Round Fish

What is the common British English word that the Brits use to talk about reviewing for a test? I guess it's not important, but I've been thinking about that word only because I have a test this Monday. It'll be my third test, yet I feel a bit unprepared and unsure of myself with this one.  Anyways, I'm going to use this blog post to "review" for my test.

On the Fifth Day, God Made Fish... And all of mankind said, YUM.

In this lesson, we focused on heat and how it affects food:
How does it affect food? One important aspect of heat on protein is that proteins denature, or break down, and they coagulate, or knit new bonds with each other and with sugars. The food may change in texture, appearance, or even taste, depending on how much heat is applied. So another principle that we are revisiting is Maillard reactions. This time, it's important to note that 250ºF is an important number. At 250ºF, sugars and amino acids start bonding, forming new unstable molecules that continue to change with more heat. We see surface caramelization, or browning, and find flavors intensifying as proteins denature and coagulate. As for starches, when they are heated between 150ºF~212ºF, they absorb nearby water, soften, and become a less opaque, or they gelatinize. That's why starches are a good way to thicken a soup or to bound a sauce. Heating food with a lot of water in them will find its texture and flavor to change due to water evaporation. And heat allows fats to be a good cooking medium for browning foods, and retaining moisture during cooking.

• Heat denatures proteins and helps with coagulation.
• Heat facilitates the Maillard reactions between protein and carbs, starting at 250ºF, causing browning and enhancing flavor.
• Heat causes gelatinization of starches at 150ºF~212ºF.
• Heat evaporates the water in food, leading to texture and flavor changes
• Heat allows fats to be a great cooking medium for browning foods, and retaining moisture.

There are three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction requires direct contact. Convection sees the transfer of heat from one place to another by the movement of fluids. Radiation is energy emitted by matter as electromagnetic waves.

Various combination of heat transfer is used to cook. There are three cooking technique categories: dry, moist, and mixed. Dry will brown the food, whereas moist will heat food quicker, while supplying flavors from other ingredients.

• Dry technique: grilling, frying, baking, and broiling
• Moist technique: boiling, simmering, and poaching

There are many different ways to categorize fish. One way is by their fat content. Lean (demersal), medium, and fatty (pelagic). Another way, and for the purpose of this course, we classify fish based on their skeletal structure: round fish or flatfish.

When choosing a fish, check the following: (F.AGES)

• Firm flesh? a firm and intact stomach; a tightly closed anal cavity; firm and resistant to the touch
• Appearance? Shiny and brilliant, scales in place
• Gills? Bright red, moist and full of blood
• Eyes? Bright, shiny, and convex eyes
• Smell? a clean, fresh odor; fish that smells of the water it came from; should not be "fishy"

Then process the fish by dressing it (or scaling, plucking, or otherwise cleaning fish, poultry, or game):

• Remove fins (Fins)
• Scale the fish (Scales)
• Open the belly from the anus to the gills (INnards)
• Remove the gills and the entire intestinal tract (Gills)
• Thoroughly rinse the belly cavity with cold water (Rinse)

Remember to S.IN.G F(orward)/R(everse). In class, everything was pretty much done for us. We only had to remove the fins and the gills.

Round fish are cut into fillets (boneless sides), darnes (steaks, a cross section cut with the vertebra intact), and tronçons (multiple steaks).  To be honest, I still don't get what a tronçon cut would be. I googled it, but I'm not clear.

And we cooked fish in two different methods.  One method was en papillote. A fillet of lean, white fish, like a bass, which had been skinned, was used. On a piece of parchment paper, we placed tomato fondue and mushroom duxelles. We then placed the fillet, which had been in refrigerated with vegetable oil, salt, and thyme sprig, on top. Then on top of that a vegetable garniture, consisting of julienne of carrots, leeks, and celery cooked à l'étuvée, was place. A bit of white wine and garniture juice was splashed on top. The parchment paper was folded over the fish and sealed with the beaten egg whites.  The papillote was then placed in the preheated (450ºF) oven for about 7 to 8 minutes. The papillote should be completely puffed up. The techniques involved in this are baking, braising, and steaming.

