Anatomy and Physiology

I have always wanted to take an anatomy class and although I missed out on my opportunity while I was in college, the last week of culinary school has felt like a crash course. The first day of meat fabrication wasn't too bad because we were working with poultry and having an entire chicken or duck on your cutting board makes identifying anatomy easier. Unfortunately, growing up as a vegetarian has resulted in me having incredibly limited knowledge and experience when it comes to working with meat. When we moved on to working with primal cuts of beef, veal, pork, and lamb, I was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of raw meat on my cutting board. It's also a lot more difficult to identify an animals anatomy when you're only given the loin or a Boston Butt (which it turns out, actually comes from a pigs shoulder).

Knowing where on an animal each cut of meat is coming from is important because it determines both the type of flesh and the type of cooking method that would best enhance its texture and flavor. For example, from the loin primal cut of beef you get the short loin, the tenderloin, the round, and the flank. The tenderloin comes from a muscle called psoas major which sits beneath the ribs right next to the backbone. It does almost no work and is probably the most tender piece of meat you can find on a cow. The fact that the tenderloin doesn't do much for the cow means that a cut such as filet mignon, which comes from the small forward end of the tenderloin, has very little flavor. Mario Batali says, "Filet mignon is the Paris Hilton of meats. There's nothing there...everyone wants a piece of it but no one knows why".* In contrast, the flank has more flavor because it is part of the cows abdominal muscles which are used more often. Achieving good texture from a flank steak requires a moist heat cooking method such as braising.

The day we were working with veal was a little scary because Chef Chris was constantly reminding us that if we screwed up we would ruin $180 worth of meat. I learned how to prepare a rack from the foresaddle and then cut some massive veal chops which we will be stuffing with fontina cheese and porcini mushrooms in a later lesson.

All of the trimming and bones that we collected from our meat fabrication was used to make stocks. Tomorrow we are straining the last of our stocks and on Thursday we will be using them as we start our unit on sauces.

*Chewing the Fat: Batali and Bourdain on Paris Hilton

Fonds de Cuisine

I hope I never have to kill another lobster. Although stabbing it through the head with a knife is much kinder than boiling the lobster alive, just the thought of it gives me shivers. Worse than killing the lobster though was trying to dismember it while it was still twitching. Ugh...it was a rough day, but overall I'm glad I had the experience because I believe that if I am going to eat something I should know where it came from and how it got on my plate. I'm also glad that I do not like the taste of lobster.

In general, shellfish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (octopus and squid) all creep me out. In todays class we learned how to clean and prepare clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, shrimp, and calamari. I ate my first raw oyster and its wasn't too bad, although it mostly tasted like the mignonette sauce that I ate it with.

Today was also the day first day of our education in making stock. Stocks, aka fonds de cuisine, truly are the foundations of French cooking because they are used as the basis for almost every sauce. By definition, a stock is a flavorful liquid prepared by simmering bones from meat, poultry, or seafood, and mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrots, 1 part celery), in water with aromatics.* I confess the only reason I am telling you all this information is because I have to memorize it for my exam next week and writing about it helps me to remember it, but hopefully you will find it a least a little bit interesting.

There are two basic types of stock: white stock and brown stock. The main difference is in a brown stock you brown the bones and mirepoix in the oven before simmering them. You also add tomato paste in a process called pinçage, which is just a fancy word that means to brown or caramelize a tomato product.* Today we made white fish stock, shrimp stock, and lobster stock, but today was just the beginning. Next week we are making vegetable stock, mushroom stock, brown duck stock, chicken stock, white veal stock, brown veal stock, white rabbit stock, and pork stock. Just looking at that list is daunting because making stock is a lot of work: cleaning the bones, chopping the mirepoix, skimming constantly, straining the stock, and washing the dishes. A good stock is both beautiful and delicious, so even though it's a lot of work, it's definitely worth it.

*The Professional Chef, 8th Edition from The Culinary Institute of America

Facing my Fears and Fabricating Fish

Something about fish eyes totally freaks me out. Over the summer when my sister and I were traveling in Spain I managed to accidentally order a whole grilled fish that wouldn't stop staring at me from the plate. I couldn't handle it and ended up trading dinners with my sister. Today that fish came back to haunt me.

We started out by watching Chef Chris demonstrate how to properly fillet both round fish and flat fish. Then we were each given a flounder, a bass, and a mackerel to try filleting on our own. All the fish had bright, shiny eyes and every time I had to touch a fishes head, I shuddered a little bit on the inside.

The first two fillets I produced were pretty bad. It's important not to hack at the fish and tear at the flesh by sawing at it (which is of course what I immediately started doing...I'm sorry fish). By the time I finished my last fillet, I was just getting the hang of following the bone and making one smooth cut from the head to tail. Creating a beautiful fillet is going to require a lot of practice but now that I know the theory and have tried it a few times, I can keep practicing on my own. Tomorrow we are using all of the fish bones and heads that were left over to make a white fish stock.

