A Food Safety Officer from the city's Health Protection Branch came in today to administer the Food Handler Certification exam. As part of the certifcation, the Food Safety Officer covered the following topics in a two hour presentation as a review for our exam: the role of the public health inspector; public health legislation; understanding foodborne illnesses; safe food handling; Introduction to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), sanitation and pest control.
We discussed the proper practice for putting on rubber gloves. It's important that you wash your hands before putting them on because you don't want to contaminate them with your unwashed hands. Rubber gloves are typically worn when a food service server has a cut or infection on their hand. Improper sizing of gloves are a hazard. They can get caught in machinery and cause serious injury such as loss of fingers or a hand.
When working in the kitchen it is important to clean all equipment on a regular basis. Not cleaning on a regular basis may cause build up of food, dirt, etc. on parts which in turn could cause injury to the person using it. If a piece of equipment is not working properly or you don't know how to use it, you should inform the Chef. These are the two main causes of injury in a kitchen. These are all common sense. Not all people have this characteristic, thus reminders are good for everyone on safe practices.
Health Canada estimates that eleven million Canadians suffer from foodborne illnesses each year. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented by using safe food handling practices.
Certification will mean that I will have learned the principles and practices of safe food handling in order to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses to meet the requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
I still have one more week of theory and 13 chapters to go in our text book. Then on to the kitchen to take that theory in to practice. I am so looking forward to getting my tool kit. Most of the stuff I already have. But it will be good to be able to leave the tool kit at school. I won't have to carry my heavy text book to and from school each day either.
Homework for this week? I will need to work more on my resume and start my business plan project.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Day 15: One Project Down, Another To Start.
Good session today. We covered Cooking for Vegetarian Diets, Salads Dressing and Salads and Menus, Recipes, and Cost Management. The latter is very important if you are an Executive Chef, Head Chef (in a smaller establishment) or planning to open your own business in the food services industry.
There are five types of vegan diets. The Vegan diet is the most restrictive. Vegans eat plant products only. All animal products including dairy and egg are off limits. Some products that you may think are vegan such as the following are off limits to the strictest vegan: honey because it comes from bees, and cane sugar which may be refined with animal products. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products and plant products but will not eat other animal products. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs in addition to plant products. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy and egg products in addition to plant products. Pesco-vegetarians eat fish and plant products but not meat or poultry. They may or may not eat egg or dairy products.
Menus for vegetarian diets may include the following types of ingredients: dried legumes, grains, nuts and seed, soy products, dairy and egg. Recipes will need to be altered to accommodate food product changes. No animal product of any kind may be used as an ingredient intended for vegans. Dairy products may be included as ingredients for lacto-ovo-vegetarians. These need to be labelled for vegetarians as they will not be eaten by vegans.
Service staff must be knowledgeable to answer patron questions about the menu. Sometimes soups or a side dish that consists primarily of a plant product may have one or more animal product in it. These must be removed and substituted with an equivalent plant ingredient. This is especially true of recipes like soups that will be substituted with water or vegetable stock. The same goes for sauces that are based on meat, poultry or fish stocks. For vegans, oil will need to be substituted for butter. Soy milk or soy products will also need to be substituted for dairy products. Beet sugar or unbleached sugar will need to be used in the place of refined sugars.
We breezed through Salad Dressings and Salads. Chef said it is better to demonstrate in the kitchen for us to learn and do. Chef said we will make an upscale potato salad, making our own mayonnaise.
Food costing was covered. As a chef we may be called upon to do some food costing. I think the hardest part of food costing is making sure that you include all ingredients used in a recipe. This is very important when you are working with a budget and/or running your own business. The point is to make a profit. If you plan on opening your own business Chef said that the first couple of years you likely will be breaking even. That it is also a good idea to have money in the bank. Opening a restaurant is no small feat and requires cash and long hours. I know what Chef means. My parents ran a restaurant and I know that they worked very long hours and didn't take what most people call a vacation. The only vacation they had may have been the occasional statutory holiday.