The other method was a variation of the à la meunière, or the miller's wife's style. Here, we pan-fried a fillet of trout, skin intact and lightly floured only on the skin side, in butter. Once the fish has been cooked, a whole lot of butter is added to the pan and browned to the noisette (hazelnut) stage. That butter is called beurre noisette. We then added lemon juice and capers to the beurre noisette, to make this dish a poisson à la grenobloise. We sauced up the fish and topped it with diced lemon flesh and croutons.

Week 4 in Review

So, I have not been very good at updating this blog. Hmm... something has to change here. But because I do want to keep a record of my culinary education, I'm going to press on and provide a highlight of my week 4.

1. I Still Can't Define What a Salad is.
Salads are so obvious, yet if someone would ask me now, "What is a salad?," I won't seem to be able to put it in words. I mean I did memorize it for my test. But after I took the test, the definition provided by my textbook has gone out my brain window. Okay, so I'm looking it up now. Quoting verbatim from my textbook: "The definition of a salad is expansive and continues to grow even today: The Prentice Hall Essentials Dictionary of Culinary Arts (Prentice Hall, 2008) defines," and this is the most important point, "a salad as 'a single food or a mix of different foods, accompanied or bound by a dressing.'" Okay, do we now have it in our brains? I hope so.

An important element in a salad is the dressing. The two big components of which are oil and vinegar. Of the oils used for a salad, olive oil is the most commonly used oil. The grade of olive oil depends on the degree of acidity.  Extra virgin olive oil has an acidity level of less than 1 percent; virgin olive oil has in between 1 and 3 percent; and pure olive oil has 3~4 percent and up to 10 percent of virgin olive oil. For vinegars, the quality is dependent on the quality of the wine or alcohol used to make it. Vinegars are a result of fermentation of alcohol. The usage of "mother," or bacteria starter, to produce vinegar is important. We can start our own vinegar using a jelly-like layer found in the bottom of vinegar. That, apparently, is the mother.

Lastly, there are three categories of salad: Simple, Mixed, and Composed. An example of simple salads (salades simples), would be something like a lettuce only salad with a simple dressing.  So, in a word, it's a salad made with only one ingredient and it's dressed very simply.  A mixed salad (salade mixte) is a salad with a mixture of ingredients that have been combined and dressed together.  A garden salad, or in our example, a salad of sweet and bitter greens with tomato and herbs, would be good examples of mixed salads.  Lastly, in class we made Salade Niçoise, which is a great example of what a composed salad (salade composée) is, a salad with a mixture of several ingredients that have been dressed separately, but put together and presented on a single plate or a platter.

One last thing to note is that a classmate of mine and I had a brief discussion on what category a cooked vegetable salad (macedoine de legumes) belongs to. We finally settled on this: overall it is a composed salad, but the four main components: the cucumbers is a simple salad, the macedoine is a mixed salad, the fondue de tomate is also a mixed salad, and the frisee is a simple salad.

2. Spuds and then more spuds!
Potatoes are so freakin' versatile. Here, we sliced, deep fried, boiled, sautéed, baked, piped, puréed around 15 potatoes per each student to make 9 dishes. They were pommes gaufrette: waffle-like slices of potato that are deep fried in the 1-Step method, the food is fried at one temperate (350ºF~375ºF), or in class at 300ºF but fried a bit longer. Pommes pont-neuf: deep fried potato sticks that are 7cm x 1cm x 1cm. We use the 2-Step method, where the potatoes are partially cooked or poached at 300ºF until somewhat tender but haven't colored, then before service they are finished at 375ªF to brown the outside quickly.

In the next two dishes, pommes purée and pommes duchesse, the potatoes are passed through a food mill after they have been cooked and dried. The potatoes can be cooked by boiling them in salted water, as in the case of pommes purée and pommes duchesse, or by baking them in the oven, as in the case of pommes duchesse. Yes, for duchesse, either way of cooking the potatoes is okay. But make sure to dry the potatoes in the oven before passing them through a food mill! For the purée, we add milk and butter. We season with a bit of nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. And voila, we have a purée, or what we know as mashed potatoes. For the duchesse, we add egg yolk and butter. We then place the puréed mixture in a pastry bag and pipe it out to make fun shapes and then bake in the oven.

