Blogging by Mail is back!

Stephanie over at Dispensing Happiness has brought back Blogging by mail!



I was excited to participate again because I have missed this fun event!  I have shipped a box of my favorite things that I go to for care and comfort to a distant land.  I hope it arrived intact!

The other day I received my package from the lovely Anne of
Anne's food in Sweden.

Such a variety of wonderful things!  A box of chocolate covered espresso beans, a lovely chili mandarin tea, some meat rub, a packet of cardamom powder, some adorable little cupcake earrings, mini cupcake liners.  The thing missing from the picture is a package of delicious cookies that I ate before I remembered to take a picture of the package. :) 

Oh, and a postcard with one of Anne's gorgeous photo's on it! That  is already up on my inspiration board! 

Thank you Stephanie for organizing BBM again!  And thank you to Anne for a wonderful package!

Culinary School - Q6 week 1 - Latin

Latin

July 18, 2011

Menu: Sopa de pollo, corn tortillas, mole verde, arroz con verdure, flan naranja

Summary: This is our first week in Latin. The food this week seems like good hearty food. We will be making corn tortillas from scratch. We need to learn how to use the tortilla press, practice our stewing methods and also cooking custards.

Food: I thought the food this week was delicious. I love Mexican food, and all things Mexican so I am sure I will not only enjoy this class but get a lot out of it.

Sopa de pollo: Chef thought it was good. Very fresh and perfectly seasoned. The broth was sweet and tangy. The Chicken chunks were the appropriate size. We need to watch the temperature though. Hot soup should be served at 140° ours was about 130°.

Sopa de Pollo

Arroz blanco con verduras: Our rice was really nice. Fluffy and not overcooked. The corn kernels were separated. It was seasoned correctly. Overall Chef thought it was very good. I really enjoyed it.

Mole verde con hierbas: Our Mole had a really great flavor. The meat could have used a little more time cooking so that it would have been a little more tender. The sauce had excellent flavor. Everything was seasoned correctly.

Mole Verde y Arroz con Verduras

Corn tortillas: Our corn tortillas were good but some were a little too thick. You want them to be an equal thickness all the way around so that they will cook evenly. The dough was mixed properly and they were not over cooked or too crunchy.

Corn Tortillas

Flan naranja: Our flan had a nice flavor but the almonds should have been grinded more. Flan should be creamy and not have a crust. I think our oven was too hot, even though the temp was set at 350° as the recipe called for. Perhaps I also should have covered the pan with foil.

Flan Naranja

Culinary School - Q6 Latin and Management, Supervision and Career Planning

This quarter I am taking Latin (cuisine, not language!) and Management, Supervision and Career Planning.  School starts tomorrow.

I have three quarters left and will be graduating in March!

Culinary School - Q5 Week 11 Garde Manger Final

This week is our Final for Garde Manger.   There is a written exam and a practical.
For the practical we have to made 1 sauce or chutney, 12 identical canapes, 4 identical composed salads, 1 lb of sausage and a chicken galantine.

I got 105% on my written and 98 on my practical.



Caprese on Crostini




Cucumber Cups



Full Display



Galantine and Sausage




Salad



Culinary School - Q5 Week 10 Garde Manger

June 6 – 7, 2011

Objectives: Practice for Final

Menu: Chicken Galantine, Pork Sausage, Salad, Canapés, Sauce or Chutney

Summary: This week is practice for our final. Another chance to perfect my Chicken Galantine and my sausage.

Food: I have now successfully skinned and deboned two whole chickens. One more to go for this class. I have grown so much since I started school. I have cooked and eaten more things that I have never tried before and found that I like them. For next week’s final I might switch things up a little with my canapé’s after the feedback I got from the practice this week. I want to do the best I can to present high quality food. My presentation skills aren’t the best, but I am learning a lot from Chef. I was so pleased with my sausage and how it turned out. Chef Jeff tried it and told me it was the best sausage he has ever had. Yay me! That is the highest compliment a student can get.

Canapes

Salad

Galantine and Sausage

Culinary School - Q5 Week 9 Vocabulary

I was out sick this week so I don't have a journal entry but since we only had one day (because of the memorial day holiday) I didn't miss anything.

Vocabulary


Buffets

action buffet: a buffet that has action stations

action station: a meat carving or pasta station

attended buffet/served buffet: a buffet where servers are stationed on one side and serve the guest

backwards planning: focusing on the date of the event and then planning backwards

breakdown: to take apart the buffet

buffet line: a series of tables that the food is set up on

buffet maintenance server: the person that keeps things neat on the line

buffet station: a section of the buffet where like items are grouped together

buffet theme: the basic idea behind the buffet

buffet: many different types of food together that allows the guest to choose

combination buffet: a buffet that has mixed buffet styles like a standard buffet and an action station

cushion: the extra food that you make to be sure you don’t run out

double buffet line: a buffet that goes down both sides

established buffet: a buffet that is permanent

flow: the way a buffet is laid out to best present the food in a logical order

food bar: a new style of permanent buffet

food identification placards: little signs that say what each item is

food runner: the person that brings the food out from the kitchen

fork food: food that is bite sized or tender enough to be cut with a fork

iced presentation tray/ice-filled chafing dish: trays for food that must be kept cold

prep list: a step by step task list

pre-plating: putting delicate foods onto plates to make it easier to take

prix fixe*: a pay one price for all you can eat

pull list: the equipment list for the food at a buffet

roundsperson: the person that can work at any of the buffet stations

satellite station: a smaller station used in addition to a full buffet line

seated buffet: table and chair seating with a place for every guest

self-service buffet: a buffet where guests serve themselves

showtime: from when the first guest arrives to the last guest leaves

standing buffet: a buffet that does not include seating for every guest

structural prop: boxes or bowls used to support food trays

visual prop: decorative items used on a buffet

warming tray/heat lamp/chafing dish: a heated chaffing dish to keep food warm