I've given some thought to opening my own business. I've also given some thought to working for someone. There are a few directions that I'm thinking about taking. But I'm still in the early stages of learning and from there I'll soon figure out how long it will take me to get me to where I want to be.
Presentations continued with Russia and Greece. We were treated to a traditional Greek salad and pita served with an olive walnut dip and with red wine. I learned a few new things about each country and its food.
Homework: Finish resume and cover letter. Project #2 Food Establishment Business Plan.
There are five types of vegan diets. The Vegan diet is the most restrictive. Vegans eat plant products only. All animal products including dairy and egg are off limits. Some products that you may think are vegan such as the following are off limits to the strictest vegan: honey because it comes from bees, and cane sugar which may be refined with animal products. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products and plant products but will not eat other animal products. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs in addition to plant products. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy and egg products in addition to plant products. Pesco-vegetarians eat fish and plant products but not meat or poultry. They may or may not eat egg or dairy products.
Menus for vegetarian diets may include the following types of ingredients: dried legumes, grains, nuts and seed, soy products, dairy and egg. Recipes will need to be altered to accommodate food product changes. No animal product of any kind may be used as an ingredient intended for vegans. Dairy products may be included as ingredients for lacto-ovo-vegetarians. These need to be labelled for vegetarians as they will not be eaten by vegans.
Service staff must be knowledgeable to answer patron questions about the menu. Sometimes soups or a side dish that consists primarily of a plant product may have one or more animal product in it. These must be removed and substituted with an equivalent plant ingredient. This is especially true of recipes like soups that will be substituted with water or vegetable stock. The same goes for sauces that are based on meat, poultry or fish stocks. For vegans, oil will need to be substituted for butter. Soy milk or soy products will also need to be substituted for dairy products. Beet sugar or unbleached sugar will need to be used in the place of refined sugars.
We breezed through Salad Dressings and Salads. Chef said it is better to demonstrate in the kitchen for us to learn and do. Chef said we will make an upscale potato salad, making our own mayonnaise.
Food costing was covered. As a chef we may be called upon to do some food costing. I think the hardest part of food costing is making sure that you include all ingredients used in a recipe. This is very important when you are working with a budget and/or running your own business. The point is to make a profit. If you plan on opening your own business Chef said that the first couple of years you likely will be breaking even. That it is also a good idea to have money in the bank. Opening a restaurant is no small feat and requires cash and long hours. I know what Chef means. My parents ran a restaurant and I know that they worked very long hours and didn't take what most people call a vacation. The only vacation they had may have been the occasional statutory holiday.
I've given some thought to opening my own business. I've also given some thought to working for someone. There are a few directions that I'm thinking about taking. But I'm still in the early stages of learning and from there I'll soon figure out how long it will take me to get me to where I want to be.
Presentations continued with Russia and Greece. We were treated to a traditional Greek salad and pita served with an olive walnut dip and with red wine. I learned a few new things about each country and its food.
Homework: Finish resume and cover letter. Project #2 Food Establishment Business Plan.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day 14: Just another day, like any other day.
Today I presented my country project on Morocco. I was nervous about speaking in front of everyone but I think it went well. Last night I prepared food for my presentation while watching Top Chef ~ which is one of my favourite reality shows. Fried eggplant and couscous is what I decided to have the class sample as my dishes from Morocco. The fried eggplant was topped with garlic, lemon zest, parsley and a fig vinaigrette. My couscous salad had red peppers, red onion, dried cranberries, parsley, lemon juice and an olive oil vinaigrette. I usually put pine nuts in my couscous, but last night I decided to toast them and they ended up being overdone. I broiled some cherry tomatoes on the vine in some salt, pepper and olive oil. The couscous was topped with these and sprinkled with chopped green onions. Everyone seemed to enjoy the two dishes.
In preparing my Moroccan dishes for today, it gave me an opportunity to practice my mise en place. I organized my products and did my preparation dicing all the vegetables ~ brunoise, which is a 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 dice. A sharp knife is important when cutting food products in a uniform size. Chef said that it is a dull knife that is the cause of most cuts in the kitchen
Two other presentations were presented ~ Lebanon and Vietnam. Two very interesting cultures and foods that we've all come to love to eat. Pho is a huge favourite to many and especially to Chef.
