Atypical Fish in Amherst

There was something familiar on my walk to the aquarium yesterday. The smell of dampened pines, cherry blossoms, and must-lined grass. Repositioned to the campus of UMass in Amherst, I recalled many dear memories.

Amherst is a darling town. Small on its own right, nearly awkward when university is in session. Set apart by its seasons. Distinct. Full life-spanned. And gorgeous. Spring and autumn were always my favorite – the most dramatic of changes. Keepsake memories created.

Yesterday’s walk made me think that fond memories must follow fond memories.

Documentaries about the Deep Ocean always took my interest. Spin-less creatures. World's largest mammal. Organisms living in shells. Are all so fascinating and an extreme departure from life on dry land.

In the past I would beeline for the strangest looking creature. Passing by the common aquatic animals. Uninterested in their existence all together.

Yesterday was different. I came to Cinéaqua – Paris’ aquarium – as a culinary student. Not as a gawker of nature’s oddities.

As suggested by a chef, I was here to learn as much as possible about the ingredients that I cook with. The more you understand components – how they grow, where they live, who they eat, and why they move – the better you are at preparing them.

Ignoring the sharks and jellyfish. I stared at mackerels, sea bream, minnows, and carp. Imprinting their size, color, and unique features. Watching their movement – some non-stop, some very still. Slowly understanding which muscle is used the most. Perhaps changing the flavor, or texture.

The aquarium provided limited details on each species. I was able to gather fresh or salt water. What – who, in some cases – they ate. And a general sense of size. Supplemented with a simple Google-search.

Amherst reappeared yesterday, unexpectedly. And mackerel, atypically, held my attention. Underscoring the ebb and flow of life.

1/3 Assessment

If you can believe it. Three Paris-months have passed. A third of Le Cordon Bleu is completed. And the first quarter of 2010 has closed. Assessment time.

Budget. Surprisingly good. Hotels, market-foods, and bakeries are cheaper than I expected. Personal sundries and café lunches on the other hand, are above my initial forecast. The biggest cost-saver has been entertainment – what I do with my free-time.

Culinary students are humorously predictable. In our free-time, we cook. Partly to practice. Mainly to quench an artistic passion. It is common – especially on Sundays – to meet fellow students at the market. Menu-less. To shop. Strolling around we pick up ingredients that look appetizing, or strange, or fresh. And slowly – student by student – the menu comes together.

Returning home we spend 2, 3, or 6 hours cooking. Chatting. And eating. It’s entertainment and dinner. As a standard, a cheese board always takes form first– to nosh on as the rest of the dishes develop.

Croissants are my favorite. After losing 5 pounds in the first month – and only enjoying three buttery crescent rolls – I changed pace. One per day. After two months my load has remained unaltered.

French cooking – all that butter – was expected to fatten me up. I was determined otherwise. There is something in the Parisian air that leads to a healthier lifestyle. Croissants, baguettes, cheese by the truckload, and pomme frits, I guess, are no-cal here.

Academics. A roller-coaster first three months. The anxiety about first practicals. Confusion on recipe sequences. And the near heart-attack-inducing-final-exams.

I was concerned – fixated, actually – on my grades. Worried about tomorrow’s performance while neglecting today’s. Stewing about what the chef said to me. I was going a bit crazy.

Basic Cuisine passed by with disappointment. Looking back there were missed opportunities and lost moments. All because of misguided focus. But then. I think perhaps not. Maybe that is the point of Basic. To get in, get acclimated, and to realize that the stress. The grades. The anxiety. Is all for not.

I don’t recall when, but there was a moment. When all the ill of before faded away. I am in culinary school. In Paris, for hell’s sake! Do well and learn, yes. But, enjoy too.

Improved performance and released appreciation has blossomed. Permitting me to delight all along.

I thought after three months my heart would grow stronger. Everyday away from James is a challenge. Rapture in what and where I am. But. Loneliness without him by my side. Loneliness without me by his side. Knowing that I am missing his life develop is saddening.

