Creamy acorn squash, bright broccoli, crisp celery and sweet parsnips- not a damn carrot in sight. Hallelujah. Well, to be honest, there were carrots available at first but not very many, so parsnips were introduced as the stand in. Great, good, wonderful. Obviously, at this point I would take a parsnip over a carrot any day of the week and funny thing is, I dont even like parsnips. Before I go into foods…can I just tell you what a relief I feel now that it’s finally Friday? Jesus, what a week. Im not sure whether its me, the fucking way the planets are lined up, global warming or what but this week spanked me. (more…)

Ladle by ladle and little by little, I added warmed stock to a shallow pot of arborio rice. This nuisance of a grain seemed only to be taking dainty lil’ sips. What gives? I didn’t want it to “sip”…I wanted it to chug- theres only so many classroom hours and it was creeping dangerously close to days end. My personal low during this whole Risotto saga had to be when I audibly declared “Fuck Risotto…this is bullshit. Mines broken.” Patience…working on that, really, I am. I’ve made Risotto plenty but in a timed classroom environment the atmosphere changes the process a bit. For one, when I make Risotto at home I have a glass of wine in hand at all times….I stir, I sip, stir, sip, sip…its lovely. (more…)

What is it about bisques that make me want to spread them on my skin? It must be the velvety texture, the thickness that reminds me of fresh paint. The lush gloss pleads to swallow my arm completely, up to the elbow if not higher- it takes every ounce of self control not to stick in a limb. Oh and I bet it would feel good too…soft, warm as a womb. And chowder? Thats chilly evenings on the back porch. Its being cozied up in Pendleton blankets, sharing a tall bottle of dark beer with someone worthy while balancing a creamy bowlful on one knee, a crusty chunk of buttered baguette on the other. (more…)

Seems like just yesterday that I cooked up a Fall flavored carrot puree soup for my Foundations 1 final. No matter, today we revisited the recipe and produced it again for Foundations 2. Granted a little review never hurt anyone but damn am I getting weary of the carrot. I know the carrot too well at this point…its everywhere. I greet it daily in my mirepoix, it rears its ugly orange head in soups and without fail, seems to materialize in all other manner of recipe with annoying regularity. Really, the persistance of this vegetable is unbelievable. I get it, I do…its a necessary building block in developing flavors and whatnot. I know, I know…but still, its become so prevalent in my every day that I half expect to find carrots between my couch cushions or keeping company with my car keys on the counter at home. (more…)

Hot damn is it lovely out today. Its so devastatingly beautiful that going to LCB this morning was to say the least, a struggle. Forcing myself to focus, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel- “Get to class, there will be other sunny days” was what I repeated out loud over and over again en route. It is torture being in a building, let alone a kitchen when Seattle weather is this idyllic. Absolute fucking torture. I did get there…but not before I rode a conveyer belt of emotions. First, there was shock & denial- “Noooo today cant be Monday- theres no way…impossible. Oh it is? Well thats fine then because it turns out I dont have class on Mondays“. (more…)

This is where the trouble began, and today, this is where it ended. Emulsions such as hollandaise & mayonnaise…I know them well, too too well. Yep, these have been the thorn in my side, the rock in my shoe, the sand in my eye for weeks now. We went at them again this morning. But today folks, is a new day and today for some odd reason whipping these up was near effortless on my part. No problem at all- it was as though hollandaise had never been my nemesis…as though our relationship had always been pure romance. (more…)

Spoon after spoon, taste after taste- I cant get enough. Sauce Espagnole has my heart, or more appropriately it has my tongue, my mouth, my nose. Entranced, I could not help but go back for a third and fourth taste, especially once we branched off to its derivative sauces. Espagnole consists of mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion), butter & flour (brown roux), brown stock (we used veal), tomato puree and a gaggle of spices. The sauce is a delight on its own but really, its only the beginning- Espagnole, like its fellow mother sauces, has more to offer in the way of offspring.

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Oh the wonder of modern medicine! Thanks to its cloaking magic Im feeling much much better today. Yep, I may be high as a kite but at least Im functioning again (slightly damaging & worrisome but good). Theres nothing quite like a Dayquil/Sudafed cocktail to slap the sick right out of you…temporarily anyway. Unfortunately, yesterday I missed more stock making- Fish Fumet + Veal & Chicken based White. Luckily, these are stocks that I have made in the past on my own so Im not too terribly upset. Also, I get to make up the assignment later in the week to earn back the points. Perfect…my sick day didn’t end up being nearly as detrimental as I had assumed it would be. (more…)

Drove all the way to school this morning only to turn right back around and head for home. Im full on sick…congested, achy, stuffy, sore, headachey, throat scratchy sick. This is misery. I shouldn’t have even attempted school this morning but I was hoping my cold medicine would save me. It didn’t. I arrived still feeling shitty & immediately knew staying wasn’t an option. Came home…slept, drank a ton of tea/water, ate spicy soup and slept some more. Im hoping I feel better by the morning.

New course, new Chef instructor, new classroom/kitchen. The course is Culinary Foundations 2, the instructor is Chef Wolf and the kitchen is HUGE. Its all kitchen- no more tables & chairs. We re finally at long last going to be cooking on what looks like may be a daily basis. Today, of course, was somewhat about introductions & curriculum review…or at least it began that way. (more…)