We then continued on with more theory (Legumes, Grains, Pastas and Other Starches) and followed up by going to a few of Asian grocery stores in the area to check out their products. I managed to find preserved beans which is used for making a black bean sauce used in Asian dishes. The label indicates that the beans are processed in a traditional method and is rich in nutrition, being the best kind of seasoning for Chinese food.
No homework tonight for class. But I do need to put together my resume.
In preparing my Moroccan dishes for today, it gave me an opportunity to practice my mise en place. I organized my products and did my preparation dicing all the vegetables ~ brunoise, which is a 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 dice. A sharp knife is important when cutting food products in a uniform size. Chef said that it is a dull knife that is the cause of most cuts in the kitchen
Two other presentations were presented ~ Lebanon and Vietnam. Two very interesting cultures and foods that we've all come to love to eat. Pho is a huge favourite to many and especially to Chef.
We then continued on with more theory (Legumes, Grains, Pastas and Other Starches) and followed up by going to a few of Asian grocery stores in the area to check out their products. I managed to find preserved beans which is used for making a black bean sauce used in Asian dishes. The label indicates that the beans are processed in a traditional method and is rich in nutrition, being the best kind of seasoning for Chinese food.
No homework tonight for class. But I do need to put together my resume.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day 13: Brain Freeze
We started today's class with a test on chapters three and four. One hundred questions on tools and equipment and cooking methods. I've been working on completing my country project in preparation for my presentation on tomorrow and have put many hours in researching. I did a review of the information last night and hoped that it would be enough. I actually did better than I had anticipated even though I had a bit of a brain freeze on a few questions. My mind had actually gone blank for stuff that I'd reviewed the night before.
After break we started the country presentations. We covered Poland, Italy and India. All did a great job showcasing their countries and their food through history. We were even treated to a taste from each country made by each presenter. Poland with cheese and potato, meat and desert perogies and a hunter stew. Italy with prosciutto and cheese on bread and red wine. India with pakoras, samosas, and desert. I was full of knowledge and food by the end.
Closing off the day we continued on with a chapter on potatoes. There are so many ways to prepare potatoes. Take mash potatoes for example. You can make them with milk, cream or even sour cream. You can add pureed green peas or roasted garlic. You can make Duchesse, Dauphine, Lorette potatoes. So many variations and I've only mentioned a handful.
There are waxy potatoes and starchy potatoes. Waxy potatoes are high in moisture content, sugar content and low in starch content. They are usually small and round in shape, however some may be large and elongated. Their flesh is white, yellow or even blue or purple and have a white, red, yellow or blue skin. These potatoes hold their shape well when cooked and are best used for boiling whole, salads, soups, hash browns, and any preparation where the potato must hold it's shape.
Starchy (or mature) potatoes have a high starch content, low moisture and sugar. They are light, dry and mealy when cooked. Russets and all-purpose potatoes fall in this category. Russets are long, regularly shaped potatoes with slightly rough skin. They are an ideal choice for the traditional baked potato and french frying because of their high starch content, golden colour and good texture.
All-purpose potatoes are irregularly shaped and not as dry and starchy as russets. They are not suitable for baking because of their irregular shape. They are especially useful for pureeing or mashing, or any preparation where the shape of the whole potato isn't important.
There are a few things you should know about potatoes. When checking for quality look for: firm and smooth, not soft or shriveled; dry skin; shallow eyes; no sprouts (these potatoes are high in sugar); no green colour (the green areas contain a substance called solanine and if bought should be cut before cooking.) When storing potatoes, do not store in the refrigerator. Temperatures below 45 F convert potato starch to sugar. Starch can be restored by storing the refrigerated potatoes at 50 F for two weeks. This allows for the sugar to change back to starch. New potatoes do not keep well. Purchase one weeks supply at a time.
Potatoes also come in five market forms: fresh, unprocessed; peeled and treated to prevent browning; canned whole, cooked; french fries, blanched in deep fat and frozen; other frozen, prepared products; and dehydrated.