We have seen each other once a month so far, albeit for 48-hour stints. This has helped stretch us forward. We talk, sharing our lives the best we can, as often as possible. Mainly I go through life thinking of him. Pretending he was with me. Having small conversations in my head. Wondering how he would react.

There’s no solution. Or really anything else to say here. Point is. I miss him.

Tomorrow marks month number four. Amazing. Where to now?

Le Cordon Bleu - Practical #3; Practical #4

Group C has been experiencing the extremes.

Practical #3 began at 6:30 p.m. A first for me. The school was quite. Darkness was beginning to creep out for the night. A somber mood all around. I was feeling a bit drowsy by the beginning of class. Nothing a little case of the practical nerves couldn’t fix.

Chef Jean (maybe?) oversaw our group. Another visiting chef with less English skills than the last one. With a case of the, this is France, you’re at a French school, why don’t you speak French? His viewpoint is a little less dramatic than presented as he usually mumbles this under his breath. Passive-aggressive to really drive the point home.

Remembering back to instruction #4. We made guinea-fowl. With half-moon shaped carrots, daikon radish, and celery. Drizzled with a creamed white wine and Calvados sauce. Somewhere along the way, there were some apples. Cut finely. Ran through melted butter. Finishing our plate.

Guinea-fowl tastes like chicken. Looks like it too. It reminded me of a Venice Beach, California muscle dude. Very skinny in the legs – almost nonexistent. Roided-up in the breasts. Attached to broad shoulders making a funny looking, top-heavy fowl.

Calvados was the subtle star of the evening. Deglazing a pan of trimmings and vegetables – the beginning of the sauce. And reprised to finish the sauce. Made from apples, this brandy has a sweet flavor with a powerful alcoholic kick.

Rule of thumb when using multiple alcohols is to proceed from strongest to lightest. Fermented apple cider and white wine followed the Calvados.

The end result. A sauce that hinted towards an orchard in harvest. With a sweet after-taste begging the appetite on. Paired with a more game-y bird – one that you imagine darting between the fruit trees – is a wonderful marriage.

The half-moon shaped vegetable garnish was silly. Not very tasty – bland salt and butter. But a lesson in knife-skills. A more romantic side would be apple sauce. Glazed sweet potatoes. Or roasted beets.

Practical #4 heeded the other extreme. Monday morning, 8:30 a.m. Something I am a bit more used to.

Chef Jean was brought back for another round. It wasn’t long before I heard him mumble about the lack of French-knowledge in our group and how we only speak English. I love the French theatrics.

Having the weekend to forget today’s recipes it was an interesting start. The poor instruction by Chef Caals last Friday didn’t help the memory-bank either.

Fillet red mullet. Make fumet. Toss together tapanade. Bake onion custard. And emulsify star-anise, parsley sauce. The to-do list.

Fumets made with star-anise and fennel trimmings bring a fond smell through the kitchen. Lighting everyone’s nasal passage with something spicy. Slightly Asian. Reminiscent of a likened aperitif.

Using a blender to emulsify the sauce. I disintegrated the parsley into a chartreuse liquid. And mounted – to give volume – with olive oil. At this point the flavor was still too simple. A bit more olive oil, salt, lemon juice and some more fumet. Helped to layer the taste. I smoothed in some butter to keep a glossy finish. Chef approved with a très bonne.

Early morning practicals are good for making your lunch. I ate my red mullet while waiting for our 12:30 p.m. instruction to begin. Munching away I took a liking to the custard.

Presumed to taste of something sweet. The Royal custard surprises with an onion flavor – something that needs to be well balanced. Too much can be overpowering. Too little will taste of bland eggs. Slowly stewing onions with butter, water, salt, and pepper help bring out a thin onion flavor. The end result was tasty. Another très bonne from Chef.

Stepping off the extreme-train. My next practical is 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Now what to do with my day off tomorrow?

