Culinary School Update: Vegetables, Jelly Rolls, and Potatoes

Okay kids, its that time again. I've been trying to do longer culinary school updates, spaced farther apart so as not to bore you to death.  Do you readers out there think its better that way?  I know you're out there! Based on the comments I've been getting however, I'm beginning to believe that only my mom and my sister read this blog ;)

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Soooo, onwards.  We're still kinda hooked on veggies in Food Production class.  Two weeks ago, we made a pan-fried eggplant Parmesan.  We used the tomato sauce that we made and immediately froze few weeks ago, which we thawed out and spruced up a bit with some fresh herbs.  This dish was an exercise in the standard breading procedure (flour, eggwash, breadcrumbs).

We also made a vegetable strudel: puff pastry layered with mushroom duxelles, blanched asparagus, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.  For the sauce, we made a simple red pepper coulis.

 

The duxelles were really rich so I didn't really want more than a couple bites.  Plus, I like mushrooms, but I don't absolutely love them.  Regardless, I thought the flavor was right on.  This was very filling for a vegetarian dish.

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Two weeks ago in Bakeshop Production, we made jelly rolls. Although these tasted great, they seemed like such a strange, rather outdated desert to me.  To make them, we baked spongecakes in a sheet pan.  Then, we spread whipped cream on the cake, and lined the whipped cream with cherries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges. The cakes were carefully rolled up, then decorated with buttercream frosting or chocolate ganache. 

chocolate buttercream on the left, chocolate ganache on the right

My ganache covered jelly roll looked kind of like doo-doo because I didnt heat the ganache enough and it got kind of separated.  So don't look at it any more because its ugly :(

Here's a picture of my friend Allie's ganache jelly roll instead:

Allie's ganache turned out smooth and pretty, like it was supposed to.

Here's a cross-section of my buttercream jelly roll:

  See all the fruit? I ate so much whipped cream and frosting during this class. Ech.

That's about it for jelly rolls.

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This week in Food Production, it was potato day. First, we made Potatoes Duchesse, which is kind of like mashed potatoes that are piped into little mounds and baked.  Again, this seemed like kind of a weird recipe, but they tasted delicious.

 My partner, Mo, and I added some chopped parsley and cream in ours for a little extra flavor.

We also made Rosemary Roasted new potatoes:

I pretty much nibbled on these the whole class.

We made candied sweet potatoes that were roasted and basted with a syrup made from brown sugar and a hint of vanilla.

 

We also made scalloped potatoes, which were delicous, but I kind of forgot to take a picture of them.

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In baking class this week, we each made a chiffon sponge cake and a walnut genoise cake.  I didn't take pictures, because next class we're going to frost them, so I thought I'd save it for next time.

Daring Cooks' March Challenge: Risotto!

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of Melbourne Food Geek and Jess of Jess the Baker.  They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto.  The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from The Australian Masterchef Cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

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Hey guys, I feel awful that I had to post this challenge late (Daring Cooks are supposed to post on the 14th of each month!). I've been so busy that I put it off til the last minute, and then the past few days I've been stricken with a nasty little spring cold.  So, I'm sorry, but I just haven't felt like standing over the stove stirring risotto.  But today, I'm feeling better and am dosed with DayQuil, so I got it done for lunch!

I've been thinking about this dish since I first found out what the challenge was nearly a month ago.  It's a red wine and goat cheese risotto with roasted asparagus.  I really wanted to sear a few nice, fat sea scallops as a protein accompaniment, but that seemed a little overkill for lunch.  So, I went vegetarian (except for the chicken stock).

basic ingredients: Arborio rice, garlic, onion, red wine

 Start by sweating some chopped onion and garlic in a little EVO.  Add the rice and stir to get a nice coat with the olive oil.

Add a generous splash of chicken stock and stir until absorbed.  At first, this will happen pretty quickly.  Although I didn't make it specifically for this challenge, I did use my own homemade stock. Repeat this step with red wine.

 Keep repeating the stock and wine process, stirring continually.  Don't stop stirring for long.

Not there yet!  Keep stirring!