I continue to work on my project for tomorrow's presentation.
After break we started the country presentations. We covered Poland, Italy and India. All did a great job showcasing their countries and their food through history. We were even treated to a taste from each country made by each presenter. Poland with cheese and potato, meat and desert perogies and a hunter stew. Italy with prosciutto and cheese on bread and red wine. India with pakoras, samosas, and desert. I was full of knowledge and food by the end.
Closing off the day we continued on with a chapter on potatoes. There are so many ways to prepare potatoes. Take mash potatoes for example. You can make them with milk, cream or even sour cream. You can add pureed green peas or roasted garlic. You can make Duchesse, Dauphine, Lorette potatoes. So many variations and I've only mentioned a handful.
There are waxy potatoes and starchy potatoes. Waxy potatoes are high in moisture content, sugar content and low in starch content. They are usually small and round in shape, however some may be large and elongated. Their flesh is white, yellow or even blue or purple and have a white, red, yellow or blue skin. These potatoes hold their shape well when cooked and are best used for boiling whole, salads, soups, hash browns, and any preparation where the potato must hold it's shape.
Starchy (or mature) potatoes have a high starch content, low moisture and sugar. They are light, dry and mealy when cooked. Russets and all-purpose potatoes fall in this category. Russets are long, regularly shaped potatoes with slightly rough skin. They are an ideal choice for the traditional baked potato and french frying because of their high starch content, golden colour and good texture.
All-purpose potatoes are irregularly shaped and not as dry and starchy as russets. They are not suitable for baking because of their irregular shape. They are especially useful for pureeing or mashing, or any preparation where the shape of the whole potato isn't important.
There are a few things you should know about potatoes. When checking for quality look for: firm and smooth, not soft or shriveled; dry skin; shallow eyes; no sprouts (these potatoes are high in sugar); no green colour (the green areas contain a substance called solanine and if bought should be cut before cooking.) When storing potatoes, do not store in the refrigerator. Temperatures below 45 F convert potato starch to sugar. Starch can be restored by storing the refrigerated potatoes at 50 F for two weeks. This allows for the sugar to change back to starch. New potatoes do not keep well. Purchase one weeks supply at a time.
Potatoes also come in five market forms: fresh, unprocessed; peeled and treated to prevent browning; canned whole, cooked; french fries, blanched in deep fat and frozen; other frozen, prepared products; and dehydrated.
I continue to work on my project for tomorrow's presentation.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Day 12: Cooking in a Paper Bag
Chef jumped right into the chapters in our text book ~ Cooking Fish and Shellfish, Understanding Vegetables, and Cooking Vegetables. Cooking fish and shellfish is no different than cooking meats and chicken. Only exception would be maybe when cooking en papillote. This is cooking in parchment paper. You make an envelope to seal the food. Steam from the heating the envelope cooks the fish and anything else you enclose. When the envelope puffs up you know that the food is cooked. This method is very light because you don't use very much oil to cook the fish or shellfished like clams and mussels.
Poaching and simmering is another method used for cooking small amounts of lean fish. The broth used for poaching/simmering is a court bouillon. A court bouillon is water containing seasonings, herbs and usually an acid used for cooking fish. The name means "short broth" in French because it is made quickly unlike broths. The court bouillon is cooked to exact flavours before cooking the fish in it. The cooking temperature is between 160 F and 180 F (depending on if it is a fat or lean fish) well below boiling which is 212 F. Cooking at a low temperature of 160 F is sufficient for cooking fish and will reduce the likelihood of over cooking.
As we moved on to Understanding Vegetables guidelines to follow in cooking are texture, flavour, colour and nutrients. These change depending on how you cook various types of vegetables. There are general rules to follow to make it easier to understand vegetables. Don't overcook. Cook your vegetables as close to serving as possible. If you need to cook vegetables ahead of time, par cook and chill. When ready to serve, reheat by pan frying quickly. Do not use baking soda with green vegetables - the baking soda destroys vitamins, and makes the vegetable slippery and mushy. Cut vegetables to same size for even cooking. Start with boiling, salted water for anything that grows above the ground. For root vegetables, start them in cold, salted water for even cooking. Cook green or strong flavoured vegetables uncovered. For preserving colour, cook red and white vegetables in a slightly acid liquid. Cook greens in a neutral liquid.