Pack Your Bags

I thought some of my soon-to-travel friends and family could use a Paris overview. Have you booked your visit yet?

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #4

Huh?!!?

Is the reduced veal stock for the red mullet or lamb sweetbread terrine? Does the fumet get reduced after it’s been strained? How are the carrots prepared again? Was that course or fine salt? Where did the carmel-ly stewed fennel go?

Overall. This was the feeling after lesson #4’s demonstration. Chef Caals – in rare form – whisked through our three recipes in the most confusing logic possible. Even losing his self in the end. Substitution, sequence variations, and omissions namely made for today’s disorientation.

Somewhere there were three recipes. And. Somehow. Three recipes plated by the end of class.

Instruction #4

• Marbled terrine of langoustines and lamb sweetbreads in a lightly tart sauce
• Red mullet served whole with a black olive tapanade gratin, savory onion Royal custard, emulsified star anis and parsley sauce
• Roasted pears stuffed with dried fruit. Lace tile biscuits (tuiles)

Sweetbreads – thymus glands of young lamb and calves – were paired with langoustines. Enveloped by a mousseline made of whipped whiting fillets and scallops. Bonded with egg whites and cream. Similar to past forcemeat stuffings.

Once the terrine was baked and plated, it was passed with a simple sauce. Coarse-grained mustard, sherry vinegar, cream, and Tabasco made up the primary ingredients. Finished with fresh chives and tarragon. Coloring and lightening the condiment.

Red mullet is a fish. Not some dated hairdo of the step-child who lives next door, as I previously thought. A small fish – red, naturally – with two fillets. Indicating that it swims vertically.

Filleted with the tail-end section attached, and butterflied. Stuffed with a typical tapanade of olives, garlic, breadcrumbs, anchovies, pine nuts, parmesan, and freshly ground pepper. Quickly pan seared. Served with a savory onion custard. And drizzled with a dramatically reduced star-anis infused fumet. Blended with parsley and olive oil.

Dessert was extremely disjointed today. Some of the preparation work by the chef’s assistant was not to his liking. So, I think he sort of gave up on the final presentation. In theory. Pears are poached in lemon syrup. Stuffed with dried apricots, dates, figs, and fresh ginger. Baked in butter and honey. Topped with pistachio crumbles. And passed with a tuiles – a baked sugar biscuit of sorts.

The delay of my practical for today’s lesson – not until Monday – allows me to review my notes and hopefully get things in order. I will more likely forget the lesson all together over the weekend. Leaving myself at a complete loss come Monday morning.

Clichés

I’ll skip the clichés about how fast time is passing. Or that the journey is 90% of life. And I will also refrain from talking about something typical. Like two stones. The potential of lemons. Or a man learning to fish.

Rather. I’ll take the plateau cliché approach. A plateau that’s followed by an incline.

In every experience, educational endeavor, or life moment there comes a plateau. A period when the learning curve flattens. Mundane-ness unearths. And confusion – or second-guessing – streaks through the mind.

Historically, this has been a time when I would lose interest in my commitment at hand. And press on with life. It was a period that I disliked – thinking I was no longer learning – and would rid as fast as possible. Yes. This is when Anthony used to seek new opportunities.

Having waded through one or two plateau moments. However. I have realized that something greater occurs. Flattened learning-curves indicate expertise maturity. Mundane-ness is practice for the arrival of perfection. And confusion is artless reassurance of the chosen focus.

Naturally, frustration is bubbling inside as my life-Paris-LCB-experience calms. In the beginning, everything was a mind-blowing experience. Now. School is predictable. Social networks have settled. And life in France is commonplace.

So. These days. I am reminding myself to simply sit through it and prepare for the next rise.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #3

Instruction #3 brought us to Normandy. Worldly known as the landing site for the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. Gastronomically known as an apple haven.


Chef Caals – neat-freak, sanitary psycho – led the group. Hygienic containers lined up perfectly. Recipe ingredients intentionally placed just so. And a sponge permanently attached to his left hand.

