Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #8; Practical #8

It was a day full of him. Chef Caals demonstrated Instruction #8. And monitored our practical group.

Instruction #8

• Oven roasted vegetable roulade with St-Maure goat’s cheese and mozzarella
• Guinea fowl pie
• Pineapple ravioli with mascarpone, pineapple sorbet and honey sauce

Flavor is an infusion through osmosis. Water in exchange for taste. When cooked, vegetables diffuse water. And pull in the aromas of surrounding ingredients.

Sometimes roasted vegetables can be too oily. A little salt and time prevents this.

Salt thinly sliced vegetables (we were using eggplant and zucchini). Drain on rack, extracting excess water. Thus. Averting the osmosis process. Now. With no water to exchange, the vegetables won’t absorb oil.

The entrée – starter, or first-course, in French – term roulade refers to a preparation. Translated, to roll. Traditionally items are laid flat, stuffed, and rolled. Today, Chef took a modern approach and layered.

Layering. Chef placed. Eggplant, parmesan, olive oil, tomatoes, mozzarella, beets, zucchini, and goat cheese. Leaving a stunning presentation.

The goat cheese – St-Maure – is worth noting. Creamy texture with hints of salty walnuts. Coated with wood ash develops a blue-gray skin. Studded with straw – one stick in the center – for handling. Nothing to do with flavor. Developed in the Loire Valley during Arab invasion (8th century) when goat breeding was introduced to France.

The plat – or main course – was a surprise. Infused with thyme, port, and cognac the flavor was aromatic. Not much of a ground meat fan, I didn’t expect to like the dish.

Guinea fowl legs and liver, chicken liver, pork shoulder, and pork fatback. All ground together. Mixed with aromatic infused shallots. Stuffed in short-crust pastry (pâte brisée). And baked for 45 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius. A pie of sorts.

The carcass and wings from the butchered guinea fowl started the sauce. Browned bones and vegetables – onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Deglazed with port. Topped with veal stock and water. Completed once reduced to a syrup consistency.

A thin slice of pineapple layered – theoretically, stuffed – with mascarpone, and topped with a second pineapple slice created a ravioli. Served with pineapple sorbet and honey sauce. Flavored with fresh mint and cilantro.

Sorbet is a frozen dessert, like ice cream, but without cream or milk. Heat 500 grams pineapple puree with the juice of one lemon. Just as it simmers. Take off the heat. And add 120 grams powered sugar with 50 grams honey. Stir until the sugars have completely dissolved. Chill over a bath of ice. And pass through an ice cream machine – or freeze, mixing occasionally with a fork – until set.

Practical #8 was one of those that started crazy and ended boring.

Rushing as fast as I could to make my pastry dough (it needed time to rest); turn and cut potatoes (they took 40 minutes to cook); debone my guinea fowl (to pass through the grinder); start my sauce (giving it at least 50 minutes of light simmering); and sear my livers (to finish the meat stuffing). I was a crazy sprinter the first 45 minutes.

Sweating like a pig I filled and topped my pie. And threw it in the oven. My sauce was nicely simmering by this point. When I returned to my station from the oven, I looked around. There was nothing to do. No garnish to prepare. No knives to organize. Nothing.

Boredom set in.

I refilled the salt and pepper shakers. Cleaned the fridge and cabinet doors. Scrubbed the sink. And waited. And waited.

Finally the sauce was reduced. The pie was baked.

Presenting to Chef he first commented on my work. Very good organization and speed today. He also liked the consistency and flavor of my sauce. And said that my pie was perfectly baked. A great assessment from Chef Caals – one with extremely high standards.