Tuesdays Top Ten- Did you know these products/traditions come from Spain?

For World Cuisine we are working in the country of Spain this week.  I thought it was very interesting to learn about some of the products we are using.  So here is a quick guide to some of Spain's finest- there are certainly more than 10, but these 10 are the ones I found to be most fascinating to me.  

1. Sherry - A fortified wine made in Jerez in southern Spain.  It is Spanish law that Sherry must come from this specific area.  Sherry is different that other wines because of how it is fermented.  After fermentation Sherry is fortified with brandy.  Sherry vinegar is only allowed to be made with wines produced in "the Sherry region."



2. Pimientos - In central Spain you will discover that the Pimenton is an agricultural main source of income.  Pimientos are prepared by slowly being dried over smoldering oak logs for 10 to fifteen days, then hand turned 24 hours a day before processing.  Spain uses the majority of their pimenton's to flavor Chorizo, but it is also put together for sale to consumers.



3. Valencia Oranges - Beautiful!



4. Paella - A famous dish from Spain- this dish consists of  rice cooked with seafood, chicken or rabbit, scented with saffron and combined with a variety of homegrown vegetables.



5.  Sangria - This is a red wine mixed with fruit juices.



6.  Bacalao- salt-dried cod that is a staple for Spain's cuisine and used in a variety of ways to flavor dishes.



7.  Saffron - The stigma of the purple crocus flower, intensely fragrant, slightly bitter in taste.  By soaking saffron in warm water it produces a bright yellow-orange solution.  This looks beautiful in rice dishes like Risottos and Paella.



8.  Horchata - "Valencia's softdrink"- An off white milk with a toffee-like aroma served cold.



9.  Gazpacho - Vegetable soup served cold and made with ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and garlic



10. Tapas - A custom that originated in Andalusia in Southern Spain.  Tapa actually means "cover" and the first tapas were simply hunks of bread used as covers over glass to keep out fruit flies.  Later on the tradition became more elaborate and developed into small portions of food both hot or cold.  This is one of my favorite ways to dine.  There are different local restaurants in the area that offer this type of service but to date my favorite restaurant to feature this type of preparation is San Chez Bistro in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Hands down this was one of the best meals I have ever had.  I suggest you make a reservation the next time you are in the area.




http://www.sanchezbistro.com/

Monday's Plate- Test Kitchen Trials

The Clock is Ticking..........

In just under three weeks The Students and Faculty of Great Lakes Culinary Institute, along with the support of very generous local businesses, local wine vintners and many other community members will host The 2010 Tasters Guild Auction on February 26th.  As a representative in the student category, along with my teammates Ray and Mike, we have been commissioned to creatively and efficiently come up with a theme, and recipes to represent the country of India.  Eleven more countries will also be represented at this event by eleven additional student groups.  Each groups main attraction and focus being the food and flavors of their specific country.  Beyond the foods our booth can be whatever we would like just so long as it is representative of the country we are cooking for.  A lot of time and energy will be required to cover all the bases, the most important element being the foods we will serve.  That is why we spent almost four hours today working in the school kitchen testing out our Indian cuisine.   We were praying that we would get the results we were looking for the first round so that we could move on to many additional important details beyond the food.

This is an Indian Chicken Skewer idea we are working on

India's Naan Bread, An Assortment of Chutney's, Coconut Rice and Samosas

Thankfully the testing was pretty successful.  We were able to produce all of our recipes and make some important decisions about what was going to work and what would need a little more tweaking to be perfect for the big night.  By the end of production today we were all exhausted.  It was hard work trying to fit so many different ideas and recipes into a morning.  Thankfully our team is fully committed to delivering a great tasting experience to our guests.  Just a little more work in the kitchen on our recipes and we should be all set to prep all 400-600 items for each of our 4 items.  That is 2400 total- WOW- we have a lot of work to do!