Going into today’s lesson I had less than desirable feelings towards Chef. Stemming from my Basic Cuisine chef meeting. Where he basically told me that he didn’t know who I was and that he couldn’t advise me in any way.

As the day proceeded my heart slowly softened. By the end I think I feel in love a little bit. His cleanliness stems from the same neurosis as mine. Our organizational habits are similar. And his ability to gracefully cook is a personal aspiration. I could however, do without his cockiness or his snide remarks towards his assistant.

I’m not head over heels – culinary speaking – yet for Chef Caals. Perhaps with a little more time I will come completely around to liking this guy.


Instruction #3 - Normandy

• Fish stew with dry cider
• Pan-roasted guinea fowl with Calvados sauce
• Apple tart with creamy caramel

Practical is tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. So more on that later. For now, let’s finish our conversation about Normandy.

The main ingredients that always spring to mind are apples, dairy cattle, and of course, camembert. Apples tend to find their way into most dishes. But. Are more significantly used to produce other products – cider and Calvados, namely.

With no regional wine production, cider is the main substitute. Calvados – an apple brandy – is also used to infuse flavor.

Situated in the north west of France next to the English Channel many maritime elements find their way to the tables of Normandy. As demonstrated in today’s first plate, fish stew with dry cider.

Creamed-fumet with dry cider and Calvados. Accompanied with scallops, langoustines, crawfish, and sole. Completed with quickly sautéed spring onions in olive oil.

Crawfish. According to Chef Caals. Need to be deveined, ALIVE. Hold the fidgeting crustacean by the mid-body shell. Pinch the center tail. Twist. And pull. Removing the digestive-tract. Promptly add to a screaming hot pan lined with olive oil. To end the suffering. I suppose.

After the crawfish murder-scene, Chef proceeded with the menu’s main course. Pan-roasted guinea-fowl with Calvados sauce.

Fowl. I’ve come to realize. Is all roasted in the same manner. Just like our chicken and duck recipes we prepared the guinea-fowl. Substituting cider and Calvados for white wine in the sauce. Which was finished with cream. Passed with some ridiculously cut vegetables.

Dessert, as you can imagine, was centered around apples. Puff pastry tarts, lined with apple slices, laid on a creamy caramel sauce. The sauce – furthering expectation – was made with cider, honey, and crème fraîche.

Perhaps feeling the Normandy-vibe Chef helped himself to some of the dry cider. The first glass was to taste. To see if it was still cold was his excuse for the second glass. The third one, to empty the bottle. Noticeably buzzed by the end of class I noticed his graceful cleanliness slip a bit. Splashing sauces. Banging pots together. Misplacing ingredients. All with flushed cheeks.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #2; Practical #2

Another complete meal. No specific origin this time.

Instruction #2

• Shellfish soup with garlic glaze
• Savoy cabbage filled with salmon, red wine sauce
• Wild strawberry gratin

Taking the recipes in consumption order. Fresh mussels, cockles, clams and scallops lined the bottom of a bowl. Topped with a cream-based soup that was made from the jus of the mollusks. Drizzled with a garlic glaze and briefly broiled. Fantastic. All around.

Saint-Jacques scallops are in season now. And the biggest scallops easily available. Inside the shell lies both the scallop, noix de Saint-Jacques, and the coral. An orange-colored piece of meat. Second only to the noix. As for the mussels, cockles, and clams they were some generic variety. Not worth mentioning by the chef.

Avec wind-storm - he's not the cleanest chef - Chef Tivet prepared the main course. The title, Savoy cabbage filled with salmon, sounds like a stuffing. It was more of a roll. First a piece of cabbage laid flat. Topped with a salmon fillet that enveloped the filling – vegetables and bacon. Covered with plastic and pulled into a ball. Secured with a tie at the top. Then poached – almost sous-vide – in boiling water.

The red wine sauce was great during instruction. Not so much in practical. Since mine was, très bonne, during practical, I was led to think that this morning’s starvation helped me look past the off-putting flavor.