And I have to kill a lobster...

Flavored Oils

"Don't throw anything away...The only thing I can't use is a bad attitude." - Chef Chris

Anyone can cook well with expensive ingredients. The difference between a good cook and a great cook is the ability to make something extraordinary with ingredients no one else wants to use. Chef Chris is a great cook and he is trying to teach my class how to be creative and resourceful like himself. Today we learned how to make an infused herb oil with herbs that some of the other classes were throwing away. We also learned how to make garlic oil, green oil, tomato coulis, and tomato water.

For the herb oil, you can make as much or as little as you want depending on how many herbs you have laying around. We had a lot of herbs so we made a lot of oil. The recipe below is meant for inspiration and probably should not be followed. Copy the methodology and be creative!

5 cups olive oil

5 cups canola oil

50 grams cilantro

50 grams parsley

20 grams marjoram

20 grams sage

15 grams rosemary

15 grams oregano

15 grams thyme

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

5 bay leaves

2 heads garlic (~120 grams) with the roots cut off and sliced in half like a bagel

Combine all the ingredients and let the oil simmer on the stove for about one hour. Strain before using.

The green oil is essentially another version of the herb oil with an emphasis on appearance rather than flavor (although it tastes good too). In order to preserve the color of the herbs, you have to blanch them in lots of salted boiling water just like you would with any other green vegetable. You effort will be rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous oil that has a vibrant green color. Again, you can use any herbs you have laying around but this time try to stick to the more delicate herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, and tarragon. Here are the proportions we used in class:

2 1/2 cups olive oil

2 1/2 cups canola oil

400 grams fresh green herbs, reserve stems for another use

Cheesecloth

String

Blanch the herbs in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove them from the water and plunge them into an ice bath until they are cold. Squeeze out as much water as possible, roughly chop the herbs, and place them into a blender or food processor with the oil. Blend until you have a very fine puree. Line a bowl with a few layers of cheesecloth and have a piece of sting on hand. Pour the herb puree into the cheese cloth. Gather the edges of the cloth and create a pouch by tying the ends together with the string. Watch as the beautiful green oil drips out of the cheesecloth and into the bowl. Don't rush the dripping process by squeezing the pouch or you will end up with a cloudy oil. Tie the pound to something in your kitchen and let it continue dripping for a few hours. Unfortunately this oil will turn brown after 2-3 days in the fridge. So after you make the oil, freeze it in ice cube trays and thaw out a couple of cubes every time you want to use it.

For the last few days I have been practicing my medium dice potato both in class and as homework. As a result, my fridge was overflowing with potato scraps so today I decided to try making some healthy mashed potatoes. I boiled my potatoes in salted water, strained them, and mashed them with a fork. I whisked in some of the herb oil we made today in class and about one cup of vegetable broth. I probably would have added some cream or butter because they obviously were not as good as the potatoes we made the other day in class, but there was none in the fridge and I was too lazy to go to the grocery store. I ended up mixing in the leftover spicy mayonnaise from yesterday. The potatoes still weren't as fluffy or as creamy, but they tasted good and I will definitely make them again the next time my fridge is bursting with potato scraps.

Making Emulsions

Today we learned about measurements. It is important to recognize if a recipe is giving directions based on weight or volume. If a recipe gives directions by weight, such as ounces or grams, use a scale. If measurements are given by volume, such as cups or fluid ounces, don't use a scale. Here are some useful volumetric conversions copied over directly from my notes:

1 cup = 8 fluid oz

2 cups = 16 fl oz = 1 pint

4 cups = 32 fl oz = 2 pints = 1 quart

16 cups = 128 fl oz = 8 pints = 4 quarts = 1 gallon

1 liter = 33.3 fl oz

2 tablespoons = 1 fl oz

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

As exciting as culinary math is, the highlight of todays class was making a vinaigrette and some mayonnaise which are both emulsions of oil and vinegar. An emulsion is a mixture of two or more immiscible liquids. The key to making an emulsion is adding a stabilizing agent which will prevent the oil and vinegar from separating. In mayonnaise, lecithin from egg yolks is the stabilizing agent while in a vinaigrette, mustard or a vegetable puree will act as a stabilizing agent.

When you are making a vinaigrette the oil and vinegar should be in a 3:1 ratio. You can use any type of oil and any type of vinegar. The only exception is if you are using a balsamic vinegar in which case you should use a 1:1 ratio for the oil and vinegar. Here is the recipe that I used in class:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

4 fl oz red wine vinegar

6 fl oz olive oil

6 fl oz canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

optional flavorings: herbs, spices, minced garlic, minced shallots

Combine everything in a bowl except the oil. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously. The whisking motion comes from your wrist so if your arm is getting tired you are probably doing something wrong.

