We also learned how to perfectly boil an egg (in boiling water for exactly 12 minutes) and continued mastering the technique of blanching vegetables. 

leeks with vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

Leeks

Coarse salt

Vinaigrette: red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, shallots, garlic, tarragon, chives, parsley, olive oil, salt.

Hard boiled egg (chopped)

Method:

Blanch leeks in salted boiling water for about 7 minutes. They should be tender all the way through without being mushy. 

Make vinaigrette and boil egg. Drizzle leeks with vinaigrette and top with egg. Yes, that simple and SO tasty.

this is why french women are skinny, I guess.

This is a very classic French salad which I am really not a fan of. My favorite part of making this today was taking the tuna off the top after my presentation, turning it into tuna salad, and making a tuna melt when I got home from school. Best tuna melt ever, by the way. 

Tuna Melt:  this has nothing to do with school, but is delicious.

Tuna (we used canned)

Vinaigrette: red wine vinegar, olive oil, shallots, garlic, dijon or mustard powder (as an emulsifier) fresh herbs (chives, parsley, chervil, tarragon....)

Whole wheat bread

Gruyere cheese

Toss tuna with vinaigrette. Yes, this is a mayo-free way to eat tuna. Thank God. 

Put tuna mixture on bread. Top with gruyere. Broil in oven for about 10 minutes. 

Note: When pulling the tuna melt (or anything else, really) out of the oven, remember to use oven mitts. My fingers are burnt and my oven now needs to be scrubbed from me spilling everything inside of it after I burnt myself by pretending I am some weird super human who does not need oven mitts. Julia, you are starting to rub off on me. 

K.... back to school. 

Salade Nicoise:

Waxy potatoes 

Green beans 

Mixed salad greens

Tuna

Anchovy fillets

Black olives

Hard boiled egg

Tomato

Vinaigrette: same vinaigrette as above.

Method:

Boil eggs. Blanch beans and tomato. Cook potatoes. 

Toss salad greens in dressing. 

Garnish with all ingredients cut into quarters.

This is a cold salad and everything should be cooled from cooking and served on a chilled plate.

This is very easy to assemble.... most of the time needed to make this is all in the prep work. 

Now on to real food....