Simply. Red wine, shallots, veal stock, and butter for the sauce. With a lot of salt and a lot of reduction.

Not feeling my A-game today, practical still went off without a hitch. Très bonne all around. Chef Cotte – an egocentric, loud-mouth, wild one – oversaw our group. While he’s made many students cry, most of us like him. His main focus is pastry. But, spills over to the cuisine side for some practicals. Oh. And he’s also a DJ on the side – weird, huh?!!?


Wrapping up instruction today Chef whisked, folded, mixed, and melted the dessert. Wild strawberry gratin. Funnily put by the Chef, wild strawberries that have been cultivated.

A custard-like mixture of lemon juice, heavy cream, eggs, and flour. Added a bit of gelatin to solidify the texture. Once assembled – custard on bottom, strawberries in the center, topped with more custard – the dessert went into the freezer.

The end result looked good, but all my surrounding students disliked the flavor. Perhaps with vanilla, or at least a little less lemon.

Tomorrow brings a shorter day with only instruction at 12:30 p.m. Perhaps I can finally catch up on my wash!

INTERMEDIATE BEGINS TODAY!

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #1; Practical #1

We jumped right into it. 8:30 a.m. instruction followed by a 12:30 p.m. practical.

Unceremoniously Chef Tivet began the first recipe. Gascon-style crisp, flaky pastry tart with apples.

When making a complete meal we usually start with dessert. Not out of eagerness, but out of necessity. Invariably there is an ice cream that needs to freeze. A dough that needs to rest. Or a crisp, flaky pastry tart that needs to slowly bake.

Dessert consisted of phyllo-dough (store bought) layered with julienned apples. Drizzled with an orange juice, cane sugar, Armagnac, Grand Marnier sauce. As eluded, slowly baked for an hour in a 140 degree Celsius oven.

Finding its origin in the Basque region of France, dessert was served hot sans a la mode (but a good idea, no?). All recipes shared origin today. In fact, this is the organization of Intermediate. Working our way through France. Region. By region.

Tucked between France and Spain. Surrounded by sea and mountains. The cuisine of Basque country (le pays basque) is heavily influenced by seafood, local livestock, and peppers. Shrimp, calamari, and mackerel leading the former flavors. Lamb, pork, chicken and wood pigeon are common mediety ingredients. The later refers to bell peppers – grown along with rice and corn. Always paired with Irouléguy – the only Basque wine.

The Basque country is limited on fruit and cheese production. Black cherries and an Italian ewe’s milk-style cheese are the only items produced in this region. Today’s menu represents some of the traditional dishes.

Our next Basque recipe was poulet sauté basquaise. Sautéed chicken in the style of the region-of-the-day. Garnished with red and yellow peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. The chicken morsels – four segments from a whole bird – wrapped in cured ham laid on top. Passed with saffron pilaf. All finished with a jus made from the carcass and vegetable trimmings.

Salmon and watercress salad finished our day. A mixture of finely sliced lettuce, watercress, hard boiled egg, smoked salmon, chorizo, and poached salmon. Bonded with olive oil. Tossed with a vinaigrette - mustard, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and watercress. For presentation the mixture was wrapped in smoked salmon and topped with arugula.

This meal – from start to finish – was fantastic. Some of the dishes that came through Basic (i.e. poor-man’s soup, hot fish terrine, and beurre blanc) were less than tasty. Or at least something that would never be replicated. Today was different. Each one of these dishes I would proudly produce for any guest. Is this a change with Intermediate?

Instruction #1 – Basque Country

• Salmon and watercress salad
• Basque-style chicken sauté
• Gascon-style crisp, flaky pastry tart with apples

One of my favorite chefs, Chef Poupard, oversaw today’s practical. I am still in group C, but surrounded by new people. Some friends. Some colleagues. Some new faces all together. We seemed to have worked well this afternoon, so I don’t foresee any major issues. In all, we represented Brazil, China, South Korea, America, and Dubai. Swearing along in each of our respected languages. It sounded like the United Nations during a fire-drill.