Last week was another busy week in both of my lab classes. In Baking we are starting to really get into yeast breads.  My group made bagels and then a couple different cookie doughs.  Other groups were working on brownies, baguettes, dinner rolls, and more coffee cakes.  It is a lot of fun to see what everyone is doing since each group has different recipes to work on.  This is a picture of a bunch of goodies I brought home from class- A Pan Rustique Boule, Chocolate chunk cookies, Ginger Molasses Cookies, French Baguette and an assortment of Bagels.  It was all very yummy!

In World Cuisine we worked on Recipes that featured the British Isles.  This includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  To me this cuisine is very much like comfort food with Shepherds Pie and Savory Fish Dishes made with Salmon.

My Classmate Ray working on Piping Mashed Potatoes for the Shepherds Pie

Salmon in a Puff Pastry with a Wilted Spinach side

Grilled Salmon with an Orange Sauce and Braised Red Cabbage

This is the line up of plates once everyone has presented their plates for the Chef Instructor to evaluate.

Fennel and Red Onion salad with Tarragon dressing- I loved this!!

The work load for school is getting to be very heavy now, but I am trying my best to stay a week ahead in my homework and reading.  I am very much enjoying my classes and being a culinary student.  This experience is really tough at times, but I love the challenge.  It feels so great to accomplish all these things and to be learning so much from such talented and skillful teachers.  This program I am enrolled in is amazing, the support and encouragement from all the staff is priceless!

Chef Steph -Taste Testing our Hard Work

My Armenian Roots- A World Cuisine Class Paper -

“Are you an Indian girl?”  You look like and Indian!” said the two nine-year-old boys to me in the elementary school lunch line.  I didn’t know what to say because nobody had ever asked me that question before and they obviously weren’t inquiring because they were actually interested if I was an Indian.  These statements had an intention of teasing me.  At nine years I had not figured out how to interact with these boys without feeling just plain hurt.  Their laughing at me could have made me feel very self-conscience, but little did I know that this very moment would turn out to be one of my life’s defining moments, thanks in part to an amazing rescue by my best friend Ashley. 

            The defense I didn’t know how to articulate came instead from Ashley who, with hands on her hips and in a very justified and prideful tone told those two boys “She is not an Indian stupid, Stephie is an Armenian!”  Her confident stance created a seismic shift within my heart, and for the first time in my life I felt special because of my family heritage and ethnic background.  Ever since that time I have carefully paid attention to the stories and information that make my Armenian heritage unique and special in the melting pot of this world’s diverse cultures. 

  

Grandma's 80th Birthday Party

            The majority of my memories that make up my personal ethnic background are centered on family gatherings and the food that we served at potlucks and summer grill- outs when we were together.  All of my experience with these delicious and flavorful Armenian dishes are directly the result of my Grandma and maybe even more so from my own mother who always incorporated the traditional elements of Armenian cuisine in our family dinners.  My Grandma Rose is 100% Armenian, my own mother 50%, making me a strong 25%.  The other nationalities and ethnic make-up I am aware of do not seem to carry the weight of my Armenian counterparts.  I also look the part of an Armenian with my darker traits: Brown eyes, brunette hair, olive skin tone. 

Me and my Sister Jen with Grandma during a visit

            Some of the foods I ate while growing up included Rice Pilaf, Shish Kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, baba ganoush, hummus and Baklava, just to name a few of my favorites.  When plans were made to have Grandma stay for a visit, or we were taking a trip downstate to see my mother’s family, rice pilaf was a staple within ever meal.  The pilaf that my family makes is rather simple and only contains salt and pepper as a seasoning, but this lends the pilaf dish an opportunity to be a foundation within a meal.  It tastes amazing with searing hot grilled shish kebob veggies lay over top.  As kids we loved to eat rice pilaf with corn on the cob, the combination was always delicious.

Stuffed Grape Leaves- Yum!!

            Grandma would always talk to us about her favorite places to get Greek type food where she lives in Warren downstate Michigan.  She always related it to Armenian cuisine.  This is probably because the Greeks and Armenians have historical influences on one another, and from what I have learned Armenian cuisine is rich in featuring Middle Eastern and Mediterranean practices too.