I always imagined that making mayonnaise was some incredibly difficult task that took years of experience to master. It turns out all you need is good technique and a good recipe.The concept for making mayonnaise is essentially the same as for making a vinaigrette. All of your ingredients go into a bowl except for the oil. The oil is added very slowly in a constant, steady stream while you whisk. It is important to add the oil slowly because otherwise your mayonnaise will not get thick. You should also be as accurate as possible when measuring the ingredients. Mayonnaise is all about balance. Not enough egg yolk or too much oil and your emulsion will break. Not enough vinegar and your mayonnaise will taste flat. I chose to make spicy mayonnaise but if you want regular mayonnaise just don't mix in the chili sauces at the end.

1 egg yolk, reserve egg white for another use

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or rice vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon water

1 pinch salt

1 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon sambal + 1 tablespoon sriracha (whisk in at the end)

Blanching Green Vegetables and Making Mashed Potatoes

Disclaimer: The recipes I am sharing on this blog are not healthy. In order to make food that tastes amazing, you have to use fat (butter, cream, oil). You are not obligated to try any of these recipes, but I highly recommend that you do. According to Chef Chris, "The number one killer in America is misery," so enjoy your food and eat it in moderation.

Before I tell you how I learned to make incredibly creamy, fluffy, makes me go weak in the knees delicious mashed potatoes, I must introduce you to the exciting topic of blanching green vegetables. Today we learned that almost anything you are cooking on the stove should be brought to a boil and then turned down to a simmer except two things: pasta and green vegetables. Green vegetables should be cooked in lots of boiling salted water. Adding salt has two purposes; it seasons the vegetables and raises the boiling point of the water which makes your vegetables cook faster. Once you add the vegetables to the boiling water, let them cook for a little while and then taste one. There is no set amount of time that they need to cook and as Chef Chris says, "The kitchen is all about common sense," so take them out of the water when they taste done. For me this turned out to be harder than it sounds. I cooked three separate batches of green beans before I got the okay from Chef Chris that I could move on to cooking broccoli. Regardless of what vegetable you are cooking, as soon as they taste done, remove them from the boiling water and serve then immediately or plunge them into an ice bath so that they stop cooking.

Alright, now lets move on to the exciting stuff. One potato will yield about one cup of mashed potatoes so adjust the recipe accordingly.

You will need:

4 potatoes, peeled

1/2 cup of cream + 1/2 cup of milk (or 1 cup of half an half)

1 1/2 sticks of butter diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Roughly chop the potatoes into approximately two inch cubes. Place them into a large sauce pan an cover with water. Season the water generously and when you think you have added enough salt, add a little bit more just for good measure. Put your pot on the fire and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and let the potatoes simmer until they offer no resistance when pierced with a fork and can be easily mashed with your finger or the flat side of a knife. While the potatoes are simmering, put the cream, milk, olive oil, and 1 stick of the diced butter into a separate pan and also bring it to a boil. Don't walk away from the stove or it will probably boil over like mine did. When it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and set the mixture aside to be used later. Process the potatoes as soon as they are done and never shock potatoes with cold water like you would green vegetables because they will absorb too much water and become runny.

For the next step you have a couple of different options depending on the equipment you have available. If you have a KitchenAid mixer with a whisk attachment, put in your potatoes and keep the speed low. You could also use a food mill, ricer, or you could mash the potatoes by hand. Which ever option you choose to follow, slowly whisk in the cream mixture and season to taste. When you think the potatoes are perfect and you're thinking about eating them all right out of the mixing bowl, whisk in the half stick of butter that you cubed earlier and season them again. If you aren't serving the potatoes immediately, store them covered in the refrigerator. They can be reheated in the microwave or oven before serving.

If you are interested in trying some variations on the traditional mashed potato, you could stir in some chopped parsley or chives at the end. You could make garlicky potatoes by stirring in some garlic puree or using garlic oil instead or olive oil. If you are thinking there is no way you could eat potatoes with so much butter, try replacing the cream mixture with some vegetable broth and olive oil. This is a very basic recipe so experiment with it and see what happens. I'll let you know if I come up with anything good!

Knife Skills

The main focus of our last two days of class have been knife skills. After spending an hour chopping mirepoix, which is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery that goes into every stock, we learned how to hone our knives on a steel to keep them super sharp. We learned how to blanch and peel tomatoes, cut a chiffonade, and mince parsley for a garnish. Next came the medium dice potato.