Sauce was good, but needed more reduction. Rice and chicken perfect. Vegetables could have stood a little more cooking. All in all, not bad of a day

Schedule. The best part of today. I finally have my schedule for the next three months. So all my friends and family that have been asking me about what’s coming, I now know.

This is the biggest issue LCB has. They keep us on edge. Communicating nothing. Making planning trips and visitors very difficult. And as a neurotic planner by nature, it’s been a struggle.

Stepping Forward

As though I didn’t even leave - I am back in Paris. An uneventful plane and metro ride made for an easy return.

As a true Le Cordon Bleu student, I went straight to laundry upon my arrival. Whites. Of Course. Uniform needs to be crisp for tomorrow’s Intermediate beginning.

Prior to leaving New York I was not feeling ready. Not ready to return to Paris. Leave James. Or start Intermediate. Now that I am here and over the painful good-bye, I feel a bit more enthusiastic. Prepared to walk into school with a different mindset. Eager to move forward with my learning. But most of all, zealous to tackle the new challenges.

Intermediate brings new instructional chefs – Chef Caals and Chef Tivet. It also signals the beginning of a new group, whose members will be revealed tomorrow. The most important shift of Intermediate however, is the complexity of the work.

While probably still basic – or at least traditional French – the skill set will develop. Leading itself to more complicated techniques, dishes, methods, and results. All this to be explained in a bit more detail after tomorrow’s orientation and first instructional class.

As of now, it’s time to iron. Pack my knifes. And get a good night sleep to start tomorrow fresh.

It’s only going to get better from here!

Le Cordon Bleu - Basic Cuisine Graduation

There is something about red velvet chairs that just says ceremony.

Chairs lined the Winter Garden with a small stage in the front. Chefs in their uniforms - looking official. And the typical French pop and circumstance (including a brief history of the school). All making the Basic Cuisine graduation ceremony much more exciting than I expected.

Chef Cotte spoke on behalf of pastry. And Chef Lesourd for cuisine. The mood was bitter-sweet as some of our fellow students were leaving. We also said goodbye to our group-mates. The dynamics will be completely different come Intermediate.

Our class will be shrinking from 40 to 30 - leaving only three groups instead of the original four. We are all being shuffled, paired up with different students. It will be different all around. Not to mention the new Basic students that will be wandering the halls and locker-rooms with that terror look on their faces. Perhaps a chance to reach out and help a newby.

During the graduation ceremony they called us up one-at-a-time. Gave our fellow classmates a chance to clap - honor, in a way - each of us. We shook the Basic-level-chef's hands. And posed for a picture.

They called the top five students for each program - pastry and cuisine - to the front for an honorary photo-op with all the chefs. I am proud to announce that my good friend Lauren received the number two spot for cuisine. Congratulations Lauren! I feel like a proud parent.

Following the ceremony we had some light hors d'oeuvres and champagne in the second floor demo room. After congratulating our fellow students. Chatting with the chefs. And eating our snacks it was time to say goodbye to LCB for the weekend. To leave Basic behind and all it represented. And to prepare - ready - for Intermediate. Round two of only three.

Rewards and Celebrations

My reward for finishing Basic is a trip to New York to visit James! With Intermediate starting on Monday it's another 48-hour trip. But so, so worth it!

It has been 6-weeks - the longest that we have ever been separated. And I know that we both are looking forward to the trip.

This is great timing because we just found out a few days ago that James got into New York University (NYU) for grad school! He was accepted into the Nutrition Graduate Program! I am more than proud. So good timing because we can celebrate and visit the school.

Le Cordon Bleu Basic Exam is Completed

The exam has come and gone. I really don't think that I have ever been this stressed before.

I was in the third group, starting at 12:30 p.m. Upon arriving to school I was greeted with the news of what the dishes were. Brill and duck.