As cooks we need to consider standards of quality in cooked vegetables ~ colour, appearance on plate, texture, flavour, seasonings, sauces, and vegetable combinations. There are so many vegetables types offered to the commercial and home cook. As we become more multicultural, more ethnic foods enter the mainstream via local corner grocers to large supermarkets. Today I went grocery shopping at Organic Garage and saw Nopales (cactus pads). Nopales are used in Mexican cooking. One of my colleagues is from Mexico and mentioned that she ate them fried with eggs for breakfast and that they are absolutely delicious. She also said that she would make some for us to try.
We presented our Black Box (items used in The Next Great Chef ~ Ontario episode) menus Chef asked us to do for homework. It's for today's menu are: Muscovy Duck, Artic Char, Fiddleheads, Havarti Cheese, Fresh Figs. From these items we were to create our menus. My menu follows:
After all menu presentations, Chef selected dates for our country food project. I will be presenting my project on Tuesday. Chef also quizzed us on questions for our test on Monday to help us prepare.
Lots of homework this weekend. Still need to finish my project, read chapters and study for a test on chapters three and four this coming Monday.
Poaching and simmering is another method used for cooking small amounts of lean fish. The broth used for poaching/simmering is a court bouillon. A court bouillon is water containing seasonings, herbs and usually an acid used for cooking fish. The name means "short broth" in French because it is made quickly unlike broths. The court bouillon is cooked to exact flavours before cooking the fish in it. The cooking temperature is between 160 F and 180 F (depending on if it is a fat or lean fish) well below boiling which is 212 F. Cooking at a low temperature of 160 F is sufficient for cooking fish and will reduce the likelihood of over cooking.
As we moved on to Understanding Vegetables guidelines to follow in cooking are texture, flavour, colour and nutrients. These change depending on how you cook various types of vegetables. There are general rules to follow to make it easier to understand vegetables. Don't overcook. Cook your vegetables as close to serving as possible. If you need to cook vegetables ahead of time, par cook and chill. When ready to serve, reheat by pan frying quickly. Do not use baking soda with green vegetables - the baking soda destroys vitamins, and makes the vegetable slippery and mushy. Cut vegetables to same size for even cooking. Start with boiling, salted water for anything that grows above the ground. For root vegetables, start them in cold, salted water for even cooking. Cook green or strong flavoured vegetables uncovered. For preserving colour, cook red and white vegetables in a slightly acid liquid. Cook greens in a neutral liquid.
As cooks we need to consider standards of quality in cooked vegetables ~ colour, appearance on plate, texture, flavour, seasonings, sauces, and vegetable combinations. There are so many vegetables types offered to the commercial and home cook. As we become more multicultural, more ethnic foods enter the mainstream via local corner grocers to large supermarkets. Today I went grocery shopping at Organic Garage and saw Nopales (cactus pads). Nopales are used in Mexican cooking. One of my colleagues is from Mexico and mentioned that she ate them fried with eggs for breakfast and that they are absolutely delicious. She also said that she would make some for us to try.
We presented our Black Box (items used in The Next Great Chef ~ Ontario episode) menus Chef asked us to do for homework. It's for today's menu are: Muscovy Duck, Artic Char, Fiddleheads, Havarti Cheese, Fresh Figs. From these items we were to create our menus. My menu follows:
Appetizer:
Pan Seared Muscovy Duck Breast
Wrapped in a Crepe with Slivers of Ginger and Chives
Drizzled with Hoisin Sauce
Main Course:
Arctic Char en Papillote
Steamed Fiddleheads tossed with Walnuts, Lemon and Olive Oil
and Yukon Potatoes au Gratin
Desert:
Rustic Fresh Fig Tart
with a Rose Water Infused Custard
Pan Seared Muscovy Duck Breast
Wrapped in a Crepe with Slivers of Ginger and Chives
Drizzled with Hoisin Sauce
Main Course:
Arctic Char en Papillote
Steamed Fiddleheads tossed with Walnuts, Lemon and Olive Oil
and Yukon Potatoes au Gratin
Desert:
Rustic Fresh Fig Tart
with a Rose Water Infused Custard
After all menu presentations, Chef selected dates for our country food project. I will be presenting my project on Tuesday. Chef also quizzed us on questions for our test on Monday to help us prepare.