Me and my mom working in the kitchen

            I have had many conversations with my mom and grandma about our Armenian influences and even more recently about the cuisine.  I have a daughter now too and I hope to pass these same Armenian traditions on to her, especially since she inherited the appearance that outwardly sets us apart as Armenians.  She hasn’t told me about ever being teased like I experienced in third grade, but she is already aware that her Great Grandma Rose is very special based on where she comes from.  We all realize that now is the time to ask the questions and learn as much as we can from Grandma about where we come from.  Both of my children will tell you that rice pilaf is among their favorites when it comes to dinnertime and they are very aware of its special origins.  Apparently my Mom’s pilaf is still a little better than mine though, but she has 20 years more experience on me in that category, so that is OK.  

Tuesdays Top Ten- Adjectives for Good Food

As a chef, our only hope is that you 
will find that the food we so creatively
and lovingly prepare for you is either exactly what you expected or even more wonderfully and deliciously surprising than anything you have ever experienced before.  There are certain words we wait in anticipation to hear.  There is such great power in words that there is only one exception to words and that is a clean plate.  

Otherwise we wait to hear what you have to say so that we know whether or not we have hit the mark or if we need to go back to the kitchen cutting board and rework our preparation.  This top ten is once again in no particular order.  I thought it was interesting to see the definitions of these words and think about why they are so important to any of us who enjoy putting together ingredients to make good food.  We all slice and dice, bake and cook, or decorate and compose food for different reasons and people.  No matter the reason we decide to work with food, we do it in order to taste something pleasing and to also sustain our lives and the people we prepare it for.  -All definitions courtesy of:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com

1. Delicious -  adj. Highly pleasing or agreeable to the senses, especially of taste or smell.

2.  Yummy - adj. yum·mi·er, yum·mi·est Slang

    Very pleasing to the taste or smell; delicious. 

3.  Tasty - adj. tast·i·er, tast·i·est

1. Having a pleasing flavor; savory.

2. Having or showing good taste; tasteful.

4.  Lovely - (My class teammate Ray loves this word) 
         adj. love·li·er, love·li·est

1. Full of love; loving.

2. Inspiring love or affection.

3. Having beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as to the eye. See Synonyms at beautiful.

4. Enjoyable; delightful.

5.  Scrumptious - adj.

Splendid; delectable

6.  Pleasant - adj. pleas·ant·er, pleas·ant·est

1. Giving or affording pleasure or enjoyment; agreeable: a pleasant scene; pleasant sensations.

2. Pleasing in manner, behavior, or appearance.

7.  Luscious - adj.

1. Sweet and pleasant to taste or smell: a luscious melon. 

2. Having strong sensual or sexual appeal; seductive.

3. Richly appealing to the senses or the mind: a luscious, vivid description.

4. Archaic Excessively sweet; cloying.

8.  Enticing - en·ticed, en·tic·ing, en·tic·es

To attract by arousing hope or desire; lure:

9.  Mouthwatering - adj.

Appealing to the sense of taste; appetizing: the mouthwatering aroma of a baking pie.

10. Delightful - adj.

Greatly pleasing.

Some Runners- up (These words don't necessarily roll off the tongue, but they will work too)


I would love to hear of any you think I may have left out?


Delectable
Appetizing
Appealing
Lip smacking 
Palatable
Edible
Toothsome
Tempting
Attractive
Alluring
Interesting

Focaccia Bread at Home

The most deliciously wonderful bread, is the one that comes from your own oven.  We can all bake our own bread, but as I learned this evening there is a big difference between my home kitchen and the school kitchen.  It does help when you can bring home an arsenal of newly practiced skills from Intro to Baking Class.  Also- having a Chef Instructor who is highly committed to his students fully understanding the baking fundamentals and mastering the skills is valuable too~ its practically priceless.