The next two dishes, pommes darphin and pommes Anna, we use the sautéing technique. For the darphin, we get julienne sticks of potatoes, then place the sticks on the sauté pan in a lattice-like fashion. We brown and crisp the bottom, then we flip! And we finish it in the oven. For Anna, we get thin oval slices of potatoes, and we layer them in a circle.  Using the same technique, we crisp and brown the bottom, we flip it, then we finish the dish in the oven.

In a gratin dauphinois, sliced potatoes are simmered for a few minutes in cream and milk. We pour the potato/milk/cream into a casserole, top it up with grated Gruyère cheese and baked in the oven until potatoes are tender.

Lastly, for pommes croquettes, we start with pommes duchesse. We pipe out long logs and chill in the refrigerator until the mixture hardens somewhat. We cut the log into short cylinders. We then use the technique called paner à l'anglaise, which is we dredge the cylinders in flour, dip them in beaten eggs, and then roll them in bread crumbs.  We then deep fry in the 1-Step technique. Voila, we have our croquettes. We can add cut up ham or whatever into the duchesse mixture before we pipe out the logs.

Final note regarding potatoes: there are two types--starchy and waxy.  When it comes to deep frying, we need to understand what smoke point, flash point, and fire point are.

Weeks 2 and 3 in Review

Considering that I have classes only three times a week, I feel like things are moving along rather too quick! So, I'm really glad I've signed up for the three-nights-a-week evening course, instead of the five-days-a-week day course. And I'm happily reading the lessons beforehand and reviewing them afterwards. I actually enjoy being a nerd!

1. Tournage is Turning Me into a Frustrated Boy
Tournage is another variation of cutting and shaping vegetables, taillage. The word tournage is derived from a French word that means to turn. So, we're "turning" vegetables or cutting them into oval, egg-like shapes.  The vegetable is supposed to have seven sides and two blunt ends.  When done right, they actually look really pretty. The way you hold a paring knife with your right hand and how you position your fingers while holding a potato piece in your left hand, as an example, seems awkward and dangerous. Also there needs to be a certain finesse in your hand movements while turning. So, you need to practice, over and over again. Then some more.

2. Stockmaking is Easy as A, B, C.
Well, maybe not easy. But it is fundamental, like A, B, C or 1, 2, 3.  What is a stock? It's a flavored and aromatic liquid made with bones, vegetable mirepoix, and bouquet garni. Apparently broths are different from stocks in that actual meat is used along with the bones.  If the bones are roasted, you'll get a brown stock.  If you use blanched bones or bones as they are, you'll get a white stock. A variation of white stock is a marmite, where burnt onions, or oignon brulé, are used with blanched beef bones, to give you an amber colored stock. Like the slight definition shift between a broth and a stock, there is a subtle difference between a fish stock and a fish fumet. From what I gather, fumet is fortified with wine and a bit more vegetable trimmings.

3. You Complement Me, Sauces!
Our course lists these five sauces as mother sauces (basic or leading sauces): BETH V., where B: Béchamel; E: Espagnole; T: Tomate; H: Hollandaise; and V: Velouté. From these sauces you can make a whole lot of derivative sauces. A WHOLE LOT! Of course, the use of a binding element is important in transforming a stock into a sauce. Seriously, if you don't use one, you're just left with a thin, loose liquid. You'll definitely ROUX the day.

4. You Want to Work Out Your Guns?
You don't need dumbbells. All you need is a sabayon, oil, and a balloon whisk. The principle of emulsions and emulsified sauces is like you're trying to bring peace to the Middle East. You're getting two substances that don't like each other, like water/vinegar and oil, to join forces to give you a tasty, but fattening, delight. Only thing the Middle East peace process lacks is an emulsifier, an egg yolk, to help bind these two liquids. Sabayon, by the way, is a whisked form of egg yolk and a hydrophilic liquid, like water, a flavored gastrique, or alcohol.

5. Did the Previous Lesson Trouble Your Tummy?
Then why not soothe it with soups and consommés? Hmm, what did I learn? There are two types of soups: Clear and Bound. Oh, making consommés is an art. When the raft doesn't work well to help clarify the beautiful marmite we made, then what's the point?! Arghhhh.