You can stop when the rice has a nice, soft bite.  I probably cooked mine a good 30-40 minutes before adding the goat cheese. 

 cheese makes everything better 

Then, when you think you're done, add a bit more stock and wine for good measure, season with salt and pepper, stir a bit more, and you're probably good to go.

 creamy goodness

As for the asparagus, just a toss with some EVO, salt and pepper, and into the oven it goes on a baking sheet at 425 until the tips brown.  Sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice and yer done.

 

 Delicious! Thanks for the new plate, Margaret!

Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

And a special thanks to Jen Yu from the beautiful blog Use Real Butter for the lovely scarf I recently received! A little while back, I won one of her featured giveaways, and the prize was a scarf made personally by her from Manos del Uruguay wool.  I even got to choose my own color (agate multi)!  Thanks again, Jen :)

I'm wearing it right now :)

Okay, on to pancakes.  I'm getting down to the nitty gritty, grocery-wise (pay day is tomorrow), but I did have this container of  nice blueberries sitting in my fridge, begging to be used up.  So, I decided to make pancakes from scratch.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've pretty much always been a Bisquick girl when it comes to pancakes (or biscuits, for that matter), so this was kind of a big decison for me.  So, of course, I consulted good ol' Joy of Cooking, and was surprised at how easy they were!

Blueberry Pancakes

from Joy of Cooking

*I halved this recipe*

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

(blueberries)

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.

dry & wet

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Some lumps are okay- you don't want to overmix.

Add wet to dry.

Add blueberries!

Blueberries

Make sure your griddle or skillet is very hot before you start to pour the batter.  To test it, sprinkle a bit of water on the hot surface.  If it hisses and sputters, it's ready.  Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle.

They're ready to flip when you see bubbles forming.

Cross-section

Serve with butter and syrup!

My First Soufflé!

It fell a little while I was trying to get a good picture...
 

Ive been wanting to attempt a soufflé for a long time now.  I hate to admit it, but I've been putting it off because, quite frankly,  it intimidated me.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the soufflé, it is an egg-based dish that can be savory or sweet, in which whipped egg whites are folded into a base to give it a delicate lift when baked. 

Finally, I mustered up the courage to try this thing.  I decided on a savory cheese soufflé because I'm less familiar with savory soufflés than sweet ones.  I adapted the recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and I halved it for 2 individual soufflé ramekins:

Cheese Soufflé

 (makes about 4 servings)

For Béchamel (or white sauce):

(makes 1 cup)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

pinch ground nutmeg 

herbs and seasonings to taste

*I used about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and a dash of lemon juice* 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk in flour until well-blended and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. 

Return the pan to heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  

Continue to cook, whisking until the sauce is smooth and hot and has thickenened, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.   Add herbs and seasonings.

 

For soufflé:

butter and grated Parmesan for ramekins

1 cup Béchamel

6-7 tablespoons grated cheese

*I used about 3 Tbs Parmesan, 2 Tbs Gouda, and 2 Tbs sharp Cheddar*

3 egg  yolks, beaten

4 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter soufflé ramekins and dust the insides with Parmesan cheese.  Shake out the excess.

Bring the Béchamel to a boil in a large saucepan.  Remove from heat and let stand for 30 seconds.   Add the cheese, and stir well.  

Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

 

Beat the whites until they are stiff, but not dry.  Fold into the cheese mixture.

 

Pour into the prepared ramekin(s).

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until risen and set.

 

Not gorgeous, but they puffed!

We had these for breakfast, with some bacon and fruit.  These could be a lunch or dinner-type thing as well, just remember that the timing is tricky.   I wish the tops had risen a little more evenly, but I don't know what I could have done differently to fix that. 

Mmm, breakfast!

They tasted better than I hoped they would! Very delicate and light, and the flavor was really nice.  Subtle but definitely there.  I'll make these again- they really weren't that hard!  First, I'm going to tackle chocolate ones for dessert.  I'll let you know when it happens!

Daring Cooks' February Challenge: Mezze!

The 2010 February Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid. 