I had a few obstacles to overcome this evening, for example:

-It was 55 degrees in my house when I got home- not a very warm atmosphere for bench resting and proofing breads- but I made it work the best I could.
-My oven is a piece of Junk basically- I had a very hard time keeping it at the 400 degrees required to bake the bread.  My new Martha Stewart oven thermometer has been quite a tattle-tale when it comes to the truth of my oven's real interior temps.  When the beeper goes off to signal the oven is preheated- ITS A LIE!!!  If I set the oven to 400 degrees, it tells me it is preheated at 210 degrees.  If I wait another 10 minutes then it is closer to temp.  Maybe I opened the oven door too often and that is why I couldn't maintain 400.  Either way I don't trust the oven, so my only for sure way of knowing my bread is cooked is to use my thermometer.  Internal temp of 190 is the goal, at least we made it to that tonight.  I was worried.

-I should have known better that my KitchenAid mixer was not set up for 4 lbs of dough.  She was working pretty hard to knead the flour, water, yeast and salt mixture that I dumped in it at the start.  She did it, but next time I may cut the batch in half to keep her happy.  I love that mixer and I need to make sure I am not asking too much.  I would be devastated if she collapsed!
-I forgot the rules about checking the dough after bench resting and the fermentation steps.  I think I guessed right about the desired elasticity of the dough, but apparently I will need to review these skills with Chef Fred at the next class.  That way I won't question what I am doing.

My Husband Tod said the resting dough looked like a pair of breasts- Nice :)

I am really glad I decided to make this bread at home.  It was a very insightful lesson about how important it is to know the basics so that you can cope with working in different atmospheres.  At school we feel protected and we have an instructor right by our side. Out on our own we have to rely a little bit more on our own instincts.  Making bread at home ends up being very tastefully rewarding, its a ton of fun, its super easy- especially with the KitchenAid I have found-  and it makes the entire house smell amazing!

Tonight I decided to make some bread

It would be a scrumptious way to keep my family fed

I put it in the oven with lots of love and care

Here is a fresh baked loaf I can't wait to share

Enjoy! ~With Love~ Chef Stef Shef

Tuesday's Top Ten: The Line-Up

You better get it right the first time- Or they will send you packing!!!

Ok, its not really that dramatic- but it is important that you get it right the first time, and every time.   From our very first culinary class with kitchen lab we have been taught "first impressions are everything!"  At least these specific impressions are important to our chef instructors, since our daily class points exclusively rely on these ten major requirements- even before we start cooking in the kitchen.  


Its called the "Line-Up."  Each of us students stands in a line, shoulder to shoulder with our hands out in front of us like we are little kids in catholic school waiting to be smacked for being naughty.  The Chef Instructor walks up and down the line inspecting us all quite literally from head to toe, hats to shoes.  He is looking us carefully over to make sure we paid attention to all the crucial criteria and guidelines that have been set for us to follow.  If he catches something, he lets us know that we need to fix it right away.  All the while in this "line-up" we are standing in a hallway where other instructors and classmates from other classes can watch.  It doesn't feel too awkward after the first or second class.  I look at it as preparation for when I am a professional in the field someday.  Hopefully I can accomplish my own "line-up" in front of the mirror and pay attention to all the details that will be important for my own success.  Every morning I worry I will forget something, so far that concern has helped me come prepared every time.


Here is the Top Ten, in no particular order requirements to pass "Line Up" Successfully:


1.  HAT-  First of all you have to have your chef's hat.  Second it should be clean and white with no fuzzy things all over it.  Nobody likes our required hats, but since we all have to wear them we get over it.


2.  HAIR-  Your hair must be up inside your hat, especially if it is long, and I have seen my classmates fit a lot of hair into their hat so no excuses.  For the guys if you have any facial hair it must be trimmed to less than an inch, and no scruff!


3.  JEWELRY-  Heaven forbid you lose a piece of jewelry in the food!!  We are allowed a very minimal amount of jewelry.  Our earrings have to be small posts that do not hang off of the ear. Two piercings max on our ears- any other piercing is not permitted, no exceptions, no other visible places like your nose or eye brow, wherever.  And we are only allowed one wedding band preferably without a diamond.  A watch must be pinned to our coat, and no visible necklaces too.  





