Culinary School - Q2 Week 3

Tuesday Class - Concepts and Theories of Culinary Techniques

This week we will be making soups in Fundamentals so tonight we are going over slides about the differences in soups. The planned recipes for this week are Cream of Broccoli, Split Pea, Chicken Waterzooi, Beef Consomme, French Onion and Minestrone.


Week 3 vocabulary list
Concepts & Theories of Culinary Techniques Vocabulary Assignment Week 3

Amandine – the French term for garnished with almonds.
Boil – heating liquid to approximately 212°/100°C
Creamed – slow simmering or poaching in milk. As with creamed corn or creamed chipped beef.
Croutons – crunchy bread cubes used as garnish.
Duxelles – a paste of mushroom, shallots, onions and herbs.
Fines Herbs – a mix of herbs including parsley, chives, marjoram, tarragon, and chervil.
Glazed – a shiny coating applied to food.
Gratin – a crust of bread crumbs, or cheese browned before serving.
Leafy Vegetables – pot herbs including kale, chard, spinach, watercress, lettuce.
Onion Brulee – term for burnt onion. Used to flavor sauces.
Onion Pique – one peeled onion, one bay leaf, one clove. Simmered in milk to add flavor to béchamel sauce.
Organic – grown or raised without the use of hormones, pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.
Puree – a smooth pulp achieved by mashing or straining.
Saute – to cook quickly over high heat with a small amount of hot fat.
Sauteuse – a basic sauté pan with sloping sides and a long handle.
Sautoir – a sauté pan with straight sides and a long handle.
Shallots - from the onion family but has a sweeter milder flavor.
Standard Breading – pat food dry. Dip it in flour, then in egg wash, then in bread crumbs.
Steam – to cook something in a perforated pan over boiling or simmering water.
Tomato Concasse – a dice of tomatoes that have been peeled and seeded.
Tourne – a football shaped cut with 7 equal sides and blunt ends.
Zest – the outer portion of the skin of citrus fruits. Contains aroma and oils.
Cross Contamination – transferring contamination from one food or surface to another.
Time Temperature Abuse – occurs when foods are not stored or held at proper temps. Can also happen when foods are not properly reheated.
Bacillus Cereus – causes food borne illness when food is not cooked properly.
Gastroenteritis – an inflammation of the stomach and small intestine caused by contact with contaminated food.
Cryptorsporidium – another food borne bacteria caused by cross contamination or improperly stored or cooked food.
Physical Contamination, examples – hair, glass, bugs, or other things that aren’t supposed to be in the food.
Chemical Contamination, examples – pesticides, or cleaning agents in food.
Biological Contamination, examples – bacteria, mold or yeast in food.
Allergen – something that causes an allergic reaction. Such as nuts, eggs, shellfish.

Wednesday/Thursday Class - Fundamentals of Classical Technique

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Tonight Chef divides the class in two.  Half of us will be making cream soups and the other half will be making the clear soups.  Tomorrow we will switch and do the other half.  My team is on cream soups tonight.  It is decided that I will make the Cream of Broccoli which actually turns out to be Cream of Asparagus because thats what was ordered for us.  Bri is making the Split Pea and Augustine will handle the Chicken Waterzooi.  Chef does a demo for us on how to butcher a whole chicken.  I stood by and gag the whole time.  I know I am going to have to get over my revulsion of raw chicken if I am going to get through this.  I am officially the first person to yak from the class.   We present our soups to Chef for tasting.  He said our three were the best of the night! 

THURSDAY NIGHT
Tonight my team is on clear soups.  I know Augustine want's to make the French Onion, so I give Bri her choice of Consomme or Minestrone.  She chooses the Minestrone leaving Consomme for me. Once again at the end of the night Chef proclaims that out soups are the best of the night.  My Consomme was the clearest and hottest.  That is something we all need to work on.  Getting stuff for tasting hot. 

Next week, Breakfast!

Ciao!