Culinary school

July 2011 Schedule A Class

I have recently started the Columbus Culinary Institute July 5th 2011. I am loving every minute of it and wished I would have done this a long time ago. I am currently learning how to cut Julienne, Batonnet, Brunoise, Fine Julienne, Tournes, Chiffonade, and (med,small,large) dice. We have days where we are allowed to make anything we want. This happens when there is a lot of food that needs to be used before it goes bad. This has definitely been a learning experience and had taught me to be a cleaner person in the kitchen.The key is to get your mise en place (everything in its place) together before combining and cooking. I spend 3 hours everyday just cooking. We have made a lot of items that you normally just buy in a store. For example thousand island dressing, Caesar dressing, and mayonnaise. Recipes will follow for these items.  

Friday Salad Bar

Mayonnaise
Egg yolks                            4                       Salt                                     l tsp
White Pepper                     TT
Dry Mustard                      1 tsp
Wine Vinegar                     3 Tbsp
Salad Oil                            28 fl. oz
Lemon Juice                       TT

This recipe makes 1 qt.
1) Add the egg yolks and mix until thick and lemon-colored.
2) Add the dry ingredients and half the vinegar.
3) Whisk the oil into the mixture slowly and occasionally adding some vinegar.
4) Add lemon juice to taste
5) Refrigerate

 Caesar Dressing

Garlic, chopped                   1 Tbsp
Eggs                                    2
Parmesan, grated                 4 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar                 2 fl oz.
Red Wine Vinegar               2 fl.oz.
Whole-grain Mustard          1 Tbsp
Dijon-style Mustard            1 Tbsp
Anchovy fillets                    1 oz.
Salt                                    1 Tbsp.
Black Pepper                     1 tsp
Vegetable Oil                     12 fl oz.
Olive Oil                            12 fl oz.


1) Combine Egg, Garlic, Parmesan, Vinegars, Mustards, Anchovies, Salt and Pepper and mix for approx 1 minute.
2) Add the oils in slowly
3) Combine until oil is mixed into the other ingredients


Thousand Island Dressing
Red Wine Vinegar                                    1 Tbsp
Granulated Sugar                                      1 Tbsp
Mayonnaise                                              1 pt.
Ketchup                                                   8 oz.
Sweet Pickle Relish                                  6 oz.
Hard-cooked Eggs, chopped                    4
Fresh Parsley, chopped                            2 Tbsp
Green Onions, chopped                           1 bunch
Salt and Pepper                                       TT
Worcestershire Sauce                              TT


1) Combine vinegar and sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved.
2) Add the remaining ingredients and mix
3) Adjust the seasonings with Salt, Pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce.

Ooey Gooey Cookies

www.pauladeen.com

 These cookies have been a huge hit at my office. I have made them with vanilla and chocolate cake mix. They are both equally delicious even though everyone liked the vanilla cake mix better. I am going to try a marble swirl with both chocolate and vanilla. I will let you know how they turn out. This recipe is very simple and they are really gooey. People think they are not cooked enough, but that is why they are ooey gooey cookies!

 Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
1   (18 ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
1   (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1   egg
1   stick of butter, room temperature

Pizza from the heavens

There is a little restaurant in Grove City, Oh called Plank's. There is no website, however, it is always packed with people. When the waitress took our orders we realized she was from the same county we grew up (Morrow County). It is crazy how many people I have ran into that have come from the same small villages I grew up. She suggested the pizza and said it is a customer favorite, so I decided to try it. I had the white pizza, which had no tomato based sauce. It was topped with black olives, lots of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, sausage, and olive oil. The crust was fantastic and tasted like dark beer was added to the dough. The price was very reasonable and the food was great. If you are in Grove City please check out this place, you will not be disappointed.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

www.thebumblecollection.com

This recipe can be changed in many different ways. You can use any flavor of pudding and any type of chips. I have been making these cookies ever since I learned how to bake. These are better than traditional chocolate chip cookies because the pudding makes it soft and chewy.

By popular demand this is the recipe:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of butter softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package of pudding mix (any flavor you like)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Combine the flour and baking soda set aside.

Mix the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla. Beat until cream. Add the eggs and mix.Gradually add the flour mixture.When all combined add the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Bake for 8- 10 min or until golden brown.

Lentil soup

www.natureproducts.net

I have not experimented much with lentils, but if you are a vegetarian this super food can be replaced with meat. It has a high protein content and is recommended to consume if you have an iron efficiency. Some lentils require soaking the night before cooking. Lentils shouldn't be eaten raw and you shouldn't mix old lentils with fresh ones because they will cook unevenly. So now that you know a little bit about lentils here is a recipe from a coworker that made this recently.

2 cups of yellow lentils

One can of chicken broth

One can of tomato sauce

One medium raw onion

3-4 cloves of fresh Garlic

3-4 tea spoons of roasted cumin

2-3 table spoons of olive oil

2-3 tea spoons of Salt

Fresh carrots (optional)

Fresh celery (optional)

Mix all the above ingredients and bring the mix to a boil till all ingredients are cooked.