4.  MAKE-UP-  Become a minimalist and store the blue eye shadow for the weekends, k?  Basically do not go overboard in the category.   Also make sure to smell good, but not too good.  Nobody wants to pass out from excessive amounts of somebody's perfume.


5.  CHEF COAT and PANTS-  These are the basis of what keeps us all equal- our official Culinary Institute uniforms.  It is expected that our coats be pressed with an iron and glowing white.  We must only wear our checkered pants to class.  We have a pair of black pants too, but those are only for special events.


6.  UNDER SHIRT-  It better be white and don't even try to wear a white t-shirt with any kind of writing on it.  I own  a lot of white running race shirts, but they are useless for school.  It shows through the coat and Chef will see it- I promise!


7.  APRON-  White, clean, basic apron.  If you forget yours this is the only item that Chef will help and give a little mercy with by getting you one from the laundry store room for that class period.


8.  HANDS-  Hold them out, they better be clean, nails trimmed unbearably short, no nail polish if that is your thing,  any cuts better have a bandage on them and you better plan on wearing gloves if you do have open sores.  When it comes to food preparation our hands are the most important tool to keep clean.  Wash your digits first thing when you get to the kitchen, wash them as often as possible.

9.  TOOLS-  Our chef's coats have a side arm pocket.  In that pocket we must have our Thermometer, a Pen, a Sharpie marker and any extra writing utensils that we feel are important.  If we don't have these items, we better find one fast.  They are essential to our work and we can't proceed without them.

10.  SHOES and SOCKS-  Black shoes, this means no open heeled clogs, and no tennis shoes with Nike symbols.  As black as black can be- there are some great companies that make shoes for Chef's.  I was cheap and bought an ugly pair from Walmart to get me through until I am ready to splurge on good sturdy ones.  I just haven't found the right ones yet.  Oh and wear plain black or white socks.  Christmas socks and socks with multi color stripes are not permitted.  No room for individuality here, not even with the socks.

Monday's Plate- My Favorite Roasted Tomato Basil Soup- "Lava Soup"

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

I am going to share with you my recipe for my favorite soup. It is quick and easy and in my opinion "Super Tasty!" The inspiration or model for this soup came from a Tyler Florence recipe on Tyler's Ultimate/Food Network. I took the basics for Tyler's soup and then added my own spin to it, and maybe made it a little bit healthier too! If you get a chance to make it- let me know what you think. It is a great "pick me up" soup with a wedge of good crusty sour dough bread to dip.

Chef's Note- When I make this recipe I really don't pay attention to amounts- I just throw it together depending on what I have- but this is basically the way it goes- there are a few variables in amounts depending on how much you like garlic or basil. Also you can peel and seed the fresh tomatoes if you like- it may make the soup a little sweeter- I like the rustic feel and taste of keeping the whole tomato :)

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup- Lava Soup

Ingredients:

4-6 cups whole Tomatoes quartered

(I have used my home canned tomatoes- But fresh is best- Summer's Best!)

1 Large Onion Ends trimmed, paper removed and Cut into Wedges

3-6 Cloves of Garlic left whole or slightly crushed

(depending on how much you like garlic use more or less)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

(enough to drizzle over the tomato/garlic/onion and toss to coat evenly)

Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

2 cups Vegetable Broth

2-3 tablespoons or Fresh Basil Minced

Method:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Place Tomatoes, onion wedges, and garlic into a roasting pan- drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and place in oven on top rack. Stir ingredients in pan after 15 minutes, the onions and tomatoes should be started to get a toasted look to them- Roast for an additional 15 minutes.

-While tomato mix is roasting, heat up the vegetable broth and keep warm in a medium to large stock pot.

-Remove the roasted tomato mix from the oven and add it to the warmed broth

- Bring to a boil- constantly stirring -for one-two minutes

-Remove from heat and use a stick blender to puree the ingredients until smooth. (A standard blender will work too- just work in batches and be careful with the hot liquid)

-Once the soup is pureed add the minced Basil and stir it in.

-Hold the soup on a low heat until ready to serve.

This soup reheats really nicely too- Stellar Eats, a Stephie Sheffer's Kitchen Treat!