Mezze is kind of like a Middle Eastern version of Spanish tapas.  The required part of the challenge was to make hummus and pita bread from scratch, and to build your table from there. Here is my spread:

My spread, moving clockwise: At 9'oclock, you see a veggie plate with cucumbers, carrots, and roasted almonds.  Followed by grilled Haloumi cheese, couscous with chicken and parsley, pita bread in the black & white checkered cloth, hummus just below that, assorted olives, steamed artichokes with lemon garlic butter, and roasted cauliflower in the middle. 

Brandon, his brother Justin, and I all had a lot of fun eating this dinner.  None of the components were too difficult to make, but I did kind of get a little overzealous with the number of dishes I chose to make.  I stayed busy with all the prep, but I like keeping busy with that kind of thing so it didn't bother me.

First, the pita.  The recipe Michele chose was adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.  I'm glad we've been working with yeast in baking class, because I've never really had the guts to play around with it at home.  I think my class helped me not be too intimidated to try a yeast based dough at home.

 Kneading the dough.  I look pretty.

While the dough was proofing, I worked on all the other stuff.

  Hummus sprinkled with paprika, EVOO, and parsley.

  

This was not the first Daring Cooks challenge to remind me of how much I need a food processor.
 

 Cucumbers and carrots for dipping in the hummus, roasted almonds.

The veggies were nice, sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt. 

After the bread was finished proofing, it had to be rolled out and baked.  This was when I got the hot stuff going. 

Steamed artichoke. 

I absolutely loved this recipe for Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Butter.  I've got it bookmarked, and I will absolutely make it again.

 Grilled Haloumi cheese.

The cheese wasn't the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it sure did taste good. It had a nice saltiness to it.

  Roasted cauliflower.

I definitely wouldn't consider myself picky, but believe it or not, until this year, I never thought I liked cauliflower.  Finally, I tried some at work, and I can't believe how awesome it is!  I mean, I've been craving it.  So, I simply roasted this with some EVOO, salt & pepper, and it was delicious. 

  Pitas!

Finally, my pitas.  Mine didn't balloon up like so many other people's did (like they were supposed to), but they still tasted good.  They definitely brought the meal together. 

  Close-up view of the spread.

I didn't have a separate picture of the couscous (seen above in the middle, to the left of the hummus).  It was more of an afterthought, really.  I had some boxed couscous, and folded in some diced leftover chicken, lemon juice, and parsley.  I also set out a little olive plate. 

This challenge was really fun.  Brandon and Justin both devoured it, forgetting their largely carnivorous palates.  I was tickled to tell them the entire spread, with the exception of the bit of chicken in the couscous, was vegetarian.

I will definitely make this kind of spread again, but next time I will probably just buy pita bread.  It was nice to try making it, but the convenience stuff tastes fine, and would definitely cut down on messes and timing issues.   

To see everyone elses' posts, check out The Daring Cooks's Mezze page. 

Hearty Breakfast Oatmeal

So, I'm still sick. And my tooth is still kind of bothering me, so I've been brainstorming on hearty, easy to eat, feel-better foods to make myself.  When I thought of oatmeal! Not the cinnamon & brown sugar variety that comes in a packet (which does have a place in my heart), but the real stuff, the kind that takes a little patience to make.  

I went as far as to go to the store just to get said real stuff, along with some blueberries and cream (antioxidants!).  As far as anyone in the Craig family is concerned, there is only one brand to get.

While Mom typically does most of the cooking, Dad always seems to make the oatmeal.  And he only buys this kind.  Its a little more expensive, but I was okay with a splurge.

Looks a bit like hamster food

So, its pretty easy to make, but like good grits, it takes a little time.  Stir one cup oatmeal into four cups briskly boiling water.  Stir well.

 

Be patient...

When the oatmeal begins to thicken, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

That's more like it

About 10 minutes before the oatmeal is finished cooking, I like to add a touch of heavy cream and a pat of butter.  Stir well, and add water if you feel like its getting too thick.

That's about it! Everyone likes to eat theirs differently. First, I added some honey.
 

Brown sugar is nice too

Then, lots of blueberries and a little cream floated on top!

And there you have it! Brandon was gearing up to watch his Gamecocks play, so he ate his like a true Irishman, with a dark porter in hand. I kid you not.  As for me, hot tea is all I'm drinking these days. Sigh.