“The medium dice potato is going to drive you crazy” – Chef Chris

A medium dice is ½ an inch by a ½ an inch by a ½ an inch. And it has to be perfect. Practicing for half an hour made me realize just how difficult this is. Four potatoes later, I was still producing rectangles of various sizes and shapes. Luckily no one in my class was doing any better so I didn’t feel too bad. Knowing what I need to do but not being able to control my hand with enough precision is incredibly frustrating. I was sent home with two potatoes to medium dice, a bell better to small dice, and two cloves a garlic to mince. I guess practice makes perfect.

I also came home with all of the potatoes I attempted to medium dice in class and about 2 pounds of cheese. I made potato leek soup for dinner and ate some of the cheese with a bottle of Rioja I picked up from a wine shop down the street. The reason I have so much cheese in my fridge is because yesterday we also had a lesson on cheese. Each student was assigned a cheese and asked to present it in front of the class. Of the twenty or so cheeses that we tried, my favorites were chèvre, mozzarella di bufala, explorateur, pont leveque, taleggio, pecorino romano, gorgonzola, and roquefort.

Other than eating massive amounts of cheese and attempting to avoid chopping my fingers off while I learn to use my new 10” chef’s knife, I also attended a cooking demonstration with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. I didn’t know anything about him when I showed up on Thursday night, but it turns out he is pretty famous. He received three stars from the NY Times at the age of 24 while he was working at Aquavit and he is currently in the process of opening a new restaurant in Harlem called the Red Rooster. He also won the second season of Top Chef Masters and cooked in the White House for President Obama’s first state dinner. It was really interesting to hear him talk about his thought process in the kitchen and his sources of inspiration for the Red Rooster. We watched him make Fois Gras Ganache with Quince Chutney and Fried Chicken with Spicy Ketchup and then tasted everything. It was delicious!

An Education in Organization

I generally consider myself a clean and organized person. In comparison to the high standards in Chef Chris's kitchen, I feel like a slob. The focus of today's lesson was on sanitation. We learned how to properly set up each station in preparation for the days cooking and how to break down and clean every surface after class. Every single container, from the tupperware holding the salt to the plastic squirt bottle with the red wine, is supposed to be labeled. There is masking tape at each table and we are required to carry a sharpie in the pocket of our chefs jacket at all times. It takes about twenty minutes to set up the kitchen properly and although it seems a little excessive right now, I'm sure that when we get busy cooking all this preparation will be worth it.

Next Monday is our first exam. It will cover food safety, equipment identification, and herb identification. Considering I was a biology major in college and I used to work in a food safety lab, I think the food safety section should be pretty easy. On the other hand, equipment identification is surprisingly difficult. Today we covered a bunch of stuff I had never heard of before, including this nifty broiler-type device called a salamander. We have also been practicing herb identification for the last two days. I am doing pretty well except that I have a hard time differentiating between curly parsley and chervil.

Well, I did some research* and it turns out that chervil is also called French parsley and has a subtle anise-parsley flavor. Both chervil and parsley are herbs of the carrot family and are mainly used as garnishes. I don’t know what would possess you to go out and pick wild chervil, but if the thought ever crosses your mind I would be careful because it looks very similar to the poisonous hemlock plant.

*On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee

The First Day of School

I must have woken up and looked at the clock ten times last night, every time hoping that it was six o’clock so I could get up and start getting ready. At five-thirty I finally gave into the anticipation and got out of bed. Although I usually get excited for the first day of school, this year the excitement was practically unbearable because this year I’m going to culinary school! Rather than picking out my clothes the night before and making sure I had new notebooks and enough pencils, I prepared for class by ironing my uniform and organizing my tool kit. After a difficult journey on the train that involved far too many heavy bags, I finally made it to The Institute of Culinary Education. The first thing I was given when I checked in for class was a massive (and outrageously heavy) bag of textbooks. As much as I love books, the thought of trying to bring them home on the train was terrifying. Luckily, I wasn’t given much time to contemplate the task because I was issued a locker and told to go and change into my uniform.

When I saw everyone dressed up in their brand new chefs coats with crisp white aprons tied around their waists, I started to see the appeal of our uniforms. Everyone looked clean and professional, although I’m pretty sure that I looked ridiculous standing around in clothes that were too big for me wearing a funny white hat. Sometime during the next two hours of orientation, as the air became saturated with the smell of butter from other kitchens, I realized that my clothes are too big because I am meant to grow into them.

After what seemed like an eternity of sitting in a cold kitchen and listening to information about attendance and grading, Chef Andrew finally handed out our knife kits. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled when I received my tool kit with lots of utensils and other nifty kitchen supplies. But opening up the new box of Wusthof knives and admiring the sharp and shiny blades was better than Christmas and my birthday put together. Chef Chris was kind enough to lend me his engraver so after trekking home with my absurd amount of stuff, I promptly sat down and spent an hour etching my name into each and every blade.

I think the first day of school turned out to be a success. I can’t wait to see what we are doing tomorrow!