Lots of homework this weekend. Still need to finish my project, read chapters and study for a test on chapters three and four this coming Monday.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Day 11: Competing Against The Next Great Chef... in Theory.
March is taking it's stand with a good showing of snow today. About half of the class didn't make it in. We put the next chapter on hold to tomorrow and decided that we would focus on a more casual food information day.
First up we presented our menus based on the "black box" items provided Chef. However, this menu was to be created with themes for each type of dish. Appetizer ~ Mussels (Indian), main menu ~ Salmon (Mediterranean), and Desert ~ three fruits (Light/Healthy). Here's what I came up with:
Because we are creating menus, Chef wanted us to have a look at a menu from a restaurant called Apple Farm Dinners. The restaurant is located near Kansas City. The first restaurant began in 1946 and then expanded to another two restaurants in about the 70's. I think in total there are now four of these restaurants owned by the same family.
The menu from Apple Farm Dinners was used by Chef to show what not to do when writing menus. I do feel however, that for the time the menu was likely written, this is how most establishments presented their food to their customers. For example, Pork Chops (2) Center-Cut. "Some guests eat this every time they come here." As for typical diner type restaurants, dinners are usually served with a side and a salad or soup. At Apple Farm, all dinners are served with: potato, casserole dish, garnish, hot breads and apple butter, farm relish, apple farm fritter and salad: tossed green, frozen fruit or marshmallow. The pork chop dinner is priced at $14.95.
I've decided to do a bit of research on this restaurant. It is officially known as "Stephenson's Old Apple Farm Restaurant". What I do find interesting is that they are on Expedia.ca. The marshmallow salad listed on their menu can be found at cooks.com if you like that kind of stuff. Stephenson's is even listed in a travel guide under "places to eat". With all this fame, I wonder if Guy Fieri from the Food Network show Diner, Drive-ins and Dives will make an appearance to comment on their food?
When I read one of their dishes on the menu I laughed when I read that their recipe was published in Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I did a search on the web and found that it's true. In 1964 Better Homes and Gardens published a cookbook "Famous Foods from Famous Places, Specialty-of-the-House Recipes from America's Leading Restaurants". There is a three page article, as well as recipes from Stephenson's ~ Baked Chicken 'N Butter and Cream, Apple Dumplings, Green Rice, and Apple Fritters. I've sent an e-mail to a poster on a blog I found to ask if they can send me a copy of the article. I must tell you, that after all this interesting research, that I am looking forward to reading that 1964 article.
A few years ago, Swiss Knorr sponsored a chef competition called The Next Great Chef. In class today we watched two episodes from that competition ~ Ontario and British Columbia. The winner from each province then compete in the final for the title of "The Next Great Chef". Two finalist from each province must create a menu from black box items. In the Ontario competition, the chefs were presented with ingredients to create three dishes ~ appetizer, main course and desert. Based on the ingredients from the Ontario competition Chef asked us to create a menu. I guess this means we are competing against The Next Great Chef... in theory. I'll reveal what I created for my menu in tomorrow's post.
Today I signed up to volunteer at a catered fundraising event. I'm told that volunteering is great for networking as well as for my resume. I think it will be great for the experience. The fundraiser is to be held at The Scottish Rite which I'm told is in a historical building. I'm looking forward to my first "semi-quasi" job under the direction of the Chef from the Old Mill in Hamilton.
More reading and more menu creating is on the list for tonight's homework.