Gathering in front of our practical room Chef Tivet called us in one at a time to draw a colored chip. Blue was brill. Yellow for the duck. Not quite sure which dish I wanted - I was feeling equal about them - I pulled a blue chip from the bowl.

The kitchen was set up with all the ingredients at the work stations. Alternated between the two dishes. Wanting my usual station I was delighted to see brill sitting there. I proceeded to set up and then it was right to work.

Two-and-a-half hours for this dish seemed doable. First I scaled, gutted, and trimmed the fish. Filleting came next. Once I had the skeleton - minus the gills that were ripped out - I started making a fumet. The base for my upcoming butter sauce.

Lining a pan with butter, finely chopped shallots, onions, and tomatoes, salt and pepper I place the fillets in. Seasoned the upside of the fillets. And filled the pan with fumet. Into the oven for 6 minutes.

I placed the cooked fillets in a pan to rest while I reduced the cooking liquid. When it was reduced enough I Incorporated 125 g of cold butter - emulsifying. Into a butter sauce. Finished with parsley.

Somewhere in the middle of this I turned and cooked two artichokes - our technical test. And I turned 12 potatoes, Anglais-style - the accompaniments for the brill.

By the end the 2.5 hours whisked by. Chef was screaming about how much time we had left. Adding stress to the room. I worked fast, but in a tizzy, to get my work finished, plated, and presented to the judging panel.

Four chefs from outside LCB came to taste judge our dishes. With only a number on the plate the scores were truly unbiased. After all the dishes were graded we were called in for some general comments.

One person's potatoes weren't cooked. Another's jus too salty. Overall the fish dishes were good. But the duck needed more cooking time. This was scary. To say-the-least.

Then it was all over. We packed out knifes and left the kitchen. Sweating, tired, and exulted. For some Monday will bring Intermediate. A new level. A new chance to cook. For others, this marked the end of their LCB time. Some students only did the Basic level and will return to their lives - or start a new one. Hugs and keep in touches were exchanged as we all closed this chapter.

Le Cordon Bleu - Basic Cuisine Practical Exam

My group of friends and I have been memorizing recipes and practicing for over a week. Today is the Basic Cuisine exam. Ten of our 90-something recipes have been chosen as possible tests. One of which we’ll need to produce in two and a half hours.

1. Poularde pochée sauce suprême, riz au gras
Poached chicken with supreme sauce, rice “au gras”

2. Poulet rôti et son jus
Roasted chicken and jus

3. Filets de barbue dugléré
Brill fillets in white wine sauce

4. Blanquette de veau à l’ancienne, riz pilaf
Traditional veal stew, pilaf rice

5. Côtes de veau grand-mère
Sautéed veal chops, “Grandma-style,” with garnish

6. Canette rôtie aux navets
Roast duckling with turnips

7. Sauté de boeuf stroganoff, riz aux légumes
Beef Strogonoff, rice with vegetables

8. Poulet sauté à l’estragon, legumes presses à l’italienne
Chicken sauté with tarragon, Italian-style vegetables

9. Terrine de poisson chaude, sauce beurre blanc
Hot fish terrine with beurre blanc

10. Filets de daurades poêles au fenouil
Sea bream fillets with fennel

I have dissected each recipe and formed an opinion if it will be on the exam or not. Trying to get in the heads of LCB, figuring out which two recipes were chosen. Hours spent on this activity. All fruitless. I know. Soon enough it’ll be revealed.

Emotionally, I have run the gamut. Five hours before my exam I am feeling calm. My confidence is building – but not too much. Equipped to tackle the task. I am not intending to come across cocky – far from that. There are still plenty of nerves and wonders. My intention is to covey my preparedness.

At this point, it is what it is. All I can do this afternoon is stay focused – and calm – and cook.

Final Basic Cuisine pratical exam tomorrow. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Returning to Paris

I was greeted with a wonderful, Spring day upon my arrival back to Paris. This time – I know for sure – Winter has passed.