6. The Art of Playing with Salt
We've had a history lesson in food preservation. We watched a couple of demos: curing a salmon for a gravlax and making codfish fritters.  We worked as a class to trim and cure a whole lot of duck legs to confit. I so want to taste the confit. I wonder if we'll get to confit the duck legs... I think pickling vegetables is so much fun! It's so easy and I think I can do a whole lot of yum things pickling.  I've never had a preserved lemon, but we started the process. Hopefully in 4 to 6 weeks, I'll get to try one. And I wasn't too impressed with Brandade. It was tasty, but to be honest, it didn't excite my palate. Seriously, it's just salted cod, boiled potatoes, a lot of oil, and cream mixed/mashed together to form an oatmeal-like glob. But I'm open to it. One day perhaps, brandade may be in my menu.

Ma raison d'être

For the past few years, like the Hebrews of Old, I have been lost in the wilderness, wondering if I’d ever find my land of milk and honey.  But now, I see on the horizon a renewal of mind, where belief in myself is once again real and true.  Like Julia Child who found joy in food and a life’s purpose in cooking, I too am about to take a leap of faith in the culinary arts.

A couple of years ago, after being unceremoniously downsized, needing a lift out of the doldrums, I invited a handful of friends and threw a dinner party.  I opened up my copy of Julia Child’s  “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” and spent the good afternoon making coq au vin and haricots verts à la provençale.  The whole time while I was cooking, I got blissfully lost in the tasks at hand and reveled in the deep comforting flavors that came out from only a handful of common ingredients.  I felt proud that my hands were creating these dishes, which were in a constant refrain heard around my dinner table “yum!”

However, there was an important lesson from cooking that I have only now begun to accept and apply: cooking is transformative.  For instance, an egg can be transformed into a tender and creamy omelette, a head of napa cabbage into a tangy and lip-smacking kimchi.  So, I asked myself, “why can’t I change my life’s path, follow my bliss and this source of pride, and cook?”  It’s true that following a path of passion isn’t necessarily the easiest way to go.  But it’s only by a trial by fire and a test of time—which I am ready to undergo—that my life can be transformed and fulfilled.

I want to learn the fundamentals and the theories of culinary arts.  I want to apprentice under any of the best chefs in the world, like René Redzepi of Noma, the Roca brothers of El Celler de Can Roca, Ferran Adrià of elBulli fame, César Ramirez of Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Jean-Georges and the Kimchi Chronicles, Dan Barber of Blue Hill, just to name a few.  I want to develop and refine my culinary voice.  I want to engage my entrepreneurial spirit and open up a restaurant/business. 

It took me a while, but there out on the horizon I finally found my corner of the sky.  I believe I am only limited by my own ambition and imagination to get myself there.  With the huge assist I know I can get from the International Culinary Center, I make my first giant step!

Week 1 in Review

The week went by super quick!

I want to highlight the memorable parts of the week.

1. Burning pearl onions 

I turned away from the stove for a moment and I managed to burn the pearl onions. I also learned that I need to peel off a few more layers before I cook them a l'étuvée.

2. Taillage is a bitch!

There is an art in knife work. Vegetables need to be cut a certain way for two reasons: to cook evenly at the same rate and to enhance the visual appeal of the dish. So, basically, I need to practice, practice, practice. Onions and shallots are usually cut either ciseler or émincer. Cubed vegetables are macédoined (0.5 sq. cm) or brunoised (1~4 sq mm).  The stick forms before they are cubes are called jardinière and julienne respectively.

3. Chef Jacques Pepin is so sweet!

4. Food Safety lesson was boring. But yes, I KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT!

5. Chef John Besh likes to make fun of his sous chefs. 

While cooking, he made fun of his sous chefs.  We then got to taste his incredibly delicious "Alain's Soupe de Poissons" and "Pear Clafoutis with Pear Eau de Vie." Those recipes are in his new book: "Cooking from the Heart."

6. Vegetables, Herbs, and Spices, Oh My!

The first dish, Ratatouille, my partner and I made was under-seasoned and started to blacken. So, the next day at home, I did a re-do. Like they say, if you first don't succeed, try, try again.

The second dish, Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Timbale with Apple and Vinaigrette, was delish! I like goat cheese. And yet again, taillage is a bitch. My beets and apples were cut too big. But I make a fierce vinaigrette.