Pour the mix into a food processor and mix.

Add chicken broth as needed depending on the thickness of soup you like.

Delicious buffalo chicken dip

Photo Courtesy of:The Doctors Dishes Desserts Decor

If you try this recipe you will not be disappointed. I have become addicted to this stuff ever since my neighbor made it. If I could I would eat it every day with some tortilla chips. You can use this recipe for sports events and just everyday parties. I know that whenever I am invited to a party with this recipe on the table it is the first dish to reach the bottom. It takes just a few ingredients and heat and presto it is done.

Ingredients:

2 cans of shredded chicken or 2 chicken breast boiled and pulled apart
1 Cup of ranch dressing
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup of hot sauce
bag of tortilla chips
cheese on top after everything is melted

Combine all the ingredients except the cheese and put in a little crock pot or oven at low temp for 30 min. Once all the ingredients are blended then spread the cheese on the top and serve warm.

Java Bean Salad

I received this recipe from a coworker and wanted to share it with everyone. It is really good and has no meat. So for all you vegetarians this recipe is for you.

1 Can of fava beans – can be found in the international section at Meijer’s

½ lime or lemon – medium size

1 clove of fresh garlic – big size

4 table spoon of olive oil

2 table spoon of Tahini- sesame paste - can be found in the international section at Meijer’s

2 table spoon of roasted cumin powder - can be found in the international section at Meijer’s, not usually sold roasted, so you might want to do that before you use it.

1 fresh tomato cut in small pieces

¼ of fresh green pepper cut in small pieces.

Few branches of fresh parsley cut very small

Salt

Heat the fava beans, mash the can content in a ball, add all the above ingredients and mix. You can have Fava beans salad with pita bread or crackers.

Experimenting with celery root

Even though this picture looks like mush, it is actually the best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten. Celery root is a vegetable that contains little starch therefore doesn't mash easily. In order to use this vegetable you need to cut the outer skin like a pineapple. It is a task, but worth it in the end. Here is how to make this mashed potato recipe:

5 russet potatoes peeled and diced
1 large celery root peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste

 Put the potatoes and celery root in different pans of boiling water. They both take about the same time to cook ( 30 min). Once they are fork tender drain. Put the celery root in a blender or food processor with 1/2 of the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of butter until they become very fine. The potatoes go in a mixing bowl with 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of butter.

Mix the potatoes with the celery root mixture and then add salt and pepper to taste.

A fantastic red velvet cake recipe

Red Velvet Cake 

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• Pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• Butter, for pan

Frosting:

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make a paste out of the red food coloring, cocoa and salt. Remove bowl from stand mixer and mix in paste by hand to the creamed butter. In a measuring cup, stir eggs with buttermilk and add to batter. Mix in vinegar and vanilla, and then add flour and baking soda. Mix until combined but do not over mix.

Butter a sheet pan. Lay parchment on top. Butter the parchment. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top to even the batter out, using an offset spatula. Bake cake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Heat all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before using.

Invert cake onto a cutting board and slice into quarters from the longer side. To assemble cake, spread 1 of the quarters with some of the frosting to cover. Sprinkle with a quarter of the pecans. Add another layer of cake and repeat. Continue until last layer is added. Frost the top of that and sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Starting the journey to a happy life

As I am looking back on my life I have always wanted to make my parents proud. They dictated almost everything I did and I always wanted their approval. Now that I am 25 I am realizing that I am an adult and I don't need this approval anymore. I live for me and want to fix things in my life that are the outcome from this thinking. I have decided to go back to school to learn culinary arts. This is a big decision for me because I do have responsibilities that are not going to disappear. Whenever the future scares me I always come back to the present and say I don't want to have any regrets. I have a lot of people who have inspired me to chase my dreams and they are the people that keep me going every day. We have one life in this world and why waste it always making someone else happy? I have heard that people change their careers on an average of 5 times in a lifetime. If this is true then I am not a minority. Once I took a tour of the college I realized this is the place for me and I will do whatever it takes to get there. I will be writing more about my journey to culinary school; the struggles and the good times while going through this life change.

Gift idea for new mothers

I recently became an aunt to a little girl named Elleana. I was thinking about a gift that Erin (mother) and Mark (father) would really appreciate and need. I received a Omaha Steaks ad in the mail and a light bulb went off. There are meat packages available that are decently priced. I decided to mail them a package and it turned out to be the best gift.Since she was not able to drive just yet and Mark was back to work there was no time for shopping. They received meat for a couple of months and all that was needed was to defrost and cook.I think baby clothes, bottles, and blankets come in great demand when having a child, but food is a necessity. Everyone has to eat, but what better way then make it convenient. It seems that food is the last thing on a families mind with a newborn present. Feedings, naps, and diaper changes take priority over exhausting yourself to prepare a decent meal for the family. So in case you are looking for a great gift idea for new parents I have found this is a big hit.