From the train ride, coffee breaks, and at each meal I got a lot of studying done in Geneva. Memorizing and reading through the recipes. Now it’s time to practice. With only two days until the final practical exam I went straight to a friend's house to work.

We compared notes on some of the recipes. Finished the chicken with tarragon dish. And turned some artichokes. I have probably turned a few dozen artichokes in the last three weeks. If I see another artichoke I’ll…

Four of us are planning on meeting first thing in the morning to work through the two fish recipes. Brill and sea bream. With white wine sauce and fennel, respectively. And I’m sure we’ll get a few more turned artichokes in there too.

The anticipation is rising. I can not wait until I write to you once it has all passed.

My stay in Switzerland was wonderful. Relaxing and mind-clearing. Just what I needed. Perhaps I’ll make such trip before every exam.

For Dinner...

...I found some Italian fare at Pizzeria da Paolo in the Centre City. Thin- thin - crusted pizza with tomato sauce, ham, mushrooms, mozzarella, and a sunnyside egg.

Finding Some Jazz in Geneva

I’ve been in the mood for some jazz lately. Not only did I find a fantastic venue last night, but a new favorite artist.

A chanteuse with most lyrics in French, Caracol, stole my heart last night. The more I think about it. The more I realize that this is my favorite music genre.

Le Chat Noir proved to be a great, intimate music hall. It’s more of a room in the basement of a pretty cool bar. I arrived early – to make sure I was able to pick out the best general admission seat. As I sat waiting for the show to start I had two thoughts.

At first I was dreaming about all the music groups of the world. How they probably started in venues just like this. How they would hunker down in some basement and play, or sing, or read poetry, or tell jokes. How they would do anything to practice their passion. Their art.

I saw Tracy Chapman in a similar venue in North Hampton, MA when I was in college. I thought about her. About the B-52’s. Eddie Izzard. And others. Caracol could be the next Grammy winner. You never know.

My second thought was I could die tonight. I looked around the basement studio and noted that the one, small entrance/exit definitely makes this a room that you get trapped in during an emergency. I lived. Cleary.

Here is my favorite song that I heard last night.

Le Chat Noir
13 rue Vautier
Carouge, Geneva
Switzerland

Geneva and Non-Stop Eating

I couldn’t find a bank. Anywhere. I thought this was funny. You know Swiss banks and all.

Since Switzerland doesn’t accept Euros my plan was to withdraw money – Swiss Francs – from an ATM. This proved harder than I imagined. Twice. The first time I hunted for some cash I thought it was a fluke. The second time made me wonder about this city.

Cash – finally – in wallet. I started spending. Hotels, clothing, and gadgets tend to see the frugal side of me. Food. On the other hand. Has no ceiling. I will – and have – dig pretty deep in my pocket for something edible.

My first meal in any city is always local fare. And depending on where I am, sometimes I stick to this. In large cities or Geneva – the International City – I venture beyond what the locals are preparing.

Sticking to tradition my first meal was fondue – a Swiss staple. Then it was Lahmacun – Arabian origin – flat pizza type dough with minced lamb. Prepared at a Turkish restaurant in Carouge. Served with pickles, tomatoes, lemon juice, and sliced onions.

In memory of my grandmother, I just had to get me some Swiss bread. Lathered with butter and strawberry jam. Just like she taught me. Supplemented with a sunflower seed croissant with chive cream cheese. And balloon bread with dried sausage and gruyère. Everything was heavenly. I wanted seconds, but opted to save some space for a large lunch.

For lunch I found myself at Los Incas. Specializing in South American cuisine. Pork tamale and chicharron de chancho. Explaining the later – deep fried, heavily salted pork ribs. Served with white-sticky rice, boiled potatoes, and fresh tomatoes and onions. Recipe directly from Peru.

Still full from the pork-a-plenty lunch. I’m not sure if it’ll be Spanish tapas or Chinese for dinner tonight. Perhaps Italian? This international city really has a lot to offer.