First up we presented our menus based on the "black box" items provided Chef. However, this menu was to be created with themes for each type of dish. Appetizer ~ Mussels (Indian), main menu ~ Salmon (Mediterranean), and Desert ~ three fruits (Light/Healthy). Here's what I came up with:
Appetizer:
P.E.I. Mussels Steamed
in a Madras Curry Cream Sauce
Main Course:
Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with a Fig Sauce
Char Grilled Tomato, Zucchini, and Eggplant
Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Desert:
Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry Pavlova
Drizzled with Meyer Lemon Coulis
and French Mint Leaves
P.E.I. Mussels Steamed
in a Madras Curry Cream Sauce
Main Course:
Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with a Fig Sauce
Char Grilled Tomato, Zucchini, and Eggplant
Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Desert:
Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry Pavlova
Drizzled with Meyer Lemon Coulis
and French Mint Leaves
Because we are creating menus, Chef wanted us to have a look at a menu from a restaurant called Apple Farm Dinners. The restaurant is located near Kansas City. The first restaurant began in 1946 and then expanded to another two restaurants in about the 70's. I think in total there are now four of these restaurants owned by the same family.
The menu from Apple Farm Dinners was used by Chef to show what not to do when writing menus. I do feel however, that for the time the menu was likely written, this is how most establishments presented their food to their customers. For example, Pork Chops (2) Center-Cut. "Some guests eat this every time they come here." As for typical diner type restaurants, dinners are usually served with a side and a salad or soup. At Apple Farm, all dinners are served with: potato, casserole dish, garnish, hot breads and apple butter, farm relish, apple farm fritter and salad: tossed green, frozen fruit or marshmallow. The pork chop dinner is priced at $14.95.
I've decided to do a bit of research on this restaurant. It is officially known as "Stephenson's Old Apple Farm Restaurant". What I do find interesting is that they are on Expedia.ca. The marshmallow salad listed on their menu can be found at cooks.com if you like that kind of stuff. Stephenson's is even listed in a travel guide under "places to eat". With all this fame, I wonder if Guy Fieri from the Food Network show Diner, Drive-ins and Dives will make an appearance to comment on their food?
When I read one of their dishes on the menu I laughed when I read that their recipe was published in Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I did a search on the web and found that it's true. In 1964 Better Homes and Gardens published a cookbook "Famous Foods from Famous Places, Specialty-of-the-House Recipes from America's Leading Restaurants". There is a three page article, as well as recipes from Stephenson's ~ Baked Chicken 'N Butter and Cream, Apple Dumplings, Green Rice, and Apple Fritters. I've sent an e-mail to a poster on a blog I found to ask if they can send me a copy of the article. I must tell you, that after all this interesting research, that I am looking forward to reading that 1964 article.
A few years ago, Swiss Knorr sponsored a chef competition called The Next Great Chef. In class today we watched two episodes from that competition ~ Ontario and British Columbia. The winner from each province then compete in the final for the title of "The Next Great Chef". Two finalist from each province must create a menu from black box items. In the Ontario competition, the chefs were presented with ingredients to create three dishes ~ appetizer, main course and desert. Based on the ingredients from the Ontario competition Chef asked us to create a menu. I guess this means we are competing against The Next Great Chef... in theory. I'll reveal what I created for my menu in tomorrow's post.
Today I signed up to volunteer at a catered fundraising event. I'm told that volunteering is great for networking as well as for my resume. I think it will be great for the experience. The fundraiser is to be held at The Scottish Rite which I'm told is in a historical building. I'm looking forward to my first "semi-quasi" job under the direction of the Chef from the Old Mill in Hamilton.
More reading and more menu creating is on the list for tonight's homework.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Day 10: Fourteen Cooks. All with Great Menus ~ No One Chopped.
We started off the day with presenting our homework in front of the class. "Black box" items provided by Chef (a la Chopped a cooking competition program on the Food Network) were to be used as ingredients in creating a three course menu. Appetizer: grapefruit, avocado, baby spinach, and quail; Main Course: short ribs, couscous, portobello mushrooms, and dates; Desert: brioche, pecans, and mascarpone. I knew from the start what my desert was going to be. I had to think a little harder to put together my appetizer and main course. Here's what I came up with:
If you can see the dishes as I've described them, then I've done my job. If I can make these dishes as you have envisioned (sight and taste) them ~ then I've done an even better job. That's my opinion and I hope to not disappoint!
We ran through another chapter in our textbook ~ Understanding Fish and Shellfish. By the end of the course I should be able to cut up chicken, fillet a fish, and trim meats and cook them all using various methods learned. There will be foods that I have never tried cooking at home and only have had at a restaurant. There is lots to learn and I'm looking forward to all of it.
I found today that there are many in my class that have never tried a lot of the foods discussed. Some have never eaten an avocado or know what brioche is. As one of my colleagues mentioned today, there is no excuse for not being able to build a menu with product you don't know about. If you have the Internet, you can research almost anything. That's what my colleague did and came up with a menu to prove it.
Two and a half weeks to go with theory and we are in the kitchen. (woo hoo!) Chef has been keeping our interest with her food stories that relate to the subjects being taught. We are always in good humour which makes the class go fast.
Lots of food sampling today. It started out with one of my classmates who brought in a home made lasagna for everyone to try. It was very good indeed. Then throughout the day two of the chefs that are teaching in the kitchen brought in food for us as well. We had Jambalaya (a Louisiana creole dish of Spanish and French influence), Beef Bourguignon (a standard of French cuisine), Red Snapper two ways ~ en papillote (in parchment paper) and a la meuniere (a technique used where the fish is sprinkled with lemon juice and chopped parsley, and freshly prepared hot brown butter is poured over the fish hitting the lemon juice creating a froth), and Chinese Dumplings (using handmade wrappers). All were very yummy!
More reading and another menu to create from Chef using "black box" items for homework tonight.
Appetizer:
Garlic and Honey Glazed Roasted Quail
Salad of Avocado, Grapefruit and Baby Spinach
Garlic and Honey Glazed Roasted Quail
Salad of Avocado, Grapefruit and Baby Spinach
Main Course:
Braised Short Ribs in a Smoked Portobello Mushroom Sauce
Saffron infused Couscous with Dates, Dried Cranberries, and Pine Nuts
Zucchini and Baby Carrot Spears
Braised Short Ribs in a Smoked Portobello Mushroom Sauce
Saffron infused Couscous with Dates, Dried Cranberries, and Pine Nuts
Zucchini and Baby Carrot Spears
Desert:
Brioche Bread Pudding with Candied Pecans
and Lemon Mascarpone
If you can see the dishes as I've described them, then I've done my job. If I can make these dishes as you have envisioned (sight and taste) them ~ then I've done an even better job. That's my opinion and I hope to not disappoint!
We ran through another chapter in our textbook ~ Understanding Fish and Shellfish. By the end of the course I should be able to cut up chicken, fillet a fish, and trim meats and cook them all using various methods learned. There will be foods that I have never tried cooking at home and only have had at a restaurant. There is lots to learn and I'm looking forward to all of it.
I found today that there are many in my class that have never tried a lot of the foods discussed. Some have never eaten an avocado or know what brioche is. As one of my colleagues mentioned today, there is no excuse for not being able to build a menu with product you don't know about. If you have the Internet, you can research almost anything. That's what my colleague did and came up with a menu to prove it.
Two and a half weeks to go with theory and we are in the kitchen. (woo hoo!) Chef has been keeping our interest with her food stories that relate to the subjects being taught. We are always in good humour which makes the class go fast.
Lots of food sampling today. It started out with one of my classmates who brought in a home made lasagna for everyone to try. It was very good indeed. Then throughout the day two of the chefs that are teaching in the kitchen brought in food for us as well. We had Jambalaya (a Louisiana creole dish of Spanish and French influence), Beef Bourguignon (a standard of French cuisine), Red Snapper two ways ~ en papillote (in parchment paper) and a la meuniere (a technique used where the fish is sprinkled with lemon juice and chopped parsley, and freshly prepared hot brown butter is poured over the fish hitting the lemon juice creating a froth), and Chinese Dumplings (using handmade wrappers). All were very yummy!
More reading and another menu to create from Chef using "black box" items